jean's phone rings. it's eddy.
"hey, jean. can you and seb help me with something? i'm coming home."
☂
it's a drizzly day when jean asks brett to go somewhere.
"where do we have to go?"
"i got us tickets for a concert, man. this is gonna be fun. seb will come along."
"okay, okay. whose concert?"
"it's a surprise."
"why would i watch a concert when i don't know whose it is?"
"isn't the mystery part of the fun?"
"i'll come along just because i don't want to be left alone here. this better be fun."
"oh, you're in for a ride. you won't regret this."
"sure," he says dubiously.
"okay then! be ready by 6pm, and let's all meet here. we'll all go together. don't be late."
"okay, okay. why are you smiling like that?"
"smiling like what?"
"you know, you've been strange these days."
"have i?"
"yeah. and you're always on the phone, too. wait… are you dating someone?"
"hell no!"
"okay, okay! no need to get so defensive, eh?"
"piss off."
"so are you actually?"
"no. seriously."
"okay then."
"6pm. don't forget."
"i won't."
"don't be late."
"i won't."
"you better not be. see ya, okay?"
"yeah."
☂
i
t's around 5:30pm when brett starts freshening up. he gets a plain shirt, some decent jeans, and a zip-up jacket, nothing too fancy. he decides on what to bring, what the fuck do you even bring to a concert, anyway? he thinks he'll just bring his phone and his wallet, and he supposes that jean or sebastian has his ticket.
it's 5:36 when he's fixing his hair and his phone buzzes.
yo
wear something decent
not suit and tie and shit but like
semi-formal???
idfk just dress decently
5:36
is a shirt and jeans ok
im lazy
5:36
no wtf..
wear a dress shirt or sth
5:36
ok boss :/
5:36
asshole we're both bosses now <3
anw bring a jacket too
it's gonna be cold i think
5:37
won't it be packed
how tf is a concert cold
5:37
don't ask
i literally dunno wtf this is
i'm just telling u what he said
5:37
who??
5:37
seb ofc who else haha..
5:37
OHHHH
is it a classical concert thing
did seb think of this..
5:37
it's a secret
go fucking change your clothes
you'll be late idiot
5:38
i have a lot of time
but fine ill change now (:
5:38
oh and one last thing
bring an umbrella
weather forecast said it's gonna rain
5:38
ok
thanks see u
5:38
see youuuu
5:39
brett finds a white button-up and some slacks. he wears dress shoes and he thinks he looks a little formal but he doesn't have the energy to make a new outfit and change for the third time so he settles with it. he ends up not bringing a jacket, thinking his long-sleeved shirt would be enough although he folded the sleeves up. he puts his phone and his wallet in his pocket, grabs his umbrella, (previously eddy's, then both of theirs, and now his) and goes to their coffee shop.
he arrives, jean and sebastian having a conversation. she’s wearing a blouse and pants while sebastian is wearing something similar to his.
"i have arrived."
"thank god. let's not waste a minute, yeah? let's go there already."
"alright. seb, you pay for the cab."
"what!? fine."
"thanks, seb."
"i call shotgun. i don't want to get in between the two of you bickering."
"you know what? let's just leave him behind. let's go, seb."
"yeah. bye, brett," they both go out and walk to the sidewalk.
"you assholes. wait for me!" brett catches up and sits in the front seat of the cab jean hailed.
"to the qpac concert hall, please," sebastian says to the driver and they drive off.
jean and sebastian are whispering to each other, giggling from time to time.
"what are you guys talking about back there?"
"you don't get to know. you called shotgun, after all."
"you guys have too many secrets. i know it's a classical concert, by the way."
"oh no, we’ve been found out!" jean says sarcastically and sebastian laughs.
"by the way. there's one separate seat, 'cause… um… i don't know why. but it's the best seat in the hall, trust me, i know. you can have it, brett. jean and i will just sit together while you enjoy the music."
"you sure? i can just sit beside jean and you can take it, you're the musician here, anyway."
"no, no, it's fine! this concert's for you, you should get the best seat."
"i don't even listen to that much orchestral works, why would you guys get me concert tickets?"
"it was given to me by a friend. i didn't buy these."
"then how is it for me?"
"well. you know seb. he's kinda stupid and says funny things."
"wow. there goes my self-esteem. thanks, jean."
"you're welcome," she smiles at him.
"anyway. brett’s taking the separate seat?"
"yeah, i'll take it so you guys get your sweet time together."
"ew! what the fuck, that's disgusting!" jean pretends to gag and the two guys laugh.
"like you aren't!" sebastian retorts.
they continue to banter and brett listens amusedly. it almost slips his mind what they're actually doing. when the cab halts in front of the hall, sebastian hands the payment and they all get off.
"hi, we're here for the 7pm concert," sebastian says to the front desk lady. brett admires the place, it looks very sophisticated and fancy, it smells such, too. there are chandeliers twinkling and decorations all around. she handles their tickets and points to the direction of where they should go and sebastian leads the way. they go to an entrance, two doors with a poster plastered on one of them.
S. Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
I. Moderato
II. Adagio sostenuto
III. Allegro scherzando
Edward Chen
The Queensland Symphony Orchestra
12th of June, 2019 at 7pm
brett rereads the poster again, and again, and again. all that registers in his mind is eddy.
"is he really here?" he asks, voice cracking.
"he's here. we'll be watching him, and you'll be in the best seat. he got it for you,” jean holds his hand reassuringly.
"you think you can do this?"
"i can. let's go in and get this over with."
"brett."
"yeah?"
"he's doing this all for you. remember."
brett smiles and nods. he opens the door, the blast of the air conditioning greeting him. he walks in, unphased, finding his seat, the best one in the hall, and settles himself in it. it chimes, five minutes left till the performance. as time ticks by, his heartbeat grows faster.
the lights dim and then they brighten, the conductor and the soloist walking to the stage. the applause rings in his ear, but as his eyes follow eddy's every move, suddenly everything is tuned out.
they bow and he looks for eddy's eyes, hoping to meet them but they're flickering around the hall. he's nervous.
don't be nervous.
i'm here. he thinks.
eddy sits at the piano stool, adjusting himself until he sits up straight. there's tense silence in the audience until he plays his first chord.
he's all alone in the start, dark chords softly growing into intensity, until notes flow like the waves of the ocean, accompanied by the strings' melody. brett’s entranced by the way he moves, the way the music pours out of him and onto the piano.
the music's beautiful in every way. it alone tugs at your heartstrings, but eddy makes it so that it breaks your heart. it's deeply emotional, heartfelt but intense. the flurry of notes are like bursts of sudden emotion, though it's always sorrowful.
a few minutes into the movement, the orchestra and eddy start to play intensely, eddy gives his whole body into the repeated chords, swaying with the music. the strings feel like they're crying, almost as if aiming for something, reaching the peak of its emotions, growing and growing, until suddenly. the brass and eddy play almost a furious response, a contrast from the heavy melody just then. chords again and again, the sound full, notes ringing as eddy continues to play with extreme intensity. it's climbing up, then it falls.
eddy's hands land on the succession of chords perfectly. the strings play the familiar melody, as eddy drives it with the chords, pushing and pulling, playing with the audience's emotions until he releases, tension easing.
as the piece goes on, the music’s intensity goes up and down, melancholic in every note. it starts to fade away, the hollowness in your heart being filled by the music. and then, gradually, it grows again, then a flash of fury, and the movement’s ended.
eddy’s hands hang in the air for a few seconds and he slowly puts them on his lap. the audience applauses, not a roaring one, but one in appreciation of how breathtaking eddy and the orchestra had made the first movement. he looks straight, but a smile twitches from his lips. brett watches him in awe, proud of how far he’s come.
and he’ll go miles, even without you by his side. the little voice in his head says.
before he gets too lost in his thoughts, the music starts once again. the orchestra plays a rich combination of notes, soft yet full of emotion. eddy once again, plays alone. though only for a few measures, it feels powerful. the sound that’s solely his reverberates around the empty hall as he plays warm, gentle notes, touching the audience’s hearts. the woodwinds join him to play their melodies, mellow and hopeful. the movement feels optimistic with its lines and melodies, and yet it still sounds sad. it gradually builds in emotion, so many feelings coming out of the way he presses the keys. you’ll see it in the way he plays, the way the music just flows out of him so naturally, his emotions driving it all forwards. the way he creates the music without it feeling like it’s being made. like it’s all just happening and it keeps on going, on and on, note after note, as if he's living in the music. it's the way eddy makes the music, enchanted and captivating, that gets brett all swept up in his emotions and in the music.
agitation builds into the piece, gradually. but eventually, it fades, going back to the gentle harmonies. the strings play a continuous line, and at the high note, feelings spill from their hearts, bursting open like a dam. the orchestra is weeping, feelings pouring out while the notes of the piano float in the air, heavenly, almost. but sad is all it actually is. it all fades away slowly, growing quieter. and again, he’s all alone at the end of the movement. (but he won’t be alone, in the end.)
the audience is silent, all holding their breaths, anticipating the third movement.
it starts off playfully, then like a fire, it turns ablaze. eddy plays virtuosically, perfectly hitting all the quick notes in time. the fire burns inside him, intensity in his eyes. you could see it, the way the music drives him through the frenzy of notes. he plays with the orchestra with the same sense of fury. in the momentary lyrical lines, he pulls time and makes it flow in a way that doesn’t feel steady. it moves back and forth in feel, giving and taking, the emotions of the music coursing through him. you can feel how it all comes directly from his heart, from the burning passion inside it.
and then dark and spooky passages, anticipating the turn of events. the fiery feel comes back, and yet somehow eddy manages to make it lyrical, still. it’s quick and intense, and his fingers dance across the keys, nimble and light, knowing exactly where they need to go. but in the moments that he finds, pulls the music out of the lines and makes it sing. it’s incredibly musical, the way he can do this in face of an extremely frantic movement.
it’s in the way he moves, in his torso and his fingers and his eyes and his smile. the music comes so naturally, and he makes it resonate through the entire hall, keeping every member of the audience spellbound by his music.
in the flurries of notes, he creates dialogue from his part, a question, then an answer. and then another, and then one from the orchestra, and then there’s this beautiful interlacing dialogue between them all. they blend together, starting to play in unison. then eddy plays this continuous line, the music swells, building, more, and more, pushing it to the limit until it lifts completely.
a breath of a moment, and then it all lands.
the orchestra and eddy play with their all, creating something so massive, something so full and rich, resounding through the hall. all their hearts are pouring their everything, the music becoming a sea of emotions. every note feels heavy in their hands, their hearts breaking every second.
and finally, a conclusion. the last burst of intensity. eddy’s hands bounce against the keys, flurrying, the orchestra supporting his every note. in unison, they all finish the piece, a satisfied ending.
a smile immediately graces eddy’s face the moment he strikes the last chord, the notes hanging in the air. immediately, the audience roars in applause. brett stands up and claps for him, surrounded by hundreds of people.
eddy's chest is heaving, his face glistening with sweat. he smiles widely, standing up from the stool. he shakes his hands with the conductor, and the conductor smiles at him proudly, patting his shoulder. he bows proudly, and the people cheer. he smiles at the orchestra behind, bowing his head in appreciation. the conductor walks beside him, signalling the orchestra to stand up. they bow together and walk off the stage. they come back after a few minutes, and the audience claps again. he’s handed a bouquet of flowers and he smiles at the audience, beaming proudly. he bows one last time, and when he raises his head, their eyes meet.
eddy looks at no one but brett, even in the midst of the cheering people in the audience. he gives him a soft smile, a gentle look, his eyes telling brett, this was all for you, and now i’m finally here to tell you myself.
everything seems to go in slow-motion. like the world had changed its axis and now it revolves around him alone. but then the moment’s over, and eddy walks off the stage once more.
he returns without the bouquet in his hands, sitting on the piano stool again. kreisler’s liebesfreud, he says out to the audience. before he faces the keys, he glances at brett one more time, knowing exactly where to look. there’s a subtle smile on his lips as he starts his encore.
he plays rachmaninoff’s arrangement of the old viennese waltz, love’s joy. it’s lively and colorful, the music dancing. it’s beautiful, to say the least. when he finishes the piece, the audience applauds once more, and he bows, looking at only one person in the audience. he smiles and walks out, the orchestra soon following. the lights dim in the hall and slowly everybody leaves. brett stands up and leaves too.
when he’s in the lobby, the rain is already pouring outside. he waits for jean and sebastian. he’s standing alone in the lobby, not knowing what to do. there’s this part of him that wants to go and look for eddy, find him and take him home.
but he’ll be going far, touring, maybe. and i don’t want to keep him from that, he thinks.
it’s been a few minutes of waiting, so he gets his phone to pass time. it’s only then he sees the text notification from jean. they’ve left him to go home on his own. so he can go get his man, or whatever they said.
but he doesn’t. only because he doesn’t trust himself that he’ll be able to let go once he sees him again.
he walks out into the rain, half-contented by his choice. he tells himself that today was enough; that seeing him perform was enough; that all those momentary glances were enough to last him for eternity.
he opens the umbrella, worn out from lasting so long. the raindrops hit it heavily, the sound loud in his ears. he walks to the edge of the sidewalk, hoping to hail a cab. a car speeds by as he waits and he can’t help but lose his grip on the umbrella. it falls from his hand and tumbles across the road. he would run to fetch it but then there’s someone’s hand wrapped around his wrist pulling him back.
“that’s dangerous, hey. do you need a hand?” the tall figure asks, keeping him close under his own umbrella.
“eddy…”
“hi.”
“but… the umbrella.”
“it’s fine. you won’t need it anymore. i’m here now.”
“i don’t know what to say,” eddy’s hand is still on brett’s wrist, unyielding. their bodies huddled under the umbrella, faces inches away from the other.
“then don’t say anything.”
eddy cups brett’s cheek and lets their lips meet. the umbrella leans at the worst angle, the rain falling on them. when they part, his hand lingers on brett’s cheek, brett looks at him with wonder.
he pushes himself closer, letting their lips meet once more.
finally, they’ve found each other once again, in the rain.