coffee // joshler

32

josh's point of view

i wake up to jim licking my face.

tyler isnt in bed next to me, which is scary.

i sit up and stretch, listening closely for signs of his presence anywhere in the apartment as jim runs out of the room. i hear cartoons playing from the living room, and my worry dissipates.

i get scared sometimes that he'll leave me in a more permanent way than just getting out of bed, but i try to push that out of my mind.

i stand up and make my way to the main room, glad to see tyler sitting on the couch. he's eating dry cereal from the box while jim sits at his feet.

i tilt my head a little. "tyler, baby, what are you doing?"

"i didn wan make mess with milk, so i just eating out of the box," he blushes a little and sets the box aside. jim takes this to mean the box is his now, and he sniffs at the cardboard, waiting for the food to fall out.

i take the box and close it correctly. "you shouldve woken me up. i wouldve helped you make breakfast. dont hesitate to wake me up if you need anything next time, okay?"

"okay. i sorry," tyler looks down at jim and pets him with his fuzzy socks.

"you dont have to apologize, hun," i stand up again with the intention of going to the kitchen. "do you want me to make you some real food?"

he giggles and brushes his fuzzy sock across jim's back. "no. i full now."

"alright. juice then?"

he nods and i head to the kitchen to pour him a small, plastic cup of juice. i put the cereal in the cabinet before i return. i hand him the juice and he claps happily and then takes it from me.

"thank you!" he takes a big gulp of the liquid and then sets his cup on the coffee table.

"no problem, hun," i take a seat next to him and wrap my arm around his shoulders.

jim jumps into my lap and i scratch behind his ears.

its sunday, so the cafe is closed. im supposed to go into work in an hour, but im sensing that tyler wont be coming out of littlespace anytime soon, so i think im going to have to try and do it from home.

"hey, ty?"

he looks up at me. "huh?"

"do you want to maybe take jim to the park later?"

his eyes widen. "really?" i nod and he hugs me tightly. "daddy, i love the park! and jim! and you! its my three favorite things in one!"

"i love you too, sweetheart. tell you what, ive got to make a phone call and then do some work from home. we can go to the park as soon as i finish, alright?"

he pulls away a little and pouts. "why can't we go now?"

"ive just got a little work to do, baby. it won't take long."

he crosses his arms over his chest. "wan go now."

"i know. but if you're patient and a good boy for me, we can stop and get ice cream on the way home," i negotiate with him, knowing ill have to bribe him if i want to avoid a fit.

"okay, fiiiine," he groans and flops back to lay down on the couch to watch his cartoons.

"alright. ill be right back. don't get into too much trouble," i pat his knee and stand up to head back to our bedroom and call my office.

stephani answers on the third ring. "josh dun's office, stehpani speaking. how can i help you?"

"its josh," i introduce myself instead of saying hello. "im gonna work from home today, so just call or email if anything comes up."

"everything okay?" she sounds a little concerned.

"yeah. ill be back tomorrow. i just figured id work from home since its sunday and tyler's off," i tell the truth, but not the whole truth.

"oh, alrighty. see you tomorrow," she says her goodbyes and hangs up.

i get dressed and ready for the day and then go back to the living room to sit next to tyler on the couch. my laptop is on my lap, and as soon as it turns on, it chimes with a notification reminding me of a meeting later this week. im not particularly excited about it, but its supposedly important, even though our meetings hardly ever are.

as i work through a few contracts and papers, i glance down at tyler every now and then. hes switched from staring at the tv to staring at his coloring book.

i finish up everything that is absolutely necessary for me to get get done today within an hour and a half. its easy to get lost in all the paperwork and fine-print, and on days like these its hard to focus on it. i don't really mind my work most times, but some days it feels too boring to focus for more than ten minutes.

"alright," i put my laptop back where it belongs and then step into my shoes. "are you ready to go to the park?"

tyler jumps up from where he was sitting and runs to the bedroom, returning moments later with his shoes on. "i ready!"

i find jims leash and attach it to his collar and then we head out.

(an: flatsound makes such good music)