Colors // Joshler

// 46. Something He Would Like To Paint //

The backyard was just as nice as the front yard, with several more flower beds here and there. Hunched over one flower bed was a woman who appeared to be transplanting some tulip bulbs. Tyler could only assume that she was Josh's mother.

"Hey, mom, can my friend Tyler stay for dinner?" Josh asked, letting go of Tyler's wrist.

The woman looked up from her plants and smiled at Tyler. She had laugh lines on her face. "Yes, of course. Nice to meet you, Tyler."

"Hi, Mrs. Dun," Tyler said, with a hint of shyness in his voice. This didn't seem to bother Mrs. Dun, however, and she gave Tyler a friendly nod before going back to her flowers. "You boys can get some sodas from the fridge if you like."

"Thanks, Mom." Josh turned and headed to go back into the house, and Tyler followed a bit more slowly. He really had to admire the garden; it looked like something he would like o paint one day.

Once the boys were back inside, Josh rummaged around in the fridge, while Tyler looked around the kitchen. "You like Pepsi?"

"Yeah, Pepsi's good."

Josh pulled two sodas out of the fridge and gave one to Tyler, who popped it open and drank gratefully. He really had been thirsty.

"Want to go up to my room?" Josh suddenly looked a little shy, and he scuffed one of his shoes against the tile floor. "We could watch TV."

Tyler felt the fluttering pink feeling in his stomach, and it made him smile. "Sure."

Josh lightly grasped Tyler's wrist in his hand again, much to Tyler's amusement, and led him through the house. The smaller boy couldn't help grinning.

After going up a flight of stairs, the boys entered Josh's room. The walls were a very pale shade of gray, so pale that it could have been mistaken for white if the room was brighter. Tyler noted that Josh had a small television in his room, sitting atop the dresser across from his bed.

Josh seemed to notice Tyler staring at the television, and he grabbed the remote from the dresser. "It's the old one from my mom's room," he explained, hopping onto his bed and sitting down.

Tyler wasn't sure where to sit, and he didn't want to just make himself at home if it was the wrong thing to do. Maybe he could sit on the floor?

Thankfully, Josh grabbed one of the pillows he'd been leaning on and propped it up next to him. "You can sit here, if you want."

And so, Tyler climbed up onto Josh's bed, and sat next to him on the black duvet.