Andante con Brio

XXXVII

Eddy eyed the rock suspiciously. Fuck, when Todd had said seven metres that had sounded fairly innocent still. He hadn't expected it to look quite this high in real life. 
Ian whistled through his teeth. 
"Jeez, Todd. You expect us to do this and still be able to play by the time we come back?"
Yeah, good point, Ian. Shit.
Before he could get too scared of the giant rock Eddy turned around to find Lily. The twins were busy putting several sets of ropes out on the soil and they looked like they would be a little while.
Well, good.
He found Lily standing a bit behind the rest of the group, to one side of the path that had led them here. What what going on with her? She was even paler, now. Was she scared of heights? I mean, she had spent the whole cable car ride with her hands gripping the seat so hard her knuckles were white, staring fixedly at the floor. Was that what this was? He took the few steps over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. 
"Lils, what the fuck is going on?"
Suddenly her eyes filled with tears and her breath was coming fast, way too fast. She gasped and threw her hand over her mouth, as if she were trying to stop the gasps. 
"Lils! Hey! It's okay, come on, let's sit down." 
He pushed her gently until her knees buckled and she sat down on the grassy ground so abruptly it startled him a little. He looked up at the others, but no one seemed to notice what was going on. They were all too busy looking up at the ominous rock or pulling at random ropes. He put his arm around Lily's shoulder and pulled her in.
"Lily, come on, breathe with me. Come on."
"I can't do this, Eddy!" she suddenly shrieked. "I can't! I can't do this! I'm letting everybody down! I can't!"
He shushed softly, close to her ear, gently as if she were a terrified child in the night. 
"That's okay, Lily. You're not letting anyone down. You really don't have to if you don't want to."
He wasn't even sure if she heard him. Her breath was still coming fast and her eyes were wide with fear, the tears running unchecked down her cheeks.
"I can't. Eddy, I can't. I can't!" 
"I know, Lils. It's okay." He looked up again and called. "Matt! Get your arse over here."
Matt turned around and dropped the rope he had been holding instantly. Then he ran over and crouched down on her other side. 
"Shit! Babe! You scared?"
She nodded and turned her head into his shoulder. Her breathing was slowing now, but she was still sobbing quietly. 
"I'm so sorry, Matt. I tried." she said at last in a soft, strangled voice. 
Matt stroked her hair and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 
"It's fine."
Eddy got up a bit awkwardly. He was feeling a bit surplus to requirements, here. And he wasn't sure how he felt about Matt not having noticed any of this, but he was here now at least and he was being kind to his friend. 
"You guys go." Lily said suddenly, with resolve. "I'll sit here and make photos."
"You sure?" Matt said, but his eyes were already back on the rock. She nodded and Matt walked quickly back over to the rope he had been handling earlier, without looking back. 
Hm. Was this how straight guys handled these things? Is that what Lily had meant when she had told him earlier that he was almost like a girlfriend? 
"You sure you good, Lils? I will sit here with you if you want."
"No, no way. You go and climb."
He nodded once. Well. It wasn't like he wasn't scared. But he was definitely going to have to get up that rock. 
He sat there for another couple of minutes. Then he stroked Lily's hair once and jogged over to the twins. 

The harness was weird, cupping his genitals, thrusting them forward until they were awkwardly on display. He had listened carefully as the twins explained how to do all of this, then he had watched Todd and Matt climb up, and then repel back down. So now it was his turn, and Brett was being helped into his harness at that very moment. 
What did Brett make of that? Did he like how T.J. was close behind him, hoisting up the harness and putting it on some carabiner hook? 
He didn't look like he was, he guessed. Or was Brett maybe feeling self conscious too? 
"Okay, guys, up you go!"
He didn't look at the twins, he just stepped forward automatically. Brett held up his fist and he bumped it with his own. Then they both put their right feet on the first potrusion they could find.