Play!

XLIII

Brett knew the circumstances couldn’t lead to another outcome than what he was experiencing right this moment. Since the others weren’t back from their tours or visits at various points of interests the conductors had offered, or, more probable, went to eat somewhere on the way, Brett and Eddy ended up having dinner by themselves. Only the two of them, which, again, wasn’t something to sweat about at all. Eddy dragged Brett to a hotpot place a good twenty minute walk away from the con and hotpot restaurants weren’t particularly classy with all the ingredients cramming the table where two bowls of hot soup were already taking in half of the plate and filling the room with steam so not sweating was simply not an option.

So with this being said, why did this whole thing still feel so profoundly different than any meal Brett had ever had with anyone ever? 

“This is so nice, after cafeteriagate today!”, Eddy moaned, his eyes closed while he stuffed his face with slices of beef he’d just fished out from the spicy broth, the tiny rest of his eating manners completely out the window by now.
Brett gulped and it was not because he had to swallow something. “Yeah, good idea to come here.”
“Right? Worth the walk, I reckon.”
Eddy threw in another bunch of veggies and lowered a good portion of meat into one of the pots in-between them.
“Thought you wanted more time to play?” Brett very consciously left out any word slightly associated with “for” or “me”.
“Bah! We need good food to function, right?”, Eddy chomped, looking so much like a big chipmunk Brett had to hold back a snort so he wouldn't spray the table with the content of his mouth.
“True!”
“This is so much fun!”, the taller beamed, “Except for those! You want them?” 
He pushed a plate with a huge variety of mushrooms over to Brett, his features showing disgust. 
“You don’t like mushrooms?”
“Nah! Hate them ever since I nearly choked to death one time when I was a kid.”
Eddy Chen didn’t like mushrooms. Another fact Brett learnt about him he was going to store in a way too devoted part of his brain.

They spent some time reducing the amount of ingredients on their table continuously with Brett throwing a what he hoped unsuspicious glance at the taller from time to time.
He only realized halfway through the meal that Eddy must have been doing the same, because when he looked up to reach the rice noodles, he caught him staring. 
“Uh, you okay?”, Brett asked, hand frozen halfway to the desired noodles.
“Oh!”, Eddy made, quickly dropped his head down and started coughing instantly because of the sudden movement.
“Dude!”, Brett exclaimed, half laughing, half hurrying to give him some helpful pats on his back. 
“Shit!”, Eddy cursed with a pained grin when he managed to breathe again and wiped tears away from the corners of his eyes, “Sorry. Man… too spicy.”
“Yeah. I’m very bad with spice actually.”
“S’that why you mostly stick to the light broth?”, Eddy waggled his eyebrows mischievously and picked up his chopsticks again. 
“Says the one I should have let choke to death”, Brett deadpanned, making Eddy laugh.

As the bowls got emptier and the soups less, Brett and Eddy leaned back into the benches they were sitting on, very much content.
“Thanks again for bringing me here! We definitely need to come back again.”
“My pleasure”, Eddy sighed, eyes closed and head laid back, “It’s one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney.”
“You like Asian food a lot”, Brett stated. 
“Hell yeah! It’s like the best kitchen in the world! Change my mind!”
“Can’t man! I absolutely agree! Nothing comes close. I do like fusion food kinda stuff, but dishes my mum cooks or you only can get in Taiwan are like…” Brett did a chef’s kiss motion. 
Eddy sniggered. “Sounds like your mum’s quite a chef.”
“She is! You should come visit one time. She’s gonna love you for sure! Probably wants to adopt you asap and get rid of me because she’d have a new prodigy son with you.”
“Oh my mum would do the same with you, trust me!”, Eddy exclaimed, throwing a hand up in the air and almost hitting a waiter who was going to clean their table. 
“What? Why?”, Brett asked with a slight frown and incredulous chuckle. 
“I mean…”, Eddy stuttered after he’d apologized to the poor guy, “Look at you!”
“What about me?”
“Nevermind…” Eddy mumbled, stood up and went to the men’s room, leaving back a Brett dying to know what Eddy didn’t reveal.

This time, they only needed one key.
“You ready to hear me shred?”
“First of all”, Brett said and gently placed his violin case on yet another unstable table, “I don’t even think you’d be able to with how much you practice.”
Eddy tsked, a smile playing on his lips.
“And secondly, I’m actually curious how your playing has evolved again.”
“Maybe it hasn’t. Maybe I need another busking session before it improves.”
“Then let’s go busking after rehearsals?”
“At ten p.m.? I don’t think so”, Eddy laughed and took out his violin.
“Ah, yeah”, Brett said, actually a bit down (because of the missed opportunity to earn some extra money, nothing else). 

Eddy tuned his violin by ear (“Not much time left for a tuner”, he mumbled as an excuse to show off his perfect pitch, Brett silently mocked) and tightened his bow. And without losing any more words, he launched into the third movement. 

How did Eddy have the ability to capture the attention of Brett’s every fiber with only the music he produced? It was like Eddy and his playing were the sun and Brett drawn to him like a helpless, insignificant, ugly moth by its light and gravity! His fingers were dancing up and down the fingerboard with ease, the double stops were so in tune and the galloping-horse-part was played with so much energy Brett could feel his body wanting to jump along. Then came the sweeter melody and yes, there was a change in Eddy’s expression for sure. While there was still room for more, Brett would lie if he’d say he wasn’t moved by what he was hearing. His lips lifted up on their own accord, there was a glitter in his eyes and whenever Eddy looked at him, the warmth somewhere in Brett’s body increased tenfold. 

Damn! He was so screwed!

Once more, Brett was at a loss of words when Eddy played the last note.
“And?”, Eddy asked, breathing heavily, his whole being practically glowing.
“I…”
“Was there something? Could you hear what I tried to convey?”
“I… uhm…” Brett cleared his throat several times, trying to find his voice again. 
“You okay?”, Eddy furrowed his brow and stepped closer. 
“Yeah! Yeah. Just dry AC-air, I guess.”
Come on! That guy just played a whole movement and you can’t even open your mouth? Seriously?
“That was… Eddy, I have no words!”
Eddy did a silly, small victory dance and thus, broke the spell, much to Brett’s relief actually. The amount of times where he couldn’t function properly anymore around Eddy Chen was getting fucking embarassing! Not to mention very inconvenient if he should play in front of some judges with the other being concertmaster in less than freaking two days!
“It was stunning! Your phrases, the lyricism in the soft passages and yeah, especially in those places I did hear more!”, Brett stuttered so inarticulate he could slap himself, “It sounded like a lot of fun!”
Not better! But it had to suffice and apparently, Eddy seemed to be happy with Brett’s verdict. 
“Good! That was what I was aiming for!”

Fun. Eddy was aiming for fun. The man who’d only days ago said that violin playing was far from being fun. 

What or who had brought such quick change in Eddy?