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XIX

It was late when Brett made it to the hotel. So late that Cole was back already, lying on the bed scrolling on his phone. 

“There’s no way you’ve practiced till now”, he commented with a raised eyebrow while Brett kicked off his shoes and put down the violin case. 
“Sue me!”, Brett yawned and let himself slump down on his bed. 
“Where have you been?”
“Got bubble tea.”
“By yourself?”
“With Eddy.”
“What?”, Cole exclaimed and sat up with a shock, phone carelessly rolling down his side.
“He’s really not that indecent, you know”, Brett meant, a hint of sullenness detectable in his voice which he didn’t try to hide. 
“I know, I know. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just… surprised.”
“Heard him when he was practicing and we talked. We went to an awesome bubble tea place which was still open. And yes, we DID get some practice in before.” No need to tell Cole how little, right?
“Eddy Chen took you to a bubble tea place?”
“What’s so weird about it?”, Brett asked with a frown and raised his upper body to match Cole’s eye level.
“I wouldn’t have thought that he would go from practically avoiding your presence to showing you around town”, Cole shrugged. 
“We only went to get bubble tea.”
“But what changed? I can’t even picture him interacting with you!”
“Well, he did help me out with Korngold.”
Cole’s gaze wandered to the mint green ceiling of their hotel room. “True”, he admitted. 
“And he’s a really nice guy. He’s just shy. He actually told me himself that he’s not good around people.”
“I see. And you managed to get him out of his shell after one day? That’s impressive to say the least.”

Was it? According to Eddy, Brett had tried “really hard” to get through to him and if this evening had proven anything, it was that Brett had only scratched the surface. Whenever it could have surpassed simple small talk, Eddy had closed himself up, physiologically almost and it tore Brett apart while he knew that he had to accept it. Accept that Eddy wouldn’t share too much for now.

And despite the breakdowns and almost panic attacks, didn’t Brett just have one of the nicest evenings of the last few months? There was a warmth and lightness that came with spending time with Eddy which he simply couldn’t explain. How was it possible to feel so at ease with a person who said of himself that he was a textbook example for an introvert and who Brett had met freaking yesterday? Every minute felt so valuable, every breath like the clearest mountain air in spring, when all life awoke from months of hibernation, filling up his lungs so all he wanted was to shout from the rooftops how wonderful it was to just sit next to Eddy Chen?

Brett must have gotten lost in his inner monologue because apparently, Cole saw no other way to gain Brett’s attention than to hit him with a giant, fluffy hotel cushion.
“Dude! What's that for?”, Brett yelled, readjusting his glasses. 
“Earth to Brett! You just spaced out for a minute, mate!”
“That’s not a good enough reason to put domestic violence in action!”
“Be grateful it was me and not Nathan. He would have used that chair over there. What’s going on?”
“Can a man not have a minute to think about stuff? Jeez!”, Brett sputtered, brushed over his hair and grabbed a pillow himself for protection.
“And what were you thinking about?”
“Why are you so nosy all of a sudden?”, Brett threw his hands up in the air. Cole normally wasn’t one to pry and that’s exactly why Brett liked being around him. He only pulled that when he knew something was up, and whenever he was concerned for his friends.
“Because you’re different ever since you’ve met him”, Cole simply stated, his voice calm, neutral, like he was sharing a scientific fact rather than an observation about Brett’s behaviour.
Brett stared at him without blinking once. 
“Am I?”, he whispered. Was he?
Cole nodded. “You’re off. Not necessarily in a bad way, but I can tell you’re not present one hundred percent. Like when we go out with everyone or have dinner. You’re quieter. Less engaged in conversations. Normally, you put your whole attention into the person you’re talking to and that’s why people like you so much.”
“I mean…”, Brett tried, “I do have a concerto to play, you know.”
“True”, Cole agreed, “but my gut tells me it’s not about that.”
“What are you implying, Cole?”, Brett asked bluntly. One strength which had spared him lots of wasted time was his outspokenness, coming in handy in situations like this. 
“Exactly what I said before: You’re different ever since we’ve met Eddy Chen.”
“Maybe this rival stuff is getting to me”, Brett suggested, sounding unconvincing in his own ears.
“You sure? And that’s why you try to be friends with him? I mean, it’s not the worst plan.”
“I don’t know!”, Brett called, his patience running out quickly, “What do you want me to say? I have no idea why I’m 'different' as you’ve put it. I know I’ve tried way too hard to start a conversation with him although he shut me down several times.”
“Yeah, everyone noticed.”
“But I’ve told you before, I don’t know why I did that. I even told you to slap me whenever I try again!”
“True…” Cole murmured while stroking his chin in thought, recalling the scene Brett had described.
“Believe me, it’s weird for me too. And I have no idea why I’m like this. I don’t have enough mental capacity to go around and think about social stuff. I have enough to worry about.”

They fell silent, Brett breathing heavily after making his point and Cole still looking like an old professor brooding over a complicated math problem. It was true, everything Brett had just said. He had no clue why he apparently liked being around that tall, leeky guy whose eyes were openly readable for Brett despite the other so obviously trying not to let him. 

“It doesn’t matter anyway”, he said eventually. “It’s not important. I’m just gonna focus on not embarrassing myself in front of all future musicians of Australia these next three weeks and when I’ll manage that, I'll be more than happy.”

To Brett’s surprise, Cole sniggered. 
“Ah man! Have you not noticed how Katie looks at you?”
Where the hell did that come from?
“Huh?”, Brett made. 
“Mate, she basically put you on a pedestal in front of the whole dinner table and all the dead cows we were grilling. Did you not hear what she said?”
“She just said she liked my performance better than Eddy’s, what’s so special about it?”
“Right, that itself is not too out of the ordinary, I give you that. But the way she smiled, laughed at your comment, played with her hair…”
“Nah! Nathan! She’s just a new friend! Don’t you dare go there!”
Impossible. Brett admittedly wasn’t the quickest at picking up signs, as he awkwardly and sometimes painfully had to learn in the past. One time, he had been aware and it had led him to a two month relationship with a girl from another class, which had ended because he’d been too busy practicing for a competition. But after one day? In this setting? With all the other, taller and more good looking guys from the Queensland con she could go after?

Brett didn’t like the look Nathan gave him.
“I hate to tell you, mate. But Angelica took her aside at the bar yesterday because she was all down after you left.”
He reached over and gave Brett’s shoulder a loud slap. “She has a thing for you.”