Broken String

CXIII

Eddy slides open his phone as fast as he can. His heart has stopped beating, because the message is from Brett. Oh, God. Is this it? Is he going to tell him he needs space, this is going too fast, too far, this was a mistake? His mouth is drier than the Gobi desert and breathing is impossible as his eyes start scanning the message, the ocean of tears under them only just this side of safe, for now.

Eddy mine, I'm so sorry for this morning. I handled that very badly. Please, I didn't mean anything bad. Last night was... perfect. Please tell me you thought so too?

His mouth falls open and his heart drops back in its rightful place. He hadn't even known it was out of his chest, before.
"O- oh!" is all he can stammer as he holds out the phone for his sister to read. She does read it, then chuckles lightly .
"See? I told you! Guy things. Like the pet name, though."
Eddy reads the message again and again, his eyes flying over the words that mean everything. He can just picture Brett typing them as well, phone in nimble fingers, violin on his back as he waits for the lift to take him to violin lesson. Eddy mine. He called him Eddy mine. His heart swells to fill his chest and he types quickly.

I thought so too, of course I did.

He presses send before he can think of anything else to say, because he knows Brett will be in front of the lesson room door by this point and he needs to hurry or Brett won't have a chance to read it any more. Look, he's probably in now, he probably won't hear from him again for an hour, anyway.
The message comes in not three seconds later.

Forgive me?

He blinks at his phone as his heart swells more, creating a new space that hitherto didn't even exist. A tear wells but this time it's not from grief, not from fear. Things haven't imploded, clearly, not yet. They're still them. Thank God. He types with a smile and presses send as quickly as he can.

Nothing to forgive. Hope your lesson goes well <3

Is the heart too much? He's not sure but he's sent it now, he can't change it anymore. And he said Eddy mine. He really did. Eddy's heart hammers a new upbeat in the newly created space.

"I like the pet name too." he tells his sister shyly.
She grins and puts a cup of green tea in front of him.
"Yeah, I can see that. You've done a complete 180 in approximately the last two minutes. So, like... you're fully in love with him, right?"
He looks at her as she plops next to him. Then he nods.
"Yeah." he admits. "Unlike anything I've ever been before. It scares me shitless though, sis. What if... I dunno. What if it implodes? I mean... he's never... been... long term... you know?"
She shrugs and blows on her tea.
"What if it doesn't, though? You guys are rock solid, right? Anyway, what do you want to do with our morning? What can you do?"

And just like that. Just like that she's taken what he's told her, about her brother being in love with a guy, her brother sleeping with a guy, and taken it at face value, as if it's nothing weird. Her love floods his heart too, joining the message that Brett has sent in the space that it has made.
"Thank you for reacting like this." he says quietly. She looks up in surprise.
"How the frack else am I supposed to react? Anyway, there's a film I wouldn't mind seeing in the cinema a few blocks away. Wanna go?"
He takes a deep breath and nods.
"Sure, I'll come with you."

I mean, it's probably some stupid chick flick he'll hate but he'll see it with different eyes today, with new eyes that don't have to watch daft daytime cookery shows, or sunlight creeping slowly over floors. He'll have his sister by his side the whole time, who is clearly almost as good at keeping him safe as Brett is.

Almost as good.