Andante

CLXXVI

Eddy didn't even have it in him to be shocked, now, or maybe he was just numb. Because he had seen that, hadn't he? He had seen that in her eyes, in her posture the second she said hello to him, the second she lingered. He had seen that in the hand on the shoulder and in how she had let go the second he stepped up. And he couldn't blame her, of course. Brett was the most awesome guy in the world, after all. 
He did hate her though. The depth and the vehemence of it surprised him as it lanced through his gut. Oh, how he hated her. 
He breathed deeply and somehow managed to carry on in a fairly normal tone. 
"Wow. So... then what?"
Brett stood quietly on the pavement, a pained grimace on his face, and for a moment Eddy had no idea what he was about to say, what he was about to suggest. Would he... fuck, what if Brett liked her back? But before he could even begin to really formulate that thought Brett carried on in his soft voice. 
"Well, then I flailed around for words like an idiot for about two minutes, which she seemed to take as some sort of admission? But then... Eddy... when I told her I didn't feel the same, she asked... she asked if that was because of...."
He didn't have to finish his sentence. The image of that hand on Brett's shoulder, quickly taken away as he approached, flew through his head again. 
"She asked if that was because of me." he said bleakly.
Brett nodded once. "Yeah. And I told her... I told her no, of course not. I couldn't be honest, Eddy, I simply couldn't, because she's the biggest gossip in the school. But I don't know if she believed me. It's... well, I guess it's hard to fake that sort of righteous indignation."
"Shit." 
It's all he could think to say, really, but to be honest it encapsulated his feelings perfectly. 
And even though he had never really thought that Brett would be into her, he was still relieved, somewhere, anyway. How silly of him, because Brett had always told him, hadn't he, how much he loved him? 
"Yeah. It worries me." Brett said, mirroring Eddy's bleak tone from a moment ago. 
Eddy brushed the back of his hand softly against Brett's. Look. As long as Brett had no interest in her, he could be calm. He could be rational. 
"We'll work it out, Bretty, don't worry about it, okay? Hopefully she'll say nothing. And otherwise you may have to invent a girlfriend or something."
Eddy started walking again, because they must look well weird, just standing around on the pavement like that. After a beat Brett followed him and they walked side by side in silence for a moment. Slowly Eddy's heart beat slowed down to a more normal tempo.  The shopping centre was coming up in the distance now, and he could just about see their regular spot, close to one of the giant planters in the middle of the street. It had been a while since they had busked. They weren't getting nearly as rich any more from it, because they weren't small and cute any more. Even if their playing was much better than it had been a few years ago. 
People were stupid. 
"Are you okay, Eddy?" Brett asked softly as they walked into the shopping street. 
Eddy nodded and looked to the side to smile at his boyfriend. "Yeah. I'm good. I'm glad you told me about it straight away."
Brett sniggered suddenly.
"Yeah, 'cause there's stuff in my life I don't tell you about?"
Eddy put his violin case down on the ground by the planter and grinned as he opened the clasps. 
"Maybe not."

Like always, they started their busking session with Czardas by Monti. It was a firework piece, of course, and they both knew it would get them noticed straight away. Brett always played the normal violin part and Eddy played the accompaniment he had arranged a while back.
He glanced right, as Brett lifted his bow and played the first bar. Oh, he could never get enough of Brett playing this. The broad, deep warmth of the first sul G passage, those glorious lyrical lines that he nailed every time, his perfectly bouncing sautillé, the perfectly in tune sixths and thirds, and then of course there were the gorgeous harmonics. This piece was simply everything Brett needed to show just how brilliant he was, and Eddy stood by his side, played his chords and glowed with pride. 
A small crowd of people had gathered around them already and was watching and listening intently. Brett never responded visibly to the audience, he just stayed in his concentration, but Eddy could see he loved it, in the slight way his mouth quirked up, in the slight shine in his eyes. 
Oh yes, this was what he loved. Standing next to Brett, playing Czardas with him. He could quite happily do nothing but this for the rest of his life.