Enamored //joshler

12. boyfriends

4140 words

tyler nervously fiddles with the collar of his shirt, continuously buttoning and unbuttoning the top button in an attempt to determine which looks best. leaving it undone looks more casual, but keeping it buttoned looks more formal. josh isn't bringing him anywhere that fancy, but it is a nice local italian restaurant.

"ashleyyy!" he shouts, sighing in frustration. said girl enters his room a few seconds later.

"yesss?"

"help."

he turns towards her and shows her his fully-buttoned shirt first, then carefully unbuttons the top.

"i like it unbuttoned."

the brunette nods, leaving the shirt as is. he looks at himself in the mirror again, smoothing his hands over the few wrinkles. he asks ashley if she can make his eyelashes look pretty, to which she responds by leaving the room and coming back with a pink tube of mascara.

she carefully coats his lashes for him, using the tip of her index finger to clean up any smudges around his eye. "there you go."

"how do i look?"

ashley ruffles his hair softly, carefully pushing a few stray strands away from his eyes. "super cute. i'd offer you some blush but your cheeks are already so rosy."

"it's the anxiety."

"it's going to be fine, ty! you already know josh is going to ask you to be his boyfriend. what are you nervous for?"

"i dont know!" tyler groans. "i like him so much i just get nervous! and what if he was lying? or what if he changes his mind? and we're going to have to talk about it in person so what if it's super awkward!?"

"you're overthinking," she says simply.

feeling his wrist buzz, tyler glances down at his watch. it's a message from josh.

"oh my gosh. he's parked out front waiting."

"better get going then!"

ashley leads him downstairs, making sure he has a set of keys and his phone on him. it's friday night so she has plans with debby, and brendon and ryan have already began pregaming at du. nobody will be here to let tyler in later, and he has a habit of forgetting his keys.

she gives him a big hug and wishes him good luck before sending him out the front door.

josh is parked by the curb, standing passenger side as tyler approaches. he's holding a bouquet of pink carnations.

"hi." the boy can't contain his smile as he takes in his appearance.

josh is dressed in a collared button-up shirt similar to tyler's, but his is a different color and has a funky pattern. a silver chain hangs from the belt loop of his black jeans. his usually unkept curls are a bit more organized than they typically appear. nose rings adorn either side of his nose. he has on big, chunky black boots that tyler thinks look cool. he is so cool. tyler feels lame.

"you look cute," josh says, greeting him with a kiss to the cheek. it makes tyler's heart flutter. he hands him the bouquet. "these are for you."

"thanks," he squeaks, eyeing the delicate flowers. he lifts them to his nose, inhaling the sweet scent. "they're pretty."

josh smiles as he opens the passenger door, holding tyler's hand as he slides into his seat, and shuts it behind him. as he joins tyler inside the vehicle, he tells him that he can connect to the bluetooth and play music. tyler cautiously settles on his it's not a phase mom playlist which has music from several rock and punk bands. he figures josh will appreciate it, given some of the artists he likes are on there.