Just Friends //joshler&bryler [✔]

one

tyler let out a shaky breath, hands trembling as he dialed josh's number.

"hello?" josh answered instantly.

"c-can i come over?"

"what happened?"

"can i please just come over?"

"doors open."

tyler hung up without another word. he slipped on a hoodie, jumping out of his first-story bedroom window. he took the back way to josh's, who conveniently lived a 5 minute walk away.

he entered without knocking, greeting josh's mom on the way in. the brunette toed his shoes off and made his way up to josh's room, head throbbing. as soon as josh saw him, tyler broke out in tears.

"ty..." the older sighed, pulling him in for a hug. his freshly dyed red hair rested atop of tyler's.

"i-i'm sorry," the boy sobbed, clutching onto his friend for dear life.

"what happened?"

"he h-hit me a-and..." tyler stopped as another sob interrupted him.

"it's okay, you don't have to talk about it. just try to calm down, yeah?"

tyler nodded against his chest, the steady beat of his heart helping to calm him down.

"i love you, tyler."

"i love you too."

josh didn't mean it the same way tyler did.

tyler had fallen for his straight, and only, best friend. josh did love him, but not in the way tyler wanted. they were just friends, that's all. as much as tyler hoped and prayed, they would never be more than just friends. tyler's heart broke whenever he thought about it too much.

"want to watch a movie?" josh interrupted his thoughts, soothing a hand down his back.

"mhm, can we watch the notebook?"

"again?" josh teased.

"i like that movie."

it was tyler's favorite, even though it left him yearning for josh's love even more. he liked to imagine if they were in that situation. if they were in a movie, or a book, no doubt they would be together. but this was reality, and reality sucks.

josh held tyler throughout the movie, and tyler hated it. he hated that josh could touch him like that and not feel anything. he hated that it gave him butterflies. he hated being in love with josh. he was doomed to get hurt.

tyler got distracted by the full-length mirror that sat below the flatscreen tv. his eyes roamed over his body, eyebrows knitting in disgust. it wasn't a shock josh wasn't in love with him. why would he be? tyler was hideous.

the thought consumed him, making
him feel sick to his stomach. tyler ended up leaving before the movie ended, telling josh he simply had to be home.

he quietly snuck back in his window, stripping before his mirror. he scrutinized himself from every angle, the silence around him loud. everything was so, so loud.

the sad thoughts in his brain, the words of hate that crossed his mind, they were loud. tyler couldn't help but cry. he fell asleep curled up on the cold floor, wearing nothing but boxers and salty tears.