Away

25. Shy

Brett and Eddy returned to the guest house just before midnight.  After viewing the apartment, they decided to explore the neighborhood.  They found a little bar not to far away, and sat chatting, sipping some very colorful cocktails.  Both were a bit worse for wear now, so they decided to go sleep and deal with the headaches tomorrow when they wake up.

Brett stared at the bed.  He forgot there was only one bed.  He removes his shoes and socks and gets under the quilt on the right side, with his back to the middle of the bed.  Eddy was in the bathroom brushing his teeth.  Brett should have done the same, but he didn't want to face the whole getting-into-the-same-bed thing.  Better to pretend he's sleeping. One night of not brushing his teeth won't be so bad.

Eddy switches off the bathroom light and gets in on the other side of the bed.  He lies down facing the back of Brett's head.  "Brett", he says softly.  No response.  He scoots closer to Brett.  "Brett", he whispers in Brett's ear.  No response.  He gives Brett a small peck on the cheek, wraps his arm around Brett's waist and snuggles his head into Brett's shoulder.

As soon as his ear touches Brett's shoulder, he can hear Brett's heartbeat.  It sounds like the crescendo of a Tchaikovsky piece.  He moves his hands slightly up Brett's torso towards his chest.  The heartbeat increases rapidly.  He smiles silently. As Brett's heartbeat eventually slows down, he also drifts off to dreamland.

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Somewhere in the early morning hours, Brett wakes up. He wasn't feeling good at all, and needs to get to the bathroom fast, but he is stuck in Eddy's arms. He slowly untangles himself, trying not to wake Eddy. He wasn't successful. Eddy slowly opens his eyes. "What's wrong?" "I don't feel so good". With that, Brett makes a dash for the bathroom.

As he switches on the bathroom light, pain shoots through his head and into the back of his eye sockets. He switches the light off again and fumbles in the dark for the sink. He splashes cold water over his face and the back of his neck. Then he slumps down slowly and plonks his head against the bathroom wall. Drinking so many cocktails was a very bad idea.

Eddy got worried after not hearing any noises for a while. He uses the flashlight on his phone to gently light up the bathroom. Brett was asleep, his head resting against the toilet rim. Eddy puts his phone upside down on the floor so the bathroom is at least lit enough for him to see what he's doing. He kneels down, wraps Brett's arms around his neck, and positions his head on his shoulder. Then he picks Brett up gently and carries him to the bed.

He returns to the bathroom, wets a facecloth, then switches off the phone light before getting into bed. He folds the facecloth a few times and puts it on Brett's forehead. As soon as he lies down, he is off to sleep as well.