save [joshler]

brendon

Tyler's pov

It is currently 10 in the morning, I have been cleaning since 6. Cleaning things that don't need to be cleaned, washing already clean laundry, doing the already see-my-face-in-the-reflection clean dishes. Just making sure everything is the way Bren likes it before he comes home and abuses me more than he has ever.

He didn't come home last night. After that whole thing with Joshua, he never came back home. I know I shouldn't be worried, I know I should be happy that he didn't. I got a night where he didn't lay an unwanted hand on me? I should be fucking off the walls happy. But I'm not.

I'm worried. He could've gotten drunk and cheated on me, could've gotten drunk and tried beating someone up, could've got drunk and then kidnapped! Literally anything could've happened and I have no idea.

And what will I do when he comes home?! What if he asks about Joshua?! He just beat the shit out of me because I went to lunch with him! I'm surly going to die for inviting him inside, not only seeing him again.

Oh, I wonder how Joshua is. I want to see him again, he's so nice. I hope he's okay.

There's a sudden knock on the door, making my stomach drop. I quickly run out to the living room and open the door.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

She walks inside and looks around my house. "Brendon spent the night at my house." She spoke, a cold tone hinted in her voice.

"W-what? What do you mean?"

"He came over crying, told me you cheated on him?"

I took a step back and gave her a look. "What? That's not true. I never cheated on him."

"I raised you better than this, Tyler. Brendon is a wonderful man, I knew you were like your father but I didn't think you were capable of this."

"Wha-what do you mean? You think I'm like my father?"

"If the shoe fits Tyler. You always act like him, if nothing goes your way you throw a fit. You hurt and push away the people that you love and those who love you, and now you cheat on your boyfriend."

"I may act like him, but at least I never allowed my husband abuse his fucking kid."

She gasps and slaps my across my face. She turns and walks away to leave.

"Now I see why you stayed with him for so long!" I yelled.

She turned back and glared at me. She left the house with slamming my door.

//

I park my car in front of the small coffee shop and wipe the tears off my cheeks. I sigh and unload from the car, making my way inside the store. The bell rings above my head and I feel all eyes on me as I step inside.

I make my way to the counter and read the menu, although I already know what I'm gonna get.

"Hi, what can I do for y- Tyler?"

My attention is brought the red haired man in front of me. "Joshua? What? I didn't know you worked here?" I laugh through my voice crack.

"Are you okay? Why are you crying?"

I go to wipe the extra tears away and rub my hands over my face. "It's a long story."

"Well, my shift is almost over, if you want to wait.." He trailed off.

I nod my head and sniffle. "Yeah, okay. Could I just ask you to make a coffee for me?"

He chuckles and nods. "Of course, what would you like?"

"Just a medium iced latte with caramel, mocha and whole milk with whipped cream on top please."

He chuckled and titled his head. "Whipped cream?"

"Uh, yeah? Why?"

"Nothing, just go sit at a booth, I'll bring your coffee with me when I get off." He smiles.

"Okay, thank you Joshua."

"Of course."

I turn to sit at the booth when I hear one of his co-workers ask "is that your boyfriend?" I'm out of range when Joshua answers but I can't help but smile at that. Joshua's boyfriend.

A few minutes pass and Joshua hands me my coffee cup and sits on the other side of me. I lightly smile and thank him before taking a sip, a little whipped cream stuck to my lip.

"You've got a little something," he says, pointing to his top lip.

I giggle and lick it off. "Thank you." I say, my voice hushed.

"So what's going on? Are you okay?"

I don't know why, or what even happened but hearing him ask me that made me break down crying. Ugly sobs left my throat, tears ran down my cheeks; leaving a salty after-taste in my mouth.

"Tyler, you're okay." He reached his hand over and grabbed mine. "You're okay, just breathe." He said.

I couldn't. My airway was cut off from my weeps and whimpers. My breath hitches as I hyperventilate, my vision nonexistent at this point from the tears.

I hear Joshua rumble around as soon I feel his arms wrap around me and my shoulders. He's whispering things in my ear, holding me tightly.

"How about we go out to my car? We can go talk there so people don't keep staring, okay?" He says.

"O-okay." I choke out.

I go to grab my coffee but it's already in Joshua's hand. He reaches his empty hand out for me to hold it and he directs me out of the booth and out of the store. He leads me to his car and helps me pile into it, himself quickly following.

"Alright, you're okay." He says pulling me over the console into his arms.

In an awkward car hug, I dig my head in between his shoulder and neck to cry. He rubs my back and shushes me, rocking us back and fourth.

"It's okay, Tyler, you're okay. I have you, you're completely safe here."

A few moments go by, my breathing is back to normal. I sigh and let myself out of his grip. I wipe away my tears and look at him, he smiles softly at me.

"Bren didn't come home last night." I sigh. "After you left, he never came back home. Today, I was cleaning my house, waiting for him to come home. But my mom showed up. She told me he spent the night at her house. She also told me that Bren told her that I've been cheating on him. Some shit happened and then she hit me."

I hear him gasp and then he pulls me into another hug. "I'm so sorry, Tyler. Oh my God, that's horrible, I'm so sorry."

The hug makes me start crying again and he notices so he hugs me tighter.

"Would you like me to bring you home?" He asks.

I shake my head. "No, I don't want to be there right now."

"Okay, well let's just go to my place then, yeah?"

That makes me smile and I nod my head. "Yeah, okay."

//

"I'm sorry about the mess." He says as we walk inside.

"Honestly, it's not even half as bad as my house." I laugh.

"Well mi casa es tu casa."