Andante con Brio

XCV

Daylight filtered in through the closed drapes, creeping closer, ever closer. 
Indeed time stopped for no one, even when that person did their best to keep it out, to their eyes closed, their head firmly on their boyfriend's chest, who was still sleeping, softly breathing in and out. 
Eddy opened his eyes and glanced at the clock. 
Nine thirty. And Brett's parents would be back around eleven. 
One and a half hours they had still, one and a half precious hours where they could be exactly what they wanted to be. 
His small movement must have woken Brett up, because he stirred and inhaled sharply through his nose. 
"Hey."
Brett lifted his head up and grinned at him. 
"Hey. What time is it?"
Brett couldn't see the clock, of course, not without his glasses on. 
"Nine thirty. So a bit of time still."
Eddy moved up to kiss him, but then he couldn't help but grimace. Shit, his neck was actually pretty sore. 
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess I just sat wrong last night." Eddy sat up and tried to move his head from side to side. "It'll be okay in a minute."
Brett reached over to the little chest of drawers that lived beside his bed and put his glasses on. Then he sat up and pushed Eddy's shoulder gently. 
"Lie down. I'll massage you."
Oh!
Something fluttered fast in Eddy's chest as he pulled his shirt off and let himself be pushed down into the mattress. He gasped quietly when Brett moved to sit on his legs, his nimble thumbs already pressing into the sore muscle. 
"Is that the right spot?"
God, which spot was Brett talking about? The one on his neck, or where he was sitting? Having Brett so close, pushing against him like that, like there... he was quickly forgetting about the soreness in his neck. 
"Yes, that's awesome, Bretty."
He would just lie there for a while, surrender to Brett's sure fingers, prodding the muscle in his neck, and then he would turn around and...

The sound of the front door opening made them both freeze. Then Brett jumped up in shock and pulled the spare mattress out from under his bed at impressive speed. Eddy shot into action and jumped over to the cupboard where the sleeping bag lived. He pulled the door open as quietly as he could and took the sleeping bag out of its cover. Brett threw the second cushion from his bed onto the spare mattress and then they exhaled as one. 
"Shit!" Eddy hissed. "What the fuck?"
"They must be early!"
Brett tiptoed to the clock. 
"Fuck. It's stopped."
Eddy couldn't help himself, despite the severity of the situation a giggle escaped his lips. Here they were, gone from about to turn around to shooting into their clothes on the double.
"How did downstairs look?" he hissed as he closed the zipper of his jeans and reached for the clean shirt in his bag. Had they left anything lying around anywhere? Anything that could look suspicious? 
"I don't know!"
By the time Brett's mum knocked softly on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer, Brett was making a very convincing show of shoving the spare mattress back under the bed with both hands and Eddy was stuffing the fully unused sleeping bag back into its bag like the very picture of innocence. 
"Hey mum, how was your trip?"
Mrs. Yang glanced down at the sleeping bag in Eddy's hands and she smiled at them both. 
"Very good, thank you. Have you had fun? Have you had breakfast?"
"Yes, and no, not yet, mum. We've just woken up, actually. Look, my clock stopped, so I thought it was earlier than it must be."
"Okay. I will make you some breakfast now."
"Thanks, mum."

They walked down the stairs in silence. Now that the shock was gone, Eddy's neck was sore again, and he was suddenly so, so sad. No last hour and a half, no, it was just gone. 
He glanced anxiously at the couch as they walked through the hall past the living room. It looked as if nothing had ever happened on it, and for a second he could feel the blush creeping over his cheeks. 
Okay, their time may have been over, but they had certainly managed to make the most of it, no?  
He was smirking slightly as he walked into the Yang kitchen and sat down at the same table he had sat at yesterday in such a different way. Brett caught his glance and he waggled his eyebrows in that deadpan way he had, once, twice. 
Eddy bit his tongue not to burst out laughing. 
"Can I help you with anything, Mrs. Yang?" he said instead. 
"No, Eddy dear. You just sit and eat."