Andante

CXLVI

Eddy had bitten the sides of his tongue so hard he figured there would be indentations in it. Not that he could be bothered to look in the mirror to check, right at this moment. Lily's parents had taken forever to leave, and he had been forced to be polite, and interested, and pleasant, even though the only thing he had wanted in life had been to run upstairs and hug Brett, properly for the first time in way too long. So he had clenched his teeth and smiled, and promised to play a duet with Brett when Mr. and Mrs Huang came back tomorrow. And all throughout the whole ordeal he had felt like a right arse, because these people were welcoming them into their home, enabling him to have this time with Brett, with his friends, and he shouldn't be so impatient, should he? But now the car was leaving the street at last, and all of angst that went right out the window, as he told Lily with a smirk that he was just going to put his luggage down. His feet barely touched the steps as he flew upstairs. 

The little room looked exactly the same as it had in his memories, those memories that he'd pulled out every time he'd been down, every time he'd been alone in his bed, wanting to have Brett there with him so badly it hurt. Now he was going to have the chance to make some more memories here, and the relief and the happiness washed through him hard, as he put his little bag on the floor beside the bed with the frilly throw. 
The door closed behind him and two arms snaked around his waist. Brett buried his face in his neck and inhaled deeply. 
"Hmmm. You smell so good." he said softly. 
Eddy turned around, smiling, making sure to stay in Brett's arms as he turned. 
"Do I?"
Brett nodded coyly. "Yep. Smells of you."
Eddy put his own arms around Brett's back and pulled him close, his cheek to Brett's hairline. He wanted to savour every second of this moment, of their first no holds barred hug in two weeks. Then he moved back ever so slightly, so that his lips could find Brett's, safely in the privacy of their own room now, where no one would walk in, no one would disturb. 
He could feel it in Brett's kiss too, the softness, the gentleness with which he responded, moving his lips tenderly against Eddy's... yeah, today there'd be no rush, and Eddy found himself smiling already with the anticipation. 

"So.... I have a plan."
Brett had let go slightly, their arms still on the other's back, and was looking up at him with this look on his face that told Eddy straight away that this plan was going to be good. 
"Okay, what's the plan?" he asked.
"Well, my teacher told me something on Monday. There's a three day masterclass with Richard Petti and some others in the holiday in a couple of months, and you can audition for it by sending in a video of your playing. I was thinking... maybe we could go?"
Eddy could feel his jaw dropping before the words had even fully registered. 
There was a masterclass? With Richard Petti, the guy who'd been so positive about them? 
"Oh my God." he whispered. "That would be... that would be so awesome! Where is it?"
Brett grinned. "Perth. And I'll be eighteen by then, so it must be possible to convince our parents, no?"
Eddy shook his head in disbelief. "Oh my God, Brett. We have to go. We simply have to!"
"I agree!"
And just like that, he lost any coolness he may ever have had, clapped his hands and squealed in delight.