Come on, Eddy. Just play. You've done this before. You got this.
He grimaced slightly when his bow shook, once, twice. His eyes shot to the right for a moment and suddenly he almost stopped playing.
Oh. The groom was walking up slowly through the isle, smiling at his friends and family, looking all handsome, real handsome actually, in his dark blue suit that somebody had clearly put a lot of thought into. He smiled briefly at Eddy as well, as he took his place in front of them and turned around to wait for his bride.
Eddy cued the quartet automatically and tried not to think about Brett in that blue suit, with a powder blue shirt he would get to take off at the end of the day. But at least the pointless daydreaming was fixing his nerves. The final chord came before he knew it. He looked towards the end of the hall to check the bride was there before starting Canon in D.
Okay, so even Dragon in D wasn't so bad now. Another glance to the right and the beautiful young girl with long, jet black hair, in a simple white lacy dress was walking towards her man with tears in her eyes, staring at nothing but him as he waited for her with his own eyes moist. Eddy blinked and looked back at the sheet music on the stand. He may have played this a million times but he didn't need to make a mistake anyway, did he? He played the semiquavers through hazy eyes.
"Thank you so much, your playing was so beautiful."
They were just gathering their stuff as the crowds were dispelling towards the field when the young bride walked up to him, not to Todd, and was holding out a slender hand with a huge new diamond on it. He forced his voice to work.
"It was our pleasure. The service was really beautiful. Congratulations on your wedding!"
"Thank you. I know you've probably done this a thousand times before, but I will remember your playing forever."
He blinked quickly so she wouldn't be able to see what her words meant to him.
Yeah, no. Not a thousand times, lady. Not by a long shot. And I will remember you too.
"Thank you." he nodded politely. "I'm really glad you liked it."
Brett was right next to him as they walked back to the little red Toyota, walking slower than the rest of them, almost like he was reluctant to leave, somehow. Eddy eyed him wonderingly, and suddenly Brett stopped.
"You played really well, Eddy. Nice leading, too."
"Really? Thanks. I was shitting myself at the beginning there, stupidly."
Brett grinned.
"Nah, I get it."
Brett's eyes shot back towards the field and its trees, the wedding party now in full swing, with people milling about everywhere with champagne glasses and canapes in their hands.
"It was nice, right?" Brett said then, really softly, and Eddy's throat was suddenly thick with something. He nodded.
"Yeah."
He knew that Todd and Ian must already be loading their stuff into the car, but he couldn't quite seem to tear his gaze away from the wedding guests, and from the whiff of white close to the building he knew must be the pretty bride, who had thanked him. Who had walked up the isle to meet her man.
"It was nice."
Brett was quiet for the longest moment, and Eddy had no idea what to say. But when Brett did talk again his voice was even softer, so soft, so shy that he could hardly hear him even though he was right there next to him.
"I would really like to stand there at the end of an isle one day and be the one waiting for you."