never mine// tyler joseph

chapter fifteen

it had been about a week into the tour, and they had already played two shows. tyler had gotten to know paige a bit more, and it was mostly because of the way that she seemed to stick around him. josh pointed it out too, trying to tell tyler that she was interested in him and that he should try to give her a chance. but tyler didn't want to hear it. it didn't matter to him if paige did like him a bit. his hopes were still set on val.

nonetheless, he wasn't opposed to being paige's friend. when him, josh, and mark were going out to dinner one night, he allowed josh to invite her along. she was still new, after all. he wanted her to feel comfortable around them.

during the dinner, tyler couldn't help but notice paige's blue eyes sneaking looks at him. so maybe she was interested him just a little. he knew all about those seemingly secret glances, the way you just so desperately wanted to get one more look at the person. it was the same thing he did whenever he was around val.

it gave tyler a hint of guilt. he didn't want another girl to like him because he was so afraid of having to reject her, of breaking her heart. he was sure that paige wasn't in love with him or anything, but still, it would hurt to like somebody while watching them love somebody else.

josh must've also noticed because he would send tyler knowing looks, smirking jokingly at his friend. although tyler knew that he was only messing with him, he really hoped that he wouldn't encourage it. paige was a pretty girl, tyler could admit, but he still couldn't imagine wanting anybody else. he didn't want to lead her on in any way.

afterwards, tyler, josh, and mark headed back to the bus to hang out and play video games. they let paige come along too, even though they usually tended to only hang out in the bus with the other guys.

in the middle of one of the games, tyler felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. he pulled it out to see that it was val, and in an instant, he dropped his controller on the couch beside him and answered the call, no longer paying attention to the game.

"must be val, right?" josh asked playfully.

when her face popped up on the screen, tyler was met with her usual beauty. even laying down in her bed, her face squished against her pillow, he couldn't help but admire how alluring she was. he'd known it since highschool, from the moment they first met. she was just always so pretty, and tyler could never get enough of it.

"hey!" she said excitedly.

"hey," josh and mark both said in unison.

"oh, you're with them? what's up guys?" she asked with a laugh.

"just playing video games," josh replied.

"you know, i can call later if you want. i don't wanna interrupt you guys," she said.

"no, it's okay. i don't mind," tyler assured her.

"ty, have fun with your friends. i'll just call you back, okay?" she told him.

"alright then. see ya," tyler responded, hanging up the call and shoving his phone back into his pocket.

"you know what that must mean," josh started, a teasing expression on his face. tyler furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

"it means she would rather just talk to you alone," paige added, wearing a hint of a smile.

"what? why?" tyler asked. val always hung around them all together. it didn't make sense that she would only want to talk with tyler and nobody else.

"she probably feels comfortable around you and only feels like having a conversation with just you right now," paige explained with a shrug. "and seeing how quickly you answered her call, you must like each other a lot. how long have you known her?"

"i've known her since high school," tyler replied. "and she doesn't like me back."

"we'll see about that," josh remarked.

"why?" paige asked, clearly interested in hearing some of the story.

"she has a boyfriend," josh said. "but they aren't so great together, and it's apparent. i'm sure even she knows it. we're just waiting until she comes to her senses and realizes that he'd be the perfect boyfriend for her," he elaborated, chuckling a little towards the end.

that instantly reminded tyler of what val had said to him before he left. about how he'd make a good boyfriend. he never told josh about any of it, and since they were already on the conversation of val, he figured that he would do it now. also, having paige's opinion was almost like hearing from aria. they were girls, so they probably knew better.

tyler explained to them what val told him, and after he finished, he could see that all of them looked pretty invested in what he was saying.

"she told you that you'd make a good boyfriend?" josh asked.

"she's definitely into you," paige told him.

"you really think so?" tyler asked doubtfully. even though the proof was there, he still constantly had a hard time believing that she could ever feel that way about him.

"if she told you that, she's definitely imagined you as her boyfriend before. and she liked the idea of it," paige said.

"i get what you're saying, but if she really did feel that way, do you really think she'd still be putting up with her boyfriend?" he asked. that was what was really confusing him. if val
really did have some sort of feelings for tyler, and if she did think that he'd make a good boyfriend, why would she continue to be with someone who wasn't great? why would she continue to argue with him?

"it's probably really hard for her to leave him," paige suggested. "it's not easy to break up with someone you've been with for a long time."

tyler sighed. paige was right, but it was still so frustrating to watch val struggle in her relationship. if he were her boyfriend, he would always trust her, always listen to her. he'd comfort her, hold her in his arms. he just wanted it all so badly.

he needed to tell her.

he needed to tell her that he'd fallen in love with her all those years ago as they sat in the trunk of that car. he needed to tell her that no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop feeling that way. he needed to tell her that he longed for those moments where their skin would brush against each other's. he needed to tell her that he loved her.