Andante con Brio

LXXXV

They got precisely ten minutes of practice in before they had to run to the rehearsal. Oh God, this really wasn't starting well. He was already late for everything and it was only his first week. He tried his best to walk normally as they entered the auditorium presto assai, because there was really no need for everybody to see that he was already stressed. No one was paying them much attention though, and the second he stepped on that wooden stage and sat down Eddy was swept up again by the excitement of being in this orchestra. He quickly forgot all about any assai. 
Yeah. Okay. He was still only a second violin, and he stole a quick longing glance at the chairs closer to the edge, where the first violinists sat. But it didn't matter, did it? He was playing Mendelssohn Italian, and he had even had a quick look at it at home before the party yesterday. He had this. He found Brett's eyes for just a moment and gave him an encouraging smile, then he let his eyes glide around the orchestra as Mr. Heart stepped onto his pulpit. Todd was sitting  opposite him, second chair cello. Eddy was already pretty much sure that next year he would be first chair. He knew what a good cellist Todd was, and how well loved he was by everyone. 
"Hello gang! I'm positive you have all studied your posteriors off since last rehearsal. True?"
There was a splattering of laughter around the orchestra.
"Failing this, I would like to invite you to do so this weekend, because we only have a few weeks before the concert. Information about the rehearsal schedule is online today."
Eddy just let himself be dragged into the flow of the rehearsal, and his bow was light, his strokes were sure and even. He didn't even feel tired anymore and before he knew it he was walking next to Brett and Todd, down to the cafeteria. 

"Hi! Mind if we sit with you guys?"
He couldn't help it, his heart sank like a stone in murky water.
Natalia. Shit.
Okay, yes. He had eventually had a nice time last night, with Natalia and her friend, who was standing next to her with an open smile. And yes. They were nice, they really were, but he liked these meetings, he liked finally having his friends to have lunch with every day, friends where he didn't have to be shy, didn't have to pretend to be anything he wasn't. And the last thing he needed was to have to worry about girls with superlong hair who where trying to take away his boyfriend. 
But he knew that Todd was going to say yes to her. What else was he going to do? Turn them down? Tell them no, bugger off? He didn't miss the little glance that Todd threw in his direction though, the tiniest of glances no one else would see before he smiled at the girls and gestured for them to sit. He shrugged and smiled back as the girls pulled up a couple of chairs and sat down. 
Meanwhile, he could feel the awkwardness radiating off Brett in streams. He quickly put his sneaker against Brett's underneath the table to try and help. 
"Hi Brett." Natalia said then from across the table, with a twinkle in her eye that made Eddy want to punch that eye. But he sat, smiled, and did absolutely nothing. 
"Hi." Brett mumbled, and then, very abruptly, he got up and slung his violin case on his back in one movement. "I gotta go practise, sorry, guys."
Eddy blinked once against the shock, before he was on his feet. 
"I guess I need to do a bit more as well, guys. See you later. Bye, Natalia."
He almost had to run to keep up with Brett's brisk paces, and the double doors at the end of the cafeteria tried their best to hit him in the face as he followed the love of his life out of the cafeteria at speed and into one of the many dull, carpeted hallways.