Andante

CIX

The two boys made their way back downstairs, their hands firmly together until they got to the wide stairway, where they knew there would be other people around. There they let each other go and walked downstairs and out of the building towards the grass field, looking for all the world like just two best friends. 
Well. That's what Eddy hoped they looked like, anyway. He smiled at Mr. Davids on his way out, who was just coming inside - Eddy guessed to start the process of getting it all back together for the evening - and then he followed Brett back to their circle.
Anna was there now, chatting to Todd, and Eddy frowned to himself as he sat down. Crossing his legs under him and chatting to her suddenly felt very different now that Brett had told him about his suspicions.
Shit, was Brett right? Did Anna like him? And if she did, what the fuck would he even do about that? Also, to make matters even more confusing, this time he didn't miss the look on Brett's face as he sat down and Anna said hi. Double shit, was Brett jealous?
He almost couldn't imagine it, but then he realised how he would feel if a girl were hitting on Brett.
Yeah, no, he wouldn't much appreciate that very much at all. And worse: Brett couldn't even tell her to back off, he's mine.
Gah! Why did things have to be so complicated! 
He scooted over ever so slightly more to Brett, so he could touch his hand very quietly, offhandedly. No one would notice but Brett, he knew, but he really, really hoped it would tell Brett that everything was fine. 
"Where's Ian?" he asked the group. 
"I think he's gone toilet." Todd replied, before focusing back on Anna.  
Eddy eyed him questioningly. Did Todd realise what was going on, or not? 

He sighed quietly and got up. "I'm going to get one more chicken wing. Brett, you want one?"
"Oh yeah, thanks!" Brett held out his plastic plate to him. 
But then, unexpectedly, Anna got up too.
"I'll come with you, Eddy." she said. 

Shit!!

Eddy shot Brett a panicked glance, and Brett had the grace to smirk again, and this time Eddy could see the amusement on his face as well as the other thing. 
Okay, well, that was a good thing, anyway. 
He shook his head slightly to try and clear it of all the confusion and then he awkwardly went off to the tents where the barbecue lived, Anna walking by his side. 

"So..." Anna said after a little while, her voice breathy and hesitant. "Erm, what do you think, Eddy, maybe we could keep in touch when you guys are back in Brisbane?"
And it hit Eddy then. He saw it in her big eyes when he turned to her: Brett was right, Anna liked him.
Triple shit. 
Now, he didn't quite get why she liked him, he wasn't all that, was he? It must just be because he was a soloist here, right? But that didn't matter; he knew he couldn't simply let her go on thinking that he was available. He couldn't put her through that, and he also couldn't let Brett suffer. Really, he only had one way out of this mess. 
So he stopped suddenly and started walking off to the side of the field. 
"Walk with me?" he said to Anna. 
"Sure!" she nodded, and fuck, she looked happy to be asked. 
Oh man, this whole thing was giving Eddy a belly ache. And now to make matters even worse he had the feeling he was about to tell Anna something she wasn't going to like very much. 

He stopped after a while when he reached a spot where there was no one close enough to overhear them. Then he turned to Anna. 
"Erm." he hummed, hesitating, feeling the nerves flooding through him.  "I... erm, sure, absolutely we can keep in touch. But Anna, I think I should tell you... I am in a relationship."
He saw her face fall, even though she tried to hide it. But it only took her half a second to recover and she looked up at him again, with a smile firmly plastered on her face. 
"No worries! So, who's the lucky girl?"

Quadruple shit!! 

He could have expected that question, of course. He should have, in fact. So now what was he going to do. Lie? He was pretty sure that's not what Brett would want him to do. And it was really not not what he wanted to do. He couldn't deny his love like that. No way. 
But how would she react? Would she be accepting? Would she out them?
Somehow he didn't think she would.
He breathed in heavily as he suddenly caught Brett's eyes from where they had been sat. He was watching them soberly. 
Eddy blinked once. "Okay. I will tell you, but you've got to promise not to tell anyone, okay?"
Her eyes were wide, wondering.
"Of course."
He nodded. "Please. Just don't tell anyone. It's Brett, he's my boyfriend."