Since that first day Josh came over, Tyler invited him over another three times. The boys studied together, and talked. Josh showed Tyler a bit of his poetry, and Tyler had to admit, even though he wasn't one for poetry, it was rather excellent.
Josh never mentioned Tyler's paintings around the rest of the clique, which Tyler appreciated quite a bit. Sharing his works with Josh was a special, one-time, thing, and Tyler definitely didn't have any intentions of showing them to anyone else.
The pink feeling Josh gave Tyler shoed itself more often, as if it was now free. It appeared whenever it chose to, sometimes at odd times; whenever Josh squinted, or when he laughed, or anytime he touched Tyler, whether he was handing him something or tapping his shoulder to get his attention.
Tyler felt like it was a virus, almost; changing little things here and there, like how he spent his free time, and what he thought about. Lately, it seemed, all Tyler thought about was Josh. It was almost becoming a problem.
The feeling still didn't have a name, and it almost angered Tyler. It was there, just on the tip of his tongue, but it was hard to explain or name something that he'd never felt before. Each day, he grew more and more frustrated, not knowing what he was feeling. Until one day, when, after a frustrated, failed painting, Tyler had had enough.
It was almost certainly stupid, but Tyler went a whole week avoiding Josh. He didn't talk to him, or hang out with him, or any other members of the clique. This, he had decided, was his limit. He could continue no longer with any of this, because he didn't know what it was, and he couldn't delve deeper into something he didn't understand. It was no longer pleasant; it was just confusing.
He didn't apologize, or explain his choice to Josh. He just stopped.
And so, whenever Tyler saw Josh while he was in school, he made a conscious effort to avoid him. He kept out of his way, didn't talk to him, didn't even look at him. He knew Josh must have been confused, since he'd given no warning to his sudden escape.
Life was the way it was before the move. Tyler ate his midday meal alone, in the cafeteria, then spent the rest of the lunch hour in the library. He didn't walk home with Josh, or hang out with the clique before lunch. It was simple, easy, plain.
And it was achingly lonely.
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Colors // Joshler
FanfictionThere were a few colors that Tyler got the occasional feel of--yellow, blue, orange, and lavender. Any other color was rare. In fact, most days, Tyler felt somewhat gray. He wondered if that would ever change. ______________ Joshler High School AU a...
