the silence

one. (e)

    eddy chen was on his way home from a long day of giving violin lessons at a local high school when his phone rang. he took his deep brown eyes off of the road for a moment to glance at the information on his phone screen. the caller was unknown, but he answered. he was waiting on a few calls for different jobs.

"hello?" he answered, trying not to let the nervousness enter his voice. it usually didn't; people always told eddy he had this weird aura of confidence at all times. he didn't think too much of it, though.

"hi, this is maya from the sydney symphony orchestra. is this mr. chen?" said the voice on the phone. eddy felt his heart rate speed up.

"y-yeah, uh, that's me," eddy breathed, biting his lip anxiously.

maya informed him that he'd gotten the job and he didn't really listen to much that she said after that. he thanked her quickly before saying goodbye. he was in his own little world of happiness when he pulled into his driveway.

the sun was out (as always) and for once eddy just stood in it when he got out of his car, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. he was in a good mood and just wanted to stand there and feel alive for a few minutes. the sun beat down on him in his black button up, sweat beading on his forehead. the australia heat was not to be underestimated. he'd always hated it, but he felt too good to be angry about it. he wanted to feel it.

    after standing there sweating his ass off for five minutes, eddy grabbed his violin case and walked inside. the air con was on full blast and he sighed contentedly when he felt it, cool air filling up the room. much better than outside. he took off his shirt and laid down on his couch, closing his eyes. he was exhausted. he'd been busy as hell lately. his days consisted of busking, auditions, rehearsals, and lessons. then, in between that, he had to find time to spend with his girlfriend, mae.

    the job with the orchestra was enough for him to be able to quit doing some of those things, such as busking. but it would also be a lot more work. thinking about his future schedule gave him a headache and he rolled off of the couch, forcing himself to get onto his feet.

    he knew that mae would be home in a few hours, so he decided to go ahead and take a shower in order to spend time with her when she got there. he loved her, he really did, but things had been difficult lately. they'd been arguing a lot over his long hours working and how he was always so distant. it wasn't anything against her; that's just how eddy was. he needed a lot of time alone in relationships because too much interaction with people, especially girls, made him feel weird.

    throwing his clothes into the laundry basket, eddy stepped into the shower. the water ran down his muscular back and he sighed as he tried to relax. it was the least he could do for himself since he'd been pushing his body and his mind nonstop for months. eddy had always been a hard worker, but it was getting to the point of endangering himself. he really didn't care, though. he told himself that there were more important things than his health.

    he finished in the shower and stepped out, looking around his bathroom. it was getting to be a little messy: clothes on the floor, towels everywhere. he brushed it off and got dressed. there were also more important things than a clean bathroom.

    eddy decided to do just what any other person does with their time off: watch meaningless television and eat unhealthy food. so he settled down on the couch with the remote in his hand, snacking on potato chips. he figured he deserved it after getting a job that meant the world to him.

he was in the middle of a marathon when the door opened. mae walked in and sat down next to him, intertwining their fingers.

"hey," she said, a small smile on her lips. she leaned in and kissed eddy's cheek. he'd never liked that, but he never wanted to tell her.