Andante

LXIII

The week had been long, it had been very long. It wasn't just that he missed having Brett by his side; he missed everything about AYO, he missed making music all day long and he missed sitting all night with like minded people. Now, the days were boring and the nights were lonely, and as far as he was concerned life sucked. 
At least he saw Brett almost every afternoon, and even though they hadn't talked about it he had the feeling that Brett was just the same.
Brett was like the sun to him, he was like breath. He just couldn't be complete when Brett wasn't there. 

So Eddy was relieved the second he sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, because it was finally Saturday. Saturday! He'd be spending most of the day with Brett, and they would make music together again! At last! He could feel his spirits lifting as if they were a tangible thing, and he smiled as he pulled on his jeans. 
When had he last smiled?

¨Good morning, mum!¨ he said brightly as he walked into the kitchen and reached over for a bowl. 
He caught the small surprise that registered on her face.
¨Good morning, Eddy. Busking today?¨
¨Yes, mum, but I'll have my work finished before.¨
¨I know, Eddy. Have fun.¨
He peeked at her curiously out of the corners of his eyes as he sat down to eat his bowl of cereal. 
Sometimes his mum could be very perceptive. 

He threw himself into his work with such vigour that he was actually surprised when the doorbell rang. His heart jumped in his throat. The bell! Brett was here!
He ran down the stairs so fast he almost skidded through the corner and opened the door beaming.
¨Hey, bro.¨ he said, making sure to keep his tone neutral. His mum was just there in the kitchen, very much in earshot. 
¨Hey!¨
Brett walked in and kicked his shoes off. It made Eddy so happy to see his violin case on his back. They hadn't played together all week, and Eddy had missed it. In fact, he hadn't practiced nearly enough, because playing the violin alone had made him feel sad. 
¨I was thinking, maybe we should just play through some stuff again, because it's been a few weeks since we've been busking?¨ Brett asked in his soft, pleasant voice. 
¨Yeah, absolutely, let's!¨
Eddy was already running back up the stairs, Brett following him at a more normal pace. 

Brett closed the door behind him and put his case down. Then he looked at Eddy with that earnest look he had, appraising him somehow. 
¨You okay, Eddy? Long week?¨
Eddy snorted softly.
¨Yeah, you could say that. You?¨
Brett nodded. ¨Yeah. Long week.¨
The look on Brett's face made him want to hug him so, so bad. But he knew he shouldn't. Hugging him would only lead to a whole bunch of other stuff. So instead he just put his hand on Brett's shoulder. See? Putting a hand on a bro's shoulder was an acceptable thing to do, right? Still, Brett's warmth flowed through him and he breathed it in as if it were the last breath before the big dive. 
¨I'm real glad you're here, Bretty.¨
Brett gave him a whistful smile. ¨Me too. Now, shall we play?¨

Eddy set the stand up and Brett pulled the sheet music from his case. By now they knew very well which pieces did well with the crowds and which ones didn't, but they'd long since agreed that they'd play what they wanted to play as well. It was at least as much about performance practice and enjoyment as is was about money, after all. 
They tuned and then the two boys lifted their bows, they breathed in together and their first duet rang out again. Just like it should. Eddy felt himself relaxing into it after the first few lines, even though he could feel he hadn't played much that week. 
So after the final chord sounded he was beaming even as he said it.
¨God, I need to practice.¨
Brett laughed. ¨Yeah, me too, bro. But we'll get some practice in in front of the crowds this afternoon, hey?¨
¨Yeah, we will. Shall we head out?¨
¨Sure!¨