Colors // Joshler

// 32. Eventually Letting the Conversations Trail Off //

Before Tyler could put a name to the pink feeling, however, there was a knock at his bedroom door, startling him and quickly replacing the pink with lavender. Josh seemed startled too, sitting up and looking alert.

"Come in," Tyler said, and his mother opened the door.

"Sweetie, dinner's ready. I hope you've been studying hard." The smile on her face disappeared as she saw Josh, to be replaced by a look of surprise, but then her smile reappeared, perhaps even stronger than before. "Who's this?"

"This is Josh, my friend from school," Tyler said.

Josh smiled and waved at her from Tyler's bed, his worry gone and replaced by his usual carefree, content manner. "Hi, you must be Mrs. Joseph."

"That's right, but you can call me Kelly." Tyler's mother smiled at Josh, seemingly pleased by his polite greeting. "Are you staying for dinner?"

Josh looked to Tyler, and after a heartbeat the boy realized that he was asking for his permission. Gratefully, Tyler gave Josh an almost unnoticeable nod, and then Josh nodded to Tyler's mother. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"No trouble at all," Tyler's mother said kindly. "Come on downstairs whenever you boys are ready."

A few seconds after she left, Josh hopped off of Tyler's bed, completely casually. Tyler wasn't entirely sure how Josh could do such a thing; how he could be so relaxed after the vibrant pink feeling.

But then again, maybe Josh didn't feel it. Maybe it was just Tyler.

Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, Tyler led the way out of his bedroom and downstairs to the dining room. Everyone at the table looked up at the two boys as they arrived, seemingly just as surprised to see Josh as Tyler's mother was. It was clear that Tyler didn't often bring a friend home.

"This is Josh, my friend from school," Tyler announced simply, sitting at his usual place. A chair had been brought in for Josh, at his side, and Josh gave a shy wave and a greeting as he sat down.

Everyone had a plate of steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans sat in front of them, with a glass of milk. Tyler's family (namely his mother) talked politely with Josh for a bit before eventually letting the conversations trail off in favor of food.

Sitting there with Josh in the chair right next to him, Tyler felt almost entirely pink. Now that he was trying to make it go away, it seemed, it just wouldn't. It was ghosting his skin, bubbling up in his veins, twisting his stomach. Every time Tyler cast a glance at his friend, he felt it again.

The problem was, he didn't have a real name for it; it was only pink, a color.

There was almost nothing that could be done about that, no matter how badly Tyler wanted to figure it out. It would take its time.