coffee // joshler

42

josh's point of view

tyler and i are sitting in taco bell a few days before thanksgiving, eating our food and making light conversation.

"in other news, im meeting your parents this weekend," i raise my eyebrows at him. im nervous, but i would never tell him that...

"yeah. theyre excited to meet you. my brothers and sister are too. my nieces mia and pepper will be there," he looks at me and smiles, "i love them so much."

we talk about his family while we finish eating, and he tells me what to expect.

"at least your brother isn't obsessed with sneezing," i snort when he tells me about his youngest sibling, rolling my eyes and crumpling up a napkin.

"no. hes a little obbsessed with video games though," tyler says, finishing up his food and pushing his trash closer to mine. "i think everyone's at least a little obsessed with something though."

"what are you obsessed with then?" i stand up and wait for him to stand as well.

"you."

"i know you were trying to be sweet, but that sounded really creepy," i laugh at his sentiment and he punches me lightly, causing me to drop a bit of the trash before it all makes it into the trashcan. "see, look what you did!" i joke, bending over to pick it up before we walk outside.

"just let me love you," he tries to be upset, but his giggling gives him away, "seriously though, i'm meeting your family too. the rest of them anyway."

"and they'll love you," i kiss his forehead and open his car door for him, "almost as much as i do."

-

"are you ready?" tyler calls to me from our room and i look at myself in the mirror, double checking every aspect of my appearnce.

"i think so, yeah," i finally step away from the reflective service and back into our bedroom.

he's sitting on the bed and looks over at me when i come out. "you look so handsome, josh," he stands up and kisses my cheek. "you okay?" he asks, seeming to notice my tenseness.

"im fine. just a little nervous," i admit, looking down at the carpet.

"really?" he brings his hand to lift my face so he can look at me. "you have no reason to be."

"i love you."

"i love you," he kisses me once and then steps back. "come on. lets go."

the drive to his parents' house doesn't take long, and tyler next to me keeps me mostly grounded.

i feel anxiety bubble in my chest, but i do my best to keep it at bay. once i park in the driveway it gets a little worse, and my throat feels dry. tyler takes my hand and walks me to the door, but he doesnt knock right away.

he looks over at me and squeezes my hand. "i love you, okay? you got this."

and then he knocks.

tyler's father answers with a huge smile on my face. "tyler! its so good to see you."

tyler lets go of my hand and hugs his father. "hey, dad. this is josh," he rests his hand in-between my shoulder blades and rubs my back softly.

i hold my hand out for him to shake, and im trembling, but he doesnt say anything. "nice to meet you, mr. joseph."

"please, call me chris," he smiles and then opens the door wider for us to walk in.

its loud inside. there are people talking and a baby is crying and i bite my tongue, hoping i wont remain this anxious the entire time.