Andante

LXXX

Eddy couldn't have said how long they would have carried on kissing, but in the end there was a rap of knuckles on their door and they  reluctantly had to release each other. 
"Hey, mates, hope I'm not disturbing, but are we gonna have dinner? Is everything okay in there?"
Todd's muffled voice sounded almost hesitant, and Eddy had to smile. 
Yeah, it wasn't like Todd was going to miss what had been going on here, the second he opened the door, was it? 
He gave Brett one more sweet kiss and then he got up to open the door. 
"Hey mate." he said with a cheeky smile, as he swung the door open to let Todd in. 

"Duuuuuuude!" Todd stated, his eyes growing wide as he looked at Eddy's lips, the word having more vowels than was at all reasonable. His eyes whipped to Brett, who was still on the bed, and back to Eddy. "Shiiit! Man, I'm so sorry I came up!"
Eddy grinned. 
"Nah mate, no worries. It's probably good you're here anyway. I may need your help in the not too distant future."
"Dude!" Todd said again. His vocabulary seemed to suddenly have taken a downward turn. 
He walked the few steps to Brett's bed and sat down on the end. 
"Wow. So... does this mean that you're properly an item, now?"

It was the simplest of sentences, but whoa did it ever mean a lot to Eddy. Todd's words crashed into him like a killer wave, sweeping the butterflies up to a fever pace. 
Because he and Brett were properly an item now, right?
His hands had flown in front of his face of their own accord, and he peeked through his fingers at Brett. 
Brett's voice was surprisingly calm, though.
"Yeah Todd, I think we are. But, still on the down low, yeah?" 
Todd nodded. "Of course mate, not a word from me until you guys say so."

Todd got up from Brett's bed and started walking back towards the door.
 "So, guys, dinner, what say ye, before midnight or no?"
Eddy grinned, and then he very deliberately walked the two steps over to Brett, who was also getting up, pulled him close and kissed him once tenderly on the lips, lingering for just a moment. 
"Yeah, before midnight, Todd." he said then as he stepped back, triumph in his tone, his eyes still on Brett, who could clearly hardly believe he'd just done that. But hey, he didn't look like he minded, at all. 
Todd laughed loudly. 
"You go, guys!
Then he turned around and opened the door. 

It wasn't long at all, really, before Ian started throwing them questioning looks, and Eddy realised that there was just no hiding this right this moment. And he knew they'd better get their act together before they went home, but for now he'd never felt more in love, and he wanted to feel and enjoy every moment of it. 
He was holding Brett's hand under the table, their fingers intertwined in the same way they had been in the lift that morning, just before everything changed.  
That morning seemed a lifetime ago now, and Eddy thought he would burst with happiness as he sat there, Brett's wrist leaning loosely on his thigh. 

In the end they may have started dinner before midnight, but it was midnight by the time anyone even considered getting up. And to be honest, Eddy could have sat here all night and just forego sleep, as long as he got to hold Brett like that and chat with this awesome group of people. 
But then again they did want to be able to play the next day, so off to their rooms they went. 


Even though he'd seen Ian's looks, so it wasn't unexpected per se, it was still a bit of a shock when he put his hand on his arm as they walked towards the lift.
"Eddy, got a sec?"
Shit.
Eddy's heart skipped a beat. Was Ian actually going to go there? What the fuck would he tell him?  
"Sure, mate!" he said. "What's on your mind?"
Ian looked at him kindly, an apologetic smile on his lips.  
"I'm sorry I said that this morning about girls, Eddy. I'm getting the sense now that I didn't have all the info there. I shouldn't have assumed."
Whoa. 
And part of him panicked, as he would have yesterday, but there was another part to him now, a louder part, that knew that Ian really was a very lovely guy. His kind words now certainly confirmed that too. And if he was bunking with Todd he was clearly not a homophobe... what the hell, he might as well know, right? 
"No worries at all, Ian. In fact, to be honest, it helped." Eddy said then. "Just... let's keep it between us, okay? We're not... we're not out. Okay?"
"Yeah, of course, mate. My lips are sealed." Ian replied, and Eddy believed him.