Two days had passed since my sister's party. Part of me thought that Josh had lied, and part of me knew it had only been two days and maybe he was still going to text me. Either way, I spent my days thinking nonstop about him.
Late at night, my brain would flood with thoughts of Josh. How long were they in Ohio for? It was June, and they weren't touring at the moment. That means they don't have a reason to leave...but Josh lives in Los Angeles.
Once I realized that Josh lived in California, and not Ohio, I gave up hope. He'd probably already forgotten about me again.
That I was wrong about. However, the next time I saw Josh, it wasn't him who contacted me. It all started with a text message:
Unknown number: Hi Addison, this is Tyler Joseph. I'm helping plan a surprise birthday party for Josh, would you be interested in going? It's on the 17th this month(sorry for the late notice), but we're not sure where and stuff it'll be.
Me: Of course!
Tyler Joseph: Great. I'll add you to a group chat, and we'll update you on what's happening.
Me: Thank you!
Tyler Joseph: Oh, by the way, I stole Josh's phone while he wasn't looking and that's how I got your number. Hope you don't mind.
Me: Don't worry about it. Thank you for thinking of me!
A couple minutes later I was added to a group chat that had about thirty other people in it. I knew none of the other numbers, besides Tyler's. I watched as the members of the group texted each other, obviously knowing each other fairly well. No one had seemed to notice that Tyler added me to the group. After a while, the conversation died down, and I set my phone on the counter so I could finish making breakfast.
"Why on earth did I wake up to the sound of your phone this morning? Don't you know what silent is?" My roommate, also my best friend, Lydia, entered the kitchen with a scowl on her face.
"I'm so sorry, Lyd, I was added to a group chat and completely forgot you were sleeping. I'll make sure to remember you next time they decide to have a conversation." I jokingly glared at her as she raided the pantry for something to eat.
"Why didn't you make me breakfast?" She whined as she looked over my shoulder, observing the eggs I was cooking.
"Okay, from now on, I'll just live my life to fulfill your needs, alright?" I said, laughing.
"Sounds good to me." Lydia rolled her eyes, laughing. "So what's the group chat? Another twenty one pilots club, discussing Tyler Joseph's bean-like qualities?"
It was my turn to roll my eyes. "No," I shook my head. "It's...just some people theorizing about the next album. The usual."
She seemed to buy it, as she simply shrugged her shoulders and left the kitchen carrying a bagel covered in cream cheese.
It wasn't that I was worried she would tell Josh about the surprise party, but rather I didn't think she'd believe that I was actually in a group chat with Tyler Joseph discussing Josh Dun's birthday.
As I ate my breakfast, I scrolled through twitter. I followed a couple twenty one pilots updates accounts, so I saw a few posts about people meeting Josh in Columbus. I looked through the pictures, smiling at his warm smile. I couldn't wait to see him at his party, but some of me was scared he wouldn't really want me there.
Why did Tyler think to invite me? Josh and I had just met, so it's not like I was important to him. Then I remembered how at the party Tyler already knew who I was, just because Josh had mentioned me to him. Does that mean something? Or does Josh tell Tyler about every fan he meets?
Later that night, Tyler informed the group where Josh's party would be: at his and Jenna's house.
I felt like my heart was going to explode, it was beating so fast. Not only was I going to attend Josh Dun's birthday party in a couple days, but it was going to be held at Tyler Joseph's house. Eventually I calmed myself down, and reminded myself that Tyler and Josh were just people. I needed to start acting like it. June 17th was in two days, and I couldn't act like a crazy fan at the party. I wasn't going to let myself.
Josh still hadn't texted me. I wondered if I should even be going to his party, since he wasn't the one who invited me. It would be super awkward if I showed up and he didn't even want me there. I decided to text Tyler.
Me: Hey Tyler, I just wanted to ask if I should still come to Josh's party. Do you think he'd actually want me there? Sorry to bother you
I bit my lip, staring at the text I sent Tyler. Watch him not even reply, I thought. He probably regrets asking me to come in the first place. But I was proved wrong once again.
Tyler Joseph: Hi Addison. Don't worry, Josh would definitely want you there.
I let go a sigh of relief, but the text didn't seem to calm my nerves. I decided to go to the party, but if it seemed like Josh didn't want me there, I would just forget my entire experience with them and go back to being a fan. Could I even go back to being just a fan at this point?
Me: Okay cool. I'll see you Saturday then!
Tyler Joseph: Sounds great.
Josh's party was tomorrow, and part of me was freaking out. I realized that Josh's family would most likely be there, and possibly some of Tyler's as well. Some of them were probably even in the group chat, and I didn't know. I immediately felt an enormous amount of pressure, and I wasn't quite sure why. It's not like Josh and I were dating or anything.
I went to bed super early that night, and prayed that tomorrow would go well.
