painted a picture, I thought I knew you well

I got a habit, of seeing what isn't there

caught in the moment, tangled up in your things

when you broke my heart,

and said you only wanted half of me,

my imagination's too creative

they see demon, I see angel

angel, angel

without the halo, wingless angel

falling, falling but I never thought never thought you'd leave me

falling, falling needed something to believe in

I thought I knew who you already were,

but it was all in my head,

It was all in my head

look at you, boy I invented you,

Gucci tennis shoes, running from your issues

cardio, good for the heart

Not saying we could work it out.

painted a picture, I thought I drew you well,

I got a vision, of seeing what isn't there

--

"Bro, I can't even." Brett spoke up finally, hair disheveled. "Too hard! So hard!" He looked at Eddy with tear-filled eyes, completely done with the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto score in front of him, too exhausted to even look at it. "Don't worry too much, you'll do it! I believe in you." Eddy slapped Brett's shoulder with a huge smile on his face. He might have had to drop music, but he knew music all too well. And more importantly he knew Brett too well.

Or so he thought.

"Who would be there for me if it it's not you?" Brett had asked when he stepped off the stage. He was soloist and his performance was ethereal that night. Everything was flawless, as smooth as butter. "Aww, Brett, you'll find someone." Eddy joked, Brett had laughed.

Had he predicted the future?

"Ah, I don't think I would be able to function without Brett." Eddy smiled at his best friend while he talked to a teacher. "Best of luck for everything in the future!" The jolly teacher had said that night.

Leave Brett, Eddy needed that luck.

"I'm sorry," Brett had said, when Eddy was crying on his shoulder, crying over his fate. Crying over the fact that Brett was to become a big soloist, and Eddy would have stay there, just a person in the crowd. "Don't be, I'm proud of you. Don't think much about me, I'll always be here for you," Eddy had sobbed. Brett hadn't replied. "I'll miss you."

It was Eddy who said it.

Eddy sat on his couch, assignments piled to his left. Some complete, some marked with an A+, some untouched. Somewhere in his house the violin sat, untuning itself. Eddy was working part time at a coffee shop, earning just enough to live a life that would fulfill his daily needs. His parents helped him find an apartment. He moved out after eight months. After Brett moved overseas.

If Eddy wasn't an introvert enough, he turned a hundred times more so. And his job at the Coffee shop wasn't one particularly, which helped him get better at this awkwardness, since he was very, very socially awkward. But somehow he managed to work every evening with a very fake smile on his face. A fake smile not much people noticed, but Brett would... Oh, how he hated linking everything back to him.

Eddy looked at his feet, covered in socks. Which had random dark spots on them, from the tears silently falling down his cheeks, as Eddy stared off into nothingness. Eddy sprawled out further and put a couch-pillow on his lap. The room was very dark, only illumination from the street-lights outside. There lay on the couch beside Eddy, was his phone. He had logged out of every social media account, and stopped messaging a lot of people. He never made any close friends besides... Anyways, all his other friends were off with their own lives, soon forgetting about a man called Eddy Chen. Hence, his phone was always quiet.

It was weird, startling at first when it started ringing. The tone was always audible in a café, but not so loud. Not this close. Eddy jerked away from his position, throwing his pillow away in the process. He looked at the bright screen, squinting his eyes.

It read. He had saved it that way too many ages ago. Brett. Brett was calling him. Eddy tried forcing a little smile and quickly pressed the green area on the screen. The smile went away when Brett's voice came through, "Hell-o," Brett started, voice hoarse. Eddy couldn't bring his muscles to tense up, which it would have definitely. He couldn't force his face to frown. He couldn't make his voice seemed worried. He couldn't...

Make it seem like he cared.

He did, somewhere deep down he did, maybe. Maybe.

"Hi," curt and short. Maybe would have sounded a bit a sharp and harsh, considering that Brett's voice literally seemed broken. It seemed like he was crying for ages, or had been angry for long. Maybe he fought with someone. It was always funny how he knew his mood with just one word.

"Eddy?" Brett said, holding onto his couch's handle for dear life. Eddy didn't know that. "Yes, Brett. It's me." He tried to make it a bit soft, "What's wrong?" Brett was silent, only little sniffles audible, so, he was crying for long. "C-Clari ch-cheated on me," Eddy's heartstrings tugged a bit. just a bit. I didn't even know he started dating. "I'm sorry, did you fight right now?" Brett nodded, but Eddy couldn't see. "Y-yes," Eddy turned soft right at the moment he heard Brett break down, "She cheated on me with a lot of people. In my house, I caught her to-tonig-oh!" Eddy spoke softly, "I'm sorry. Leave her for good." Brett sniffled louder, "I l-loved her."

I have too.

"I'm sorry, t'happens," Eddy just said, unable to process anything. Neither did he feel happy, nor did he feel sad. Nor did he feel angry. "I l-liked her so much,"

I did too, not her but y-

"I can't believe it. I couldn't see it."

Me too, Brett.

"I can't believe I am so blind."

You are Brett, very.

"I liked her so much,"

I do too. I like you.

"I miss her. But she won't."

Same here Brett, why can't you see me?

"I have to go Brett, I have a job. I'm sorry. Call later maybe." Eddy said choking back a sob. "Oh so you too-" Brett suddenly started getting angry but was abruptly cut off by a loud beep ringing in his ear. call declined. He threw his phone on the couch beside him, breaking down even more, clawing the couch angrily.

Eddy felt miserable. He cut the call on Brett. But he didn't do anything wrong, did he? Brett only called when he desperately needed someone. When he was stuck. When he had no one left.

Oh, so I'm the last option.

Brett called only when he was the one crying. Eddy did too. He cried himself to sleep every night, but Brett never called. Never asked how he was. Never texted goodnight, like he promised. Never.

Only when he was stuck, heartbroken, miserable, sad, did he remember Eddy. He had moved on happily, but he never even seemed to realise his bestfrie-, once upon a time best friend was broken. Was torn apart too. Not only emotionally, physically too. Long hours of classes, tuitions, job, draining every energy in every cell of Eddy's body.

Brett had stopped doing everything he did. He never called, never texted, never informed about anything in life. Eddy never got to know that Brett had received an award for the best soloist of the college. Brett never told Eddy that he started dating. Brett never wished Belle a happy birthday.

He never seemed to realise Eddy needed someone too. Someone to talk to, someone to feel free around. Just someone. And Eddy knew,

That that someone would never be Brett.

.

.