summer child // joshler

46

tyler's point of view

i wake up in josh's room. he's sitting up next to me with his laptop open and the tv still providing quiet background noise.

he looks down and notices i'm awake so he closes the laptop and moves it to his bedside table. "hey, baby. did you sleep okay?"

i rub my eyes and sit up slowly. "mhm. what time is it?"

he picks his phone up from where it sits next to his computer and checks for me. "a little past one."

"holy shit, i slept for... what, almost eleven hours?"

"you needed it," he tells me, the small smile i know and love making its home once again on his face.

my stomach interjects before i can reply, growling loudly.

"do you want some breakfast? or... lunch?" josh switches gears, already moving to get out of bed. it's then that i notice his ring is back on.

"yes, please." i offer him a small smile of my own in return, following after him to the kitchen.

he makes us grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and sits next to me at the table again.

"thank you, josh. for everything," i thank him again despite him telling me not to last night. i'm just so lucky to have him, especially after all this mess i've put us through.

"it's okay, ty. really. i could've handled it better too. i know i can get insecure sometimes and worry a lot. i just... i don't want to lose this."

"me either."

-

at school the next day, i meet josh in his art class for lunch. i told him when i brought up the idea that i'd feel okay in there since none of my teammates are in art and would ever think to look for me there (if they even knew where to find it in the first place).

i also told him it was okay if he didn't want me to, if i'd be intruding on his time with his friends. he told me that was ridiculous and he'd sit anywhere at all if it meant i'd be there next to him.

so, here i am.

josh got here before me, his lunch waiting in a paper bag beside him. he looks up from his phone when i walk in, a smile instantly forming on his face.

"hey, babyboy." he kisses my cheek when i sit next to him.

i feel myself blush as i put my tray down in front of me. "hi, j."

"how's your day been so far?" he asks, pulling out a sandwich and unwrapping it.

"it's been alright. what about yours?"

he swallows the bite of food in his mouth before answering me, a courtesy i don't usually witness when i sit with the rest of the basketball team.

"good. better now that i get to see you." he nudges me gently with his elbow. "thanks for sitting with me."

"thanks for letting me."

adam walks in then and stops at the door when he sees me. "oh. hi." he turns to josh. "what is he doing here?"

this is it. there's my opportunity.

"he's-"

"boyfriend," i interrupt him quickly, taking my chance before i can chicken out and the moment passes, even if it means blurting out a word instead of a coherent sentence. i take a breath and try again. "his boyfriend. we're dating. i wanted to eat with him." i pause and then add, "please don't tell anyone though. you're the only person who knows," i say, hoping that even if he doesn't like me, he'll respect that.

adam's eyes widen as he looks back and forth between us. "oh. oh. shit. okay. i'll just... go sit with charlie and luke." he turns and leaves just as abruptly as he'd arrived.

"you didn't have to do that, ty." josh looks over at me, practically beaming.

"i know. i know, but... baby steps, right? i'm sorry if you didn't want him to know or if i, like... made anything awkward. i know that he used to have feelings for you." i look down at the table but he lifts my chin with two fingers so i'm looking at him again.

"i am so proud of you." he leans forward to leave one quick kiss to my lips before dropping his hand. "and i love you."

we eat our food and still have a few minutes left of lunch after finishing, so we stay in the art room and talk for the rest of the period.

"so, valentine's day is tomorrow," he points out.

"yeah, i know. i took off work for it."

his face lights up at that, evidently not expecting the information. "really?"

"yeah. i wanna take you on a date." i pause, briefly afraid he'll say no for whatever reason. "i mean, if you want to go."

"duh."

-

i knock on josh's door dressed in a nice shirt and a pair of jeans.

josh answers in a similar outfit, his mother standing behind him. "hey, ty."

"aw, look at you two! so cute, all dressed up for your little date! this is so sweet." she brings one hand to her heart and smiles at both of us.

"ah, thanks, miss laura. um... please don't tell my mom about-" i go to reply, my palms sweaty at my sides.

"my lips are sealed, hun," she interrupts me and winks. and maybe it's nice that she knows. maybe it won't be so bad when other people do either.

"okay, thanks, mom. we're going now, bye!" josh steps out and closes the door behind him, his face flushed pink.

"you don't have to be embarrassed, j. i love your mom." i kiss his cheek before opening the car door for him. "i just love you more."

(an: robbed of vday date filler because the book is almost over, heh. ill give you the gist though: i think the waitress would've said they're a cute couple, tyler would've blushed and josh would've agreed. josh would tell tyler he didn't have to pay, that he could pay for himself. tyler would call him a dummy and pay for it all anyway. they would've gone home separately but tyler would've snuck in through josh's window later with a box of chocolates he'd forgotten to give him earlier and a small teddy bear. after that, they... did some things. it was soft and sweet and gentle and then they fell asleep together! i am so scared for this book to be over it feels so weird !!! editing was rushed again, oops!)