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And to think, Brett wasn't going to show up.
Minjin is an old friend way back from childhood, his orchestra days. Although Brett stopped playing violin in high school, and they both became adults with their own separate careers and lives, they still kept in touch through Facebook.
The Asian community in Brisbane is tight-knit, the loyalty strong no matter the distance. So it wasn’t surprising to Brett when he found an extravagant, flowery invitation to her wedding in his mailbox, even if they hadn't properly seen each other in years.
The wedding barely fit into his schedule, but it was Minjin, one of the first friends he ever made in Australia.
Of course Brett was going to make time for this.
The wedding is beautiful—homey, intimate. At reception, Brett is seated with people he thought he’d never see again.
The seat next to him is empty, but the rest of the table are old friends from Brett’s childhood. They’re gathered at a circular table with plates and fancily folded napkins that Brett doesn’t even want to touch because it looks so perfect.
Luckily, he doesn't have to worry about that, as he's too busy chatting with Phoebe, Hyung, and Jordan, who are too happy to point at one another in excitement and laughter, happily commenting on how old they’ve gotten, how different they look, yet how they’re still just the same.
"Didn't peg you to be such a crybaby, Yang." Phoebe snickers, as she chooses the seat across him. It feels like they're in middle school again, and they're all eating lunch in the auditorium, hiding from the rest of their classmates.
"I'm telling you, it's allergy season!" Brett insists, as he cleans his glasses, his eyes red.
"Right, an allergy that only acts up during the vows…" Hyung laughs.
"You're one to talk! You were blubbering like a seal when Minjin was walking down the aisle!"
"Well, yeah. I'm not a cold-hearted monster," Hyung says, eyes still a little watery. Both of them snort into laughter, Phoebe rolling her eyes in disbelief that she's known these people for so long.
“Okay, everybody, it's time for toasts!” Minjin smiles. “Everybody please give it up for my bridesman, wedding planner, my dear friend, Eddy Chen!”
“Eddy?” The entire table says, looking at each other.
Brett’s voice almost gets caught in his throat just saying the name. He cannot believe his eyes.
His table in particular buzzes with excitement. A few look his way, Jordan nudging him. They shift in their seats, lifting their heads to take a peek.
"Well, I'll be damned," Hyung says, letting out a low whistle. Phoebe elbows him, earning him a quiet, “Ow!” and a death glare.
Eddy looks the same. Well, as same as a person can look after almost a decade of no contact. He’s wearing a nice, fitted navy suit. His hair is black, gelled to the side, and there’s a rose in his front pocket that compliments his natural blush.
“Hello,” Eddy smiles. “First of all, I am truly honored to toast the marriage of our lovely bride and groom…”
Hyung leans over to whisper, “Didn’t you guys used to be best friends?”
Brett is frozen in place, but he manages to nod, “Before he moved, yeah.”
He can’t remember the last time he’s ever called somebody his, ‘best friend.’ The label sounds so silly. Adults don’t have best friends, right?
“I remember. He moved away, you were devastated,” Jordan muses.
“Was I?”
Brett tries not to think about the past if he can help it.
“I mean, we all were,” Phoebe says.
The audience laughs, and Brett is snapped out of his thoughts.
Right, Eddy is talking.
The same Eddy who he'd share a bed with in their weekly sleepovers as kids. The same Eddy he’d call the second he got home after school. The same Eddy he’d practice the violin with for hours on end, late into the night, until the neighbors complained that they stop. The same Eddy he shared his every thought with, the only person who could guess what Brett was thinking before he could even say it. The Eddy who once whispered to him: There’s no way we weren’t destined to meet each other. Fate had to bring us to each other.
The same Eddy who left so abruptly, with no warning, Brett was almost convinced Eddy was just a collective figment of their imagination.
Brett should probably feel mad. Or some type of hurt or abandonment. He knows he felt it when he first left—Did our friendship really mean nothing to you? Not even a heads-up that you were leaving somewhere? I would have left you alone if that’s what you wanted.
But he doesn’t feel it at all, now that he’s seeing Eddy in person, deliver this speech. He can’t find it in him to be angry at Eddy.
He sees Eddy, his lit up eyes and smile. How nicely the light shines on him, so he has a perfect glow where he looks like the sun.
He grew into his features nicely. He was cute as a kid, but as an adult, he looks handsome, competent. His voice is deeper, but it still sounded the same, friendly, warm, teasing.
Even in a grown-up suit, Eddy still looks like the same sweet, cheerful boy. Clever, quick, who always knew the answers and could make anyone smile, proven true as he earns another round of laughter and applause from the audience.
“Thank you, Eddy, for the riveting story,” Minjin’s husband snorts. When Brett looks up, Minjin’s face is red with laughter, wiping her eyes with tears, she can’t even respond.
But what Brett is definitely not prepared for, is that when Eddy goes back to his seat, it’s the seat next to his.
Now he’s really frozen.
“Great job on your speech, Eddy.”
“Oh my god, that story was hilarious.”
Brett doesn’t even say anything, can’t really, because the next person is starting their speech and it’s rude to talk.
But he can’t recall any of the words being said. He can only focus on the soft exhales whenever Eddy finds something funny, or how nice Eddy's hands look when they’re clasped on the table.
All Brett can think about is that if he doesn’t say something to Eddy, he’s going to regret it for the rest of his life.
“Brett!” Minjin exclaims from behind. She and her husband are greeting every table.
She reaches over to hug Brett, who happily hugs her back. He’s careful when touching her. He doesn’t want to move anything out of place.
Minjin looks perfect, like a doll. Her hair is perfectly done, her makeup subtle, but pretty, highlighting the soft features she had that made her so approachable, which would quickly be disputed by the amount of sass in her words once she opened her mouth.
“I almost didn’t think you would make it!” She grins, ecstatic.
“Neither did I,” Brett laughs. “But my boss said I could leave early today.”
“Ah, so you had work today,” Minjin says, eyebrows raised. “Hopefully we will never use your services.”
“You won’t,” Brett says. “Seriously, you guys are endgame.”
Eddy looks at them confused, “What?”
“He’s a divorce lawyer,” Minjin explains, only to turn her attention, eyes rising as she points accusingly at Eddy.
“And you. You know, Eddy, you walked so slow down the aisle, Grace almost had to repeat her piece a second time.”
“I thought I was perfectly on time!” Eddy squawks back, defensively.
“Even if you still have perfect pitch from all those years ago, your pacing still needs some work,” She frowned. “Also, I said toasts not roasts! I totally forgot that story, of course the first time I hear it is at my wedding.”
“Always have to keep the bride on her toes.”
She rolls her eyes, but there’s only fondness, “Only expected from the best wedding planner in Australia.”
“Oh, of course,” He scrunches his nose at her with a mischievous look and a grin.
“Augh, I just want to stay here and talk with you guys forever. It’s good to see you two together again.”
She moves on to the next table, greeting them with the same cheery voice. By then, the party has started to slowly separate. Upbeat music plays, and guests begin to migrate, either to go dance, grab food, drinks, or talk with other guests.
“You’re not going to dance?”
Eddy looks at Brett for the first time, then shakes his head, “It’s not my thing.”
“Okay, me too.”
Eddy lets out a light laugh.
“Are you just saying that?”
“So I can catch up with you? No,” Brett smiles. “But, really. Dancing isn’t my thing either.”
Brett inches closer. The music is kind of loud, it only makes sense to lean towards Eddy so he can hear what he’s saying. Brett is just being practical. No other reason.
“How… how have you been? I haven’t seen you in…”
“In forever, I know,” Eddy laughs, nervously.
“Since orchestra! It was so abrupt when you stopped showing up. Nobody knew why.”
“Ah, yeah, I had to quit. Family stuff,” Eddy says, looking away, his face apologetic. “I’ve been okay. I didn’t know you became a divorce lawyer. Your mum must love you, going into law.”
Brett laughs, “Please, you’re the successful business owner, right? You must have so many clients, this wedding is beautiful.”
Eddy shakes his head, playing with the wine in his glass childishly, before taking a sip, “It was all Minjin’s visions, I just made it happen.”
“Equally impressive. It’s kind of funny. We work in similar industries, you know. Marriage and divorce. Two sides of the same coin, the beginning and end of a relationship.”
Eddy grimaces, shaking his head, “I didn’t even want to go into this industry. It just kind of happened.”
“Oh?”
“I mean, you know. I played the violin, and my sister played the piano. So we used to do part-time gigs to pay bills. I really liked the flowers in one wedding, and wanted to get my mum something similar, so I asked the wedding planner what it was,” Eddy laughs. “She thought I was cute for asking that, and said I had a good eye for detail, so I got a part-time job as her assistant, and now, I'm here.”
“That’s so cute,” Something in Brett’s stomach dips, like he’s falling into the deep end. “And look, she was right.”
“Eh, there’s some parts I don’t like.”
“What, when the two adults kiss?” Brett laughs. He remembers him and Eddy always covering their eyes during the kiss scenes in movies as kids. Eddy looks surprisingly uncomfortable when Brett says it though, which only makes him laugh harder.
“Yes, dude. Some couples can be so insufferable sometimes. There's always some type of relationship or family drama, but I guess you would know, right?” Eddy sighs. Brett mods in solidarity. “I just try to keep it as business as possible. It's supposed to be the best day of their life after all, so somebody has to be the reasonable one. But god, love makes people so stupid,” He shakes his head in disapproval.
“Being impersonal during the most personal time of somebody’s life,” Brett smiles. “It’s the same with divorce law. So many emotions. Big, new emotions that people are experiencing through the worst time of their life. Guiding people through that experience… is a lot of work.”
“Is that why you like law? Because it’s so logical?” Eddy grins. “Law is the opposite of love? Law is reason, love is…?” Illogical? Unreasonable? Ridiculous?
“Maybe, but… I don't know,” Brett tilts his head, shy about what he’s about to confess, “I like to think love is in everything, and everything we do is for it. Even if love makes us stupid, it’s one of the greatest gifts that comes with life, and we couldn't survive without it. Love is spontaneous, but law is grounding. It’s the perfect balance."
“You’re still such a romantic, all these years later,” Eddy comments, leaning on his cheek, staring at Brett. “Is it hard dating as a divorce lawyer?”
“It’s not. It’s the same as dating in any other profession. I’m just not seeing anyone.”
Brett doesn’t overlook the way Eddy’s eyes flicker at his ring finger.
“I didn’t mean… I wasn’t…” Eddy’s cheeks are flushed, but Brett just laughs.
“Most of my coworkers are happily married, with kids. When you work with dysfunctional couples for so long, you learn what not to do. It’s very helpful.”
“Do you want to get married someday?”
“Depends, are you the one asking?”
Which makes Eddy flush red again, mortified, “No. Well, I mean—”
Brett raises an eyebrow, before he doubles over in laughter, “Kidding, Eddy. I’m kidding. With the right person? Of course.”
“So you believe in love,” Eddy says, amused. It’s a statement, an observation. Not a question, where there’s room for convincing.
“And what? You don’t? Your whole career practically depends on it.”
“I know, but I don’t really like thinking about it,” Eddy says. “Weddings themselves are just paid, social events.”
“They’re a celebration of love,” Brett says, taken aback.
He remembers when he and Eddy were kids. When Eddy loved everything his whole being. He would loudly vocalize everything he liked, one of those things being Brett.
“Maybe we should switch professions,” Eddy laughs. “I don’t really focus on the emotional aspect of a wedding.”
”What else could you possibly focus on?”
”Plenty. The new clients, fancy locations… I try looking at it like a game, and your goal is to complete the wedding. You only get one chance to do it, so you have to make it count.” Eddy’s eyes are bright, lively. “It's kind of like those solo performances we used to play as kids, it’s stressful, but exciting. There’s always a problem. There’s never been a wedding that’s gone entirely smoothly, but we always make it work anyways.”
“Always?" Brett grins, “So you're saying everything always works out.”
“Absolutely not,” Eddy shakes his head, “But most of the time they do. Behind every successful wedding is a highly professional wedding planner. If there is a mistake, it's fixed because of me or somebody from my team."
“But..." Brett stops himself. He wonders if he should say this. It's kind of stupid, and knowing what he knows now about Eddy and his opinions on love, it's not going to be well received. But now Eddy is looking at him expectantly so he has to continue.
"Don’t you think sometimes… maybe it always turns out right because a couple is meant to be? No matter how many mistakes happen, they always overcome it because they’re supposed to?”
“Well…” Eddy goes quiet, considering this thought.
Brett knows he sounds like a child saying this. Like a really small, stupid, indulgent child that should have definitely grown out of these delusions years ago, especially because in reality, he is a grown man, a grown man who works as a lawyer that specializes in divorce and family law.
But Brett has to defend himself. He works in law, after all. Firm and stubborn in his argument, Brett believes in love. He believes in romance, destiny, and meet-cutes. He believes in it even after the tired, heartbreaking court cases he's assigned every week where he can hear couples screaming at each other from the parking lot. He believes in it after his endless failed hook-ups, blind dates, and conversations on Tinder that lead nowhere.
Ask Brett about romance, he'll talk about the first things he fell in love with: Music, Eddy.
He’ll tell you the first recollection of affection he felt: Eddy in his childhood bedroom wearing Brett’s t-shirts because he forgot to bring his. Eddy running to his house the same day he arrives back from Taiwan, knocking loudly at his door, because his grandma gave him that special pudding you can’t find in Australia, and they need to eat right now before it goes bad! Eddy pulling him by the wrist, talking fanatically about a new piece he was able to get a copy of that they should tackle together after school.
Brett knows it’s been too many years. That he and Eddy are practically strangers now.
He knows that relationships, in their reality, are work. He knows there is no such thing as a magical fairytale ending, where you live happily ever after, with no fights or arguments or disagreements.
Relationships, just like everything else, are another adult responsibility that has to be maintained through years of consistent, communication and compromise. He knows love isn't easy. He knows nothing stays unless you work for it. Love doesn't just fall in your lap, it's something that is made anew, carefully, daily, often through decades of devotion and commitment. Nobody knows this better than Brett.
But he also knows, that love isn't just something that's made, it has to be found too. It has to exist in the first place for it to even grow and become something worth protecting and holding onto.
Brett feels it in his gut. A slight spark. A jut in his stomach that presses deeper and deeper.
There is something here that cannot be ignored, even if Eddy is acting so distant and jaded about this. He knows his Eddy is still there, the loud, lovable, hopeless romantic who would love everything as far as his arms could stretch.
It's the first time he's felt this way in decades. The last time Brett felt this way, he was a kid.
He's always hated how strongly his body reacted to situations, but at this moment he relishes in it. The buzzing excitement which he's never felt for anyone else, his stomach fluttering as if millions of monarchs are partaking their seasonal migration. The familiar feeling of homecoming, where his shoulders relax and he lets out a sigh he didn't know he was holding, thinking, Thank god I found you. The immediate understanding between them, followed by the strong desire to try and understand everything between them that they didn’t know.
Even as a kid, he knew what they had was special. When he and Eddy met, life just lined up a little too perfectly.
He’s devastated when the only response Eddy murmurs is, “It's a possibility.” He says it politely, but he still looks largely unconvinced.
“I can't believe this," Brett says, flabbergasted. "You’re a wedding planner who doesn’t believe in love, even if it’s supposed to be your speciality.”
Eddy looks increasingly uncomfortable, but he doesn’t deny it, “I mean, planning weddings is my speciality. Elaborate seating charts, flower arrangements, clothing coordination… that is my speciality.”
“You’d make such a great lawyer, you know, you’re fantastic at avoiding questions,” Brett laughs dryly in disappointment, as he takes a sip of his own glass.
But something in Eddy’s demeanor changes, where he genuinely looks apologetic.
“Sorry. I don’t mean to be like this,” Eddy says suddenly. “It… uh… relationships… romantic stuff… is just a… tricky subject for me to talk about.”
“Is it?” Really? For a wedding planner? For Eddy? Whose tears Brett always had to wipe for every romance anime they watched as kids?
“Do you know why I stopped attending orchestra?” Eddy says, his voice suddenly very quiet. “It’s because my parents separated and we had to sell the house.”
“Oh," His heart breaks for him. "Eddy, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn't know, I didn’t tell you. That’s why I always liked staying at yours. Things were bad at home, so I never told you, even if you were my closest friend. Sorry.”
Eddy’s brows are pinched, conflicted. He scratches the back of his head.
“They used to love each other, then it just slowly got worse and worse, until it was just too much for everyone. Both my parents were never the same after their divorce. They don’t seem any better separate than they were apart, just miserable in a different way. We were all weaker afterwards.”
Eddy holds his hand up, like he’s stopping Brett before he can say anything.
“And I know, you're a divorce lawyer, you've heard everything. Divorce is common, so is changing schools, so is moving far away from everyone you know, twice. But… I just felt so invisible through the whole process. I didn’t even feel like a person at times. I guess it just got me wondering... how can you feel so much, and how can so much of it go unseen? It's been so hard for me to be close to other people since then.”
Eddy looks away. He’s been looking away the whole night. This vulnerability must be killing him.
“I always wished we kept in touch. It would’ve been nice to talk to you. Maybe things would have been different. Better.”
It makes Brett antsy. Eddy feeling that way, without him. Existing, waiting, roaming the world like that.
It would have been a lot easier if Eddy had someone like Brett by his side, who he could’ve laughed with and complained to and hid behind, whose hand he could've held when things became scary, because life is so scary.
Life wouldn’t seem as difficult or hard.
A small part of Brett is curious, if maybe he became a divorce lawyer, just to prepare for this. He takes Eddy's hand, feeling quite protective of it as he brushes his thumb over gently, “I’m sorry you went through that alone. Even if it's common, it doesn't mean it hurts any less.”
A smile tugs at him when he realizes something, “But look. Even after all that, you still work in the wedding industry. You say you don’t believe in love, but you keep making people’s romantic dreams come true.”
Eddy only laughs in response, cheeks reddening.
“I know. It's so embarrassing. Sometimes it just feels like a huge prank. Of course, I end up working in the one job where lovey-dovey couples profess their love to each other. But, I keep coming back to it,” He sighs. “Love is probably real, just not in my lifetime. Just because I work in this industry, just because I’m surrounded by love every day, doesn’t mean it's going to get to me."
“I could love you right,” Brett says, suddenly. “Really, I could. If you’d let me.”
“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep,” Eddy laughs. He looks at Brett pointedly, “I don’t trust people that fall in love easily.”
“Neither do I,” Brett can’t hide his smile.
Eddy's cheeks are red, and Brett wants to believe it's more than the alcohol. He sighs, amused and defeated, taking his hand back from Brett as he leans into his seat. By now, the music has changed from party music to classical, which makes sense considering Minjin is a cellist, and majority of their friends went into the orchestra profession.
Right now, the lights are dim. All the bright lights are on Minjin and her husband, who are currently slow dancing to Butterfly Lovers.
“I love this piece," Eddy says quietly, admiring the new couple. “You know what I miss about the violin? I miss playing the duets. Whenever two violins play a duet, they always play together. It’s not like duets in pop music, where they take turns and do their part separately. In classical music, the two melodies always converge as one. I don’t know why I love that so much.”
“It’s very romantic,” Brett nods, in agreement. “In love, they’re no longer their own person. When they join together, they transform into something completely different.”
Eddy looks at him. Like there’s something on Brett’s face, like he’s said something in a completely different language.
“Eddy…?”
“Can I kiss you?”
Eddy’s knee touches Brett’s shyly. It’s dark, the type of dark where you can't see one another unless you're very close. Brett is close enough to Eddy where he sees everything, the cute slope of Eddy's nose, his black hair that is starting to look a little messy, the small sun spots that adorn his face. The music is starting to fade away, softer and softer, until he swears the only thing Brett can hear is Eddy and himself.
Their entire table seems to have disappeared. When did everybody leave and decide this table was just for them? None of their childhood friends are around them anymore. As if they knew they would need the space.
“What happened to not believing in love?” The question is small, quiet, which Brett would only allow himself to be around Eddy.
“I don’t. But you’re making me think I should reconsider.”
The longer Brett looks at Eddy, the more endearing he becomes. His familiar, misshapen smile is adorable. His eyes have this expressiveness where it looks at everything fondly, which is a bit dangerous whenever he looks at Brett, which he always does whenever he thinks Brett's not looking, which he always is.
Eddy pulls him by the tie, bringing him in for a soft kiss. Eddy tastes sweet, like cake and champagne. Brett wants to lick his mouth but he stops himself, he doesn’t want to scare Eddy away.
The kiss is a quiet surrender—an old friend, a new lover. Eddy relaxes into Brett’s arms, and Brett is more than happy to take him.
“Tell me,” Eddy says, as he pulls out of the kiss. “Do you always wear suits like this to your job?”
“Yep.”
“Hm… that’s nice,” Eddy hums, pleased, as he absentmindedly traces the cuffs of Brett’s work clothes. He wishes Eddy would touch him. Loosen his tie, undo a button... but another time.
Really, Eddy hasn’t changed too much. Despite time and everything that happened to him. Brett just wants to kiss him everywhere. He wants to hold Eddy close to his chest, because he’s found him again, and he never wants to let go.
“You want to know a secret? Minjin told me she was inviting you to this wedding almost a year ago when she started planning. I arranged for us to sit next to each other.”
“Are you serious?”
It’s hard for Brett's brain not to reel at this confession.
That means, throughout all the years spent apart, Eddy felt the same way Brett did.
Even if Eddy constantly insisted he didn't believe in love, a small, enduring part of him still did. Even after everything that happened to him, he still believed it. Because he felt it once and he believed he could feel it again.
And he believed in that long enough, through an entire decade, with Brett in his mind.
“So you’re telling me, us meeting again… it’s not a coincidence. This isn’t fate?” He wants to sound disappointed, but he can't. Brett knows the answer, and it's a million times better than anything fate could have arranged.
“Not fate,” Eddy shakes his head. “Just me.”
It’s enough to knock Brett over. Enough to pull Eddy back rightfully into his arms, bring his mouth to his, and make up for lost time.