Andante

LXVII

¨Hey.¨ Brett said very simply, but Eddy could see his eyes shining behind his new frames. 
Eddy knew exactly what those eyes said; they said that Brett was just as happy to be here as he was. 
¨Hey.¨ he replied, knowing that Brett would be able to interpret the silly smile on his own face just fine as well.
They walked to a bench in a comfortable silence. What was there to chatter about, when you knew the other person inside and out? It was plenty to just put the cases down and sit close together, both of them taking out their phones automatically, and wait for the others to turn up. 

¨So, do you know anything about the violist?¨ Eddy asked after a while.
¨Do you want a joke, or the serious version?¨ Brett replied, his face deadpan. 
Eddy burst out laughing. 
¨You'd better get the jokes out now, bro, or we'll make an enemy instead of a new friend.¨
¨Nah, seriously, I've don't know him but I've heard he's good.¨
Eddy nodded. ¨Cool.¨
Todd had become a seriously good cellist over the last couple of years, and Eddy was pretty confident he'd be going to the con himself. He just hoped Todd had selected the violist for his qualities, and not because he was cute... 

¨Hey, mates! Wanna check in and get some bubble tea?¨
Todd's voice rang out clearly over the throng before Eddy could even find him in the sea of faces. He came up to them, a skinny boy with friendly eyes next to him.  
Eddy got up and held out his hand, smiling at the new boy. 
¨Hi, I'm Eddy, and this is Brett.¨
Brett stepped forward and offered his hand as well. 
¨Ian, nice to meet you both.¨ Ian said, in another one of those undeniably Aussie accents.
¨Nice to meet you too!¨

They made their way over to the check in desks, and to be honest, even standing in line was a blast. It didn't even matter that Eddy didn't know Ian yet; he was a budding musician just like he was, and that was enough. Time flew by as they talked about music and bantered while they stepped forward in small increments, kicking their cases forward with their feet. Brett didn't say very much, but Eddy knew he was having fun too, because he could see the eyes he loved so much shining behind the black glasses. 
He handed his passport to the uniformed lady behind the desk and received his boarding pass, and he wanted to jump up and down like a ten-year-old. 
They were really going! 

A couple of hours later they filed into the plane, their bellies happily full of bubble tea and a panini they'd scored at one of the many airport stands. 
They'd all tried to keep a straight face as Todd ordered a 'Paganini with brie' and the girl behind the stand hadn't noticed anything weird about his sentence. She did notice them giggling though, and she'd given them the stink eye, but that had only made them giggle more.  
Eddy was already having the time of his life, and they hadn't even technically left Brisbane yet. 

Eddy took the window seat and Brett sat next to him. Todd, who'd had to get a second seat for his cello of course - making Eddy super happy once again that he played the violin - sat in the row in front of them with Ian. The space next to Brett was empty for now, and Eddy found himself vehemently hoping it would stay that way. 
Because they pull was back, and it was back with a vengeance. The butterflies were out in full force, taking over his belly like they were swarming, drawn to a giant buddlea.
Quietly he put his open hand on the seat, next to his left thigh.