What if I ain't no violinist?

20. Twoset First Aiders II

Brett's electric shock accident brought him and Eddy together. They have now been dating for 6 months.

It was a mid-week working day. Once a week Eddy would plan ahead so that he could leave work at a reasonable time to meet up with Brett in the city, where his boyfriend worked as a First Aid instructor.

It was winter in Brisbane, which didn't really mean much as far as cold temperatures were concerned. Brisbane winters rarely went below 9°C (48.2°F). Eddy being a government high school teacher, didn't have a strict dress code for work, though most of his colleagues in the CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) department and Eddy dressed smartly, unlike certain teachers from certain faculties which we shall not name and shame!

Eddy liked to make a little extra effort in what he wore on the days he caught up with Brett. He'd have to keep it subtle though because the students were surprisingly good at noticing when their music teacher was dressed for a special occasion.

"Sir! You're on a date this arvo?"

The first time it happened, Eddy almost gave it away by flinching in front of his students. He'd since trained himself to come up with various excuses.

"What'd'ya mean, I always dress like this."

"Family dinner tonight."

"Just trying to look nice for you guys."

"I'm in between my laundry cycle. Tomorrow I'll be in my Halloween costume if I don't get my washing done this afternoon."

Eddy actually contemplated showing up to work one day in a pumpkin costume just to make his lie more convincing.  The alternative was just to add an accessory or two after class before he headed out to meet his boyfriend.  Today he decided to casually drape a maroon scarf around his neck. The vertical lines accentuated his height and added brightness to his face.  He tried to fix up his hair in the staff bathroom but his hair had a mind of its own and could never be tamed, especially when he was excited or nervous. So he gave up and left the school building with his usual dishevelled hairdo.

Brett stepped out of his building.

"Hey Eddy."

Eddy looked up from his phone and smiled.

"Brett"

They bro-fisted. Eddy, in particular, was not very fond of displaying affection in public, being a new school teacher, he didn't want to risk being seen with his boyfriend by any of his students, at least for the time being. Brett's didn't mind, he understood Eddy's delicate position and respected his wishes. So Brett wouldn't initiate any intimate moves on Eddy in public.

They walked together side by side, chatting about their day. They took their usual long way to the station and walked through a park.

"Eddy, I love it when people ask me how I met my boyfriend."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, they all say it's like something out of a movie when I tell them."

Eddy raised an eyebrow.

"...you haven't been telling an exaggerated version of the story have you, Brett?"

Brett smiled and tilt his head innocently. It's a look that Eddy finds irresistible and he is certain Brett knows it.

"Now why would I do that, Eddy ? I just tell people that I pushed you out of the way so that you wouldn't get struck by that electrical cable and I got struck instead."

Eddy's jaw drops.

"What the..."

Brett walked off the park path and stepped onto the grass. He swung his arms around.

"And man, sparks are flying everywhere, smoke erupts, there's intense heat, kaboom, pedestrians around us flying off by the impact..."

"Oh Brett, you lying little shi.."

Eddy ran up to Brett and grabbed him around the waist and lifted him off the ground.

"Oh my god Eddy, stop that!"

Eddy looked up at his boyfriends face.

"Who's been telling fibs? ?"

"Yeah, I'm the naughty boy..."

Eddy cringed.

"Oh my god Brett, how can you say stuff like that.."

Deep down, Eddy actually knew.  Brett was so talkative and cheesy in lieu of typical Public Display of Affection.

Eddy loosened his grip and let Brett slowly slide down along his chest till their foreheads met.

Brett shook his head and gently rubbed his forehead and nose onto Eddy's.

"What, me, lying ? I have no idea what you're talking about, Eddy. So you don't want to hear the rest of my story ?"

Eddy sighed and put Brett down on the ground.

"What I want to know, Brett, is, like how could you describe what happened at the scene of the accident when you've been out cold on the street ?"

Brett slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Oh that's right, ok so my story should go like this instead. I tried to push you out of the way but I was a bit too late and the cable strikes you."

"Whaaat?"

"So I give you CPR. Being a pro, I'm giving you the best CPR, whatever that is. I'm giving you compressions at the tempo of 100 bpm by humming Bach's Violin Concerto in E Major."
Brett put both his hands on Eddy's chest.

"Oh my god"

"And when you come around, you look at me with drowsy eyes and you have the gall to tell me that you regained consciousness because my humming was off pitch! So I punch you and knock you out and I end up getting a whooping from the paramedic."

Eddy burst out laughing.  Brett grinned.

"That's just one version. The other version is that after you regained consciousness, you grabbed my hand and didn't want to let go because you've never seen anyone soooooooooooooooooooo goodlookin' in your life."

Eddy snorted.

"Well, the characters are switched but I bet you're not that far off from the truth with that last bit."

"Heh, don't flatter yourself, Eddy."

"Oh c'mon Brett, admit it. I'm your hero and you fell in love with me after I saved your life."

"All I know is that a fresh, straight-off-the-mill first aider saved my life! Man, that guy must have had one hell of an instructor! "

Eddy couldn't argue there.

"So, Eddy, in essence, I saved my own life!"

Eddy grimaced.

".. But Brett, according to your story, you were the one that gave me CPR, not the other way around."

"Whoops. Okay, so let's say actually it was you that gave me  CPR. I was dreaming of being kissed by this gorgeous guy but man, he sucked at kissing. He just kept trying to blow air into me as if I was a party balloon, it was gross. It was so bad I woke up."

"What the hell?! You ungrateful son of a.."

"So you owe me a better kiss."

"Fine, I really want you to shut up now anyway."

And so Eddy happily obliged.