Andante

CII

Eddy rapped his knuckles against Todd and Ian's door again, harder this time. 
"Come on, mates! Seriously, we're gonna be late in a minute!" 
Finally he heard life from the inside of the room. Well. More like a groan, really. 
What time had these boys gotten home last night? 
"Just go to breakfast, guys." Todd grunted from behind the closed door. "We'll be there in a minute."
"Okay." Eddy called back. "Just do not go back to sleep! We can't be late, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm up."
Eddy smiled and shook his head as he turned back to Brett. 
"I wonder where they went last night." he said soberly, and Brett grinned as he pushed the lift button. 

That lift must have been on the umpteenth floor or something though, because the other boys beat it there, in the end. An incredibly dishevelled looking Todd rolled out of his room and eyed them morosely. 
"Fuck. I might have wanted to get to bed slightly earlier." he grunted. "I need coffee."
An equally rough looking Ian followed him and stood there silently, holding his viola case in his hands. 
"What did you guys do last night?" Brett asked carefully.
"We may have gone to a club." Todd grinned softly, still blinking against the light. "Nothing some coffee won't fix."
Eddy shook his head. He didn't even know how Todd had managed to get into a club: he wasn't eighteen yet. But hey. Todd was resourceful. 
Todd groaned softly again as the lift doors finally opened and he stepped in, instantly leaning against the faux wooden side panels. But suddenly his eye seemed to catch Eddy's, and he looked at him curiously, as if he was only now seeing him for the first time. Then his eyes widened ever so slightly and a small smile spread on his handsome beach boy face. 
He didn't say anything, of course. He was way too respectful to say anything in the group. But still it was clear to Eddy that Todd realised very well what had been going on behind their closed door last night.  Eddy shook his head slightly and he rolled his eyes to himself. 
Todd gave him the brightest of smiles then and waggled his eyebrows for just a second, and he seemed invigorated somehow, as he exited the lift and led the way to the breakfast buffet. 

Even the world outside looked different today, as if someone had taken an aquarelle kit and had painted all the colours just that little bit brighter. Eddy stared out of the window of the white taxi as it sped through the streets of Perth, and his hand was safely in Brett's, happily ensconced between their upper legs so no one would see. He could feel the different-ness radiating off Brett just as much as he could feel it in himself. He shot him a glance every now and again, and every time he did he was rewarded with Brett's beaming smile.
They came to the building and the taxi stopped to let them out. Eddy gave his boyfriend's hand a little squeeze, and then he reluctantly let him go. He knew very well that they would have to go about this day as if nothing overly special was going on, and he fully intended to fulfil that brief, of course. He was going to be a professional, after all! 
But when he'd picked up his violin from the boot of the taxi and started to make his way into the building Brett was suddenly very close to him. 
"Good luck today, my love." he said, so softly that no one else could possibly overhear, and then he suddenly winked. "Just try to think about the music, hey?"
Eddy started grinning, because really, that wink said it all, didn't it? 
"We'll be fine, Bretty. I've never been more relaxed on concert day in my life." he replied, just as softly, and he started to climb the steps to the entrance. 
Brett grinned as well now, and the tiny touch of his hand would certainly not be noticed by anyone but Eddy. 
"Yeah, that makes two of us, bro."