the two violinists didn't have rehearsal the next day, so neither of them had any sort of alarm set. they slept heavily in brett's bed with their naked bodies intertwined, blankets pulled up to their waists leaving torsos exposed. brett laid with his head on eddy's bare chest and his arm slung lazily across his stomach. eddy had one arm around brett's neck and shoulders and the other on top of the smaller man's. their legs rested between each other's and they stayed quite still, breathing deeply.
thick curtains blocked most of the sunlight from entering the room and the darkness allowed for them to sleep undisturbed for a long time. the room was cool and a small fan blew on them, keeping them extremely comfortable despite the blazing australia heat that lurked just outside the window. a feeling of relaxation and comfort filled the room as they slept in each other's arms.
brett woke up first. he opened his eyes slowly and squinted as the memories of the night before replayed in his head. a wave of nausea hit him and he shook his head in disbelief.
what have i done? he thought, looking up at eddy's sleeping face. the fact that he'd been used to cheat on someone made him feel sick. it didn't matter how horrible she was, it still made him want to throw up. he took a deep breath and ran his hands down his face.
it was unusual for brett to speak to someone within the first week of knowing them. and now there was a naked boy who he'd known for a few days asleep in his bed. the weight of the situation was hitting him all at once and he couldn't breathe. he carefully wiggled out of eddy's grip and stumbled to the bathroom with his phone in his hand, bracing himself against the sink. his anxiety had been minimal for the past few days and had now decided to make up for all of that at once. he turned on the sink and shoved his face under the cold water, closing his eyes.
it wasn't that he hadn't enjoyed his time with eddy. it was actually quite the opposite. the fact that he'd let someone in so deeply and quickly made his head spin and he couldn't believe he'd let himself do that. there was just something about the way eddy treated him that had made him so easy to trust. but, now that brett's rationale was kicking in, he felt like he was going to puke. the idea of having sex with someone without a long relationship beforehand made his stomach churn and tears stung his eyes.
obviously, brett was about to do what he did every time anything went wrong. he knew jamie would be awake because it was nearly noon and he always woke up by at least 10. he dialed his number and held the phone to his ear, sinking down into the floor and wiping the tears from his eyes.
"good morning, darling dearest. how did you sleep?" jamie answered happily. brett sniffled and shook his head.
"what have i done?" he cried, ignoring his friend's question.
"what? what are you talking about, bretty?" jamie said, his tone completely different. it was filled with concern.
"why did i do that? he cheated on her. with me. and i knew perfectly well about it. what the fuck is wrong with me? i barely know him, jamie. what the fuck? i'm so fucking stupid. i shouldn't have done that. i let myself do something to feel good and i know he's just going to be like everyone else and it's going to blow up in my stupid fucking face. why do i trust him so much?" brett rambled, tears streaming down his cheeks. jamie took a deep breath.
"baby, that relationship is done. you know that. all you did was make someone happy. he's absolutely miserable where he is now and you gave him some sort of refuge in the storm. it doesn't matter that she's not going to like it because she's been beating the shit out of him, right?"
"yeah," brett sniffled.
"yeah. so fuck her. hell, bretty, he probably hasn't felt good like that in forever. and, yeah, maybe you did let him in really quickly. and that's really surprising, but maybe it's a good thing. maybe this is a sign that you're getting over some of those trust issues you've got, yeah? you're not stupid, sweet angel. you are the smartest person i know and just because you fucked some guy who you thought deserved to fuck you and be fucked by you doesn't make you an idiot. it makes you human. and you liked fucking him, right?"
"right," brett mumbled, biting his lip.
"good. honestly, babylove, go fuck him again if you want to. it doesn't matter. all that matters is that you're happy and you're making him happy because it sounds like the both of you need it. i love you so much and i'm actually super proud of you for getting in there and getting to know someone so quickly and sharing such an intimate experience with them. i better be your best man at the wedding," jamie teased. brett smiled a little.
"you will be," he nodded, wiping his cheeks. it felt like he could breathe again.
"good. i've already got tons of outfit ideas. i'm thinking a wardrobe change halfway through the service," jamie thought aloud. brett laughed.
"you're gonna be the focus of my wedding. that's kind of rude," he joked, standing back up and looking at himself in the mirror.
"oh, yeah, you're right... where's eddy right now?"
"sleeping in my bed," brett replied, looking at the purple marks all over his neck. he ran his fingers over them and a shiver ran down his spine as he thought about eddy's lips.
"get back in there and hold him. kiss him when he wakes up and tell him how much he means to you. if he's not a piece of shit, which i don't think he is, he'll appreciate it and it'll be reciprocated."
"jamie, i don't think i can—"
"no. you have to tell him. this is something special and you know it. go."
brett sighed and shook his head.
"okay."
"okay. call me later and tell me all about it, okay? i love you."
"i love you. bye."
"bye, sweetheart."
brett took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom, looking at eddy in his bed. he laid on his back with his arm outstretched. his muscular chest moved up and down slowly as he breathed through his half open mouth, his hair falling in his eyes. he looked absolutely beautiful. his strong jaw and toned arms made brett weak in the knees as he walked back to his bed, crawling under the covers.
as soon as brett was in the bed, eddy grabbed onto him and pulled him close. brett's cheeks reddened and he put his hand on the taller boy's face to kiss his forehead. it felt weird to kiss him, despite the night they'd had together. brett planted another soft kiss on eddy's bruised lips.
"hey," eddy mumbled without opening his eyes, running his hand down brett's chest.
"hey," brett said softly. looking at eddy, he felt like they'd known each other for years. he wanted nothing more than to be in his arms forever. jamie was right.
brett rested his head on eddy's neck, kissing his soft skin. eddy grunted quietly and leaned his head back, running his fingers through brett's hair. no one had ever kissed him so gently. he'd never felt so.. cared for. the way brett treated him melted his damaged heart.
as brett left a trail of soft kisses down eddy's neck to his collarbones, the two of them felt like they were in heaven. nothing existed to them except each other. there was no mae and no rehearsal and definitely no unhappiness. they weren't near strangers in that bed, they were lovers with an unexplainable bond.
"you saved me," eddy said suddenly, his voice barely a whisper. brett raised his head.
"what?" he asked. eddy turned his head to look into brett's eyes in the near darkness of the room.
"you saved me," he repeated, "you really did."
brett was speechless, as he always was at the worst of times. he knew exactly what eddy meant, yet he had absolutely no idea what to say. he put his hands on the taller boy's face and pulled him in, pressing their lips together.
neither of them had ever felt anything remotely like this. as soon as their mouths connected, any problems they'd had disappeared. time did not exist when they were together. it felt like they didn't need words; all conversation could be expressed physically. they needed to touch each other. eddy pulled brett on top of him and held onto his hips as the intensity of their kisses increased, tongues touching and saliva mixing together.
brett pulled away and put his lips to eddy's neck, determined to make it obvious that they'd made love. that's what this felt like. it wasn't just sex, it was something more. even if they didn't exactly love each other, this wasn't just some impulsive one night stand. it was more than that and both of them knew it. eddy leaned his head back and closed his eyes, letting brett's warm tongue trace over his skin. he didn't care that he had to face mae and that she would see the hickeys. he wanted her to see them. he wanted her to know that he'd been made happy by someone else and that he didn't need her. as he tugged on brett's soft black hair with his large hands, he realized that this was what a relationship was supposed to feel like.
their little world was intruded on when eddy's phone started buzzing again. he picked it up and read the name on the screen, sighing heavily. mae.
"answer it," brett said without lifting his head. he knew who it was and all guilt he had was completely gone. he bit down gently on eddy's neck and eddy moaned, breathing shakily. he slid to answer the call and put the phone to his ear.
"hello?" he said, trying to keep his voice steady as brett continued to suck on his neck.
"where the FUCK are you!? i've been calling you all night!" mae shouted. her voice hurt eddy's ears. it was nothing like brett's: soft, deep, comforting. hers was more like an angry bird than a human.
"i'm at brett's. i figured i'd be better off staying here than with you," he answered honestly. brett ran his fingers down eddy's chest to his hips, rubbing his hipbones with his thumb.
"ugh, i'm already fucking sick of hearing about brett. i don't want you talking to him. you need to stop."
brett could hear every word she said and that last sentence made his stomach flip. he was terrified that she would take eddy away from him.
"no," eddy said simply. brett's cheeks reddened and he stopped kissing eddy's neck. the conversation was getting intense and he didn't want to make things worse.
"excuse me?" mae spat. eddy rolled his eyes and twisted a piece of brett's hair around his index finger.
"i said no," he replied, lifting his head to look at brett.
"you don't have to stop," he whispered as mae screamed unintelligibly in his ear. brett blushed even darker and sucked on eddy's collarbone. he loved the way eddy's skin felt against his tongue and lips, as well as the way his large hands tangled in his hair.
"you've got quite the nerve, edward chen. you better come home tonight. we have things to discuss," mae hissed. eddy laughed bitterly, his throat vibrating against brett's lips.
"you're right. we really do," he said and hung up, putting his phone back on the table.
brett raised his eyebrows as eddy grabbed his face and kissed him hard, catching him completely by surprise.
"are you going back over there tonight?" brett asked, biting his lip. eddy nodded.
"yeah. but i won't be staying. i can't stay with her," he shook his head, swallowing hard. he wouldn't admit it, but he was terrified.
"please be careful," brett said quietly. eddy kissed him again.
"i will. after all, i have to make sure i can get back to you."
brett's cheeks reddened for the millionth time and he kissed eddy again. it started light, their mouths moving against each other slowly and carefully as if they were fragile. their heartbeats sped up as it turned from slow and gentle to fast and deep, their bodies moving together like notes in a symphony. hands moved quickly and eddy flipped them over so that he was on top, pinning brett down on the bed. he bit down on brett's bottom lip and the smaller man moaned, tugging at his hair.
"eddy," brett breathed, his wet lips brushing the other man's as he spoke.
"hm?" eddy replied, equally out of breath. brett swallowed hard.
"fuck me."