Allegro con fuoco

XLII

"Sis." he said as she answered the phone. He had left the living room after dinner and was walking back out onto the fateful balcony. Finally. Finally he could call her. "How was your retreat?"
How had his sister managed to have a retreat from her uni year, where phones were strictly forbidden, just when all this was happening? She knew nothing, yet. And now his heart was pounding all over again to tell her. 
"It was good!" she said. "Actually very nice to be offline for a while. I even did yoga, can you believe? Did you have a fun weekend?"
He giggled incredulously at her question. 
"You could say that, sis. I mean. We came out."
The line went quiet for so long that he wondered if it had died. But just as he was about to ask whether she was okay her voice came back. 
"You... what?"
"Yeah."
"Eddy. You came out? To whom?"
"To mum. And to Brett's parents."
"Wh... what? Jesus. Eddy. Start at the beginning."

He stood there for a long time, filling her in on every detail of the last two days. And even though he had been relaxing already, with everything that he and Brett had done that afternoon, with the lovely carbonara Todd had made them, it wasn't until he could finally fill his sister in that something truly let go inside of him. 
She had been the only family member to know about him and Brett. She had been his ally since his eighteenth birthday. And he would have given anything to have had her by his side when he told his mum. 

"Wow." she said softly when he had finally finished talking. 
"Yeah. Look... I wish I could have had you there, sissy. Just... it all happened too fast."
"No, Eddy. I think it's great. I'll... let me think. I have a class I can't skip tomorrow morning, but then I'll take the train over to Brisbane at like twelve, and I can stay until Wednesday. Talk to her. Hug you."
Tears sprang in his eyes at her words. How could he begin to tell her what this meant? How could he show her? 
"I love you, sissy." he said in the end. 
"I know. What's not to love, hey? Anyway. I love you too. I'll see you tomorrow, you free in the evening? I need to see Todd and Ian too, really. I still can't believe they're together. What is in the water in that house?"
Eddy laughed. Oh, his sister had always had this way with words that would diffuse any situation. She could make anything lighter. And for a moment he wished she didn't live so far away. 
"Gay juice, we buy it from Coles. Never seen it?" he quipped. "But yeah. I think we're free from six or so."
"Cool. Please keep the juice in the fridge and I'll be over. I think I'll be having rose instead, if it's all the same to you."
Eddy laughed out loud. 
"Probably keeps things simpler with mum, anyway."
"Exactly. Hey. You get some sleep, yeah? Don't be lying awake all night worrying. It'll be fine."
"I'll try." he said. "See you tomorrow."

"She's coming?" Brett asked behind him. He turned around, grabbed him and pulled him close. 
"Yes. She never even doubted, just said she'd come."
Brett smiled. 
"She's lovely."
Eddy nodded and took a deep breath. 
"Can we get to bed please? I can't think, anymore. I'm done."
Brett held out his hand, and Eddy took it, let his boyfriend lead him back into the room. Brett closed the door behind him and drew the curtains shut. 
"Come on." he said gently. "You need a shower?"
"No. I just need sleep. I'll shower tomorrow."
Brett undressed him with tender strokes, then pushed him gently towards the bed. Eddy let himself fall down, then held out his hand for his love. Brett smiled and quickly walked around the bed, then snuggled in beside him. 
He would have said a thousand things, but lying here, in Brett's arms, sleep rushed in and dragged him into deep, dreamless dark.