never mine// tyler joseph

chapter ten

oliver had suggested that the group should hang out all together again, which seemed to shock val when he brought it up. and when val told the others, they too, seemed a bit fazed by the fact that oliver was the one initiating plans. despite the surprise, they all happily obliged, val included. she could see that her boyfriend was making an effort to trust tyler by asking everyone to hang out, and she appreciated that.

they all decided to go to tyler's place. he had a fridge stocked up with snacks, which was perfect for any hangout. they ordered a pizza, but after that they all headed to the couch to decide on a movie. val knew it was probably going to take a while just to agree on something.

oliver was sitting on the far end of the couch, val cuddled up right beside him. tyler sat in the middle, josh on the other end, and aria on her own separate chair. val couldn't help but think about her dream as she sat on this couch. this was right where it happened. right where she snuggled with tyler. where she felt his embrace. where he kissed her forehead. where he kissed her.

she felt guilty just thinking about it, especially with her oblivious boyfriend at her side. she knew that he would feel betrayed if she told him. sure, it was only a dream, but he'd definitely assume it was something more. that deep down, she wanted to be with tyler instead of him. that simply wasn't the truth though, and she didn't want him to believe that it was.

"val, does this movie sound good to you?" tyler's voice calling her name pulled her out of her worrying thoughts. a movie title was shown on the screen, and everyone else seemed to be awaiting her answer.

"oh, sure. whatever you guys want," she replied nonchalantly, as if she hadn't just been internally freaking out over a stupid dream just a second ago. her response prompted tyler to press the play button, placing the remote onto the coffee table in front of them.

as they watched the movie, val and tyler would occasionally share glances with one another, silently laughing at particular scenes. sometimes he'd nudge her in the side, and she couldn't help but giggle out loud. she noticed that oliver didn't seem tense or envious by any of this. he kept an arm around her, sending her a smile when she looked up at him.

even after the movie, he didn't seem to mind when tyler hugged her goodnight. he didn't look annoyed at the fact that tyler had asked her to hang out some other day. this was progress, she decided. he was actually listening to her.

but even though this was what she had wanted from him so badly, she didn't get the relief that she'd expected she'd get when he finally gave it to her. he probably just needed to prove himself a few more times. after all, he could've just decided to act nice today, and later on gone back to his usual ways. he had to continue this behavior in order for her to feel fully trusted.

xxx

"so the other day, i was trying to get a little insight into val's feelings for you," aria started once her friend had left. tyler sent her a confused expression, obviously not having a clue as to what she was on about. "i was just asking her a few questions. i wouldn't tell her that you like her," she confirmed.

"you know that she could still easily figure it out, right?" tyler inquired.

"she won't."

"well, what did you ask her?" josh joined in. tyler looked at the girl too, awaiting her response. even though he was worried about aria accidentally telling her best friend his feelings, he still secretly wanted to know what they had talked about.

"i just asked her how she would feel if tyler got a girlfriend. she said that she'd be happy for him," she said.

"that's fantastic," tyler replied sarcastically.

"i'm not finished," she said, sending him a pointed look. "anyway, i continued asking her stuff along those lines. finally i asked her if she'd date you if she knew she'd never have to worry about anyone ever coming in between the both of you. she told me that i couldn't ask something like that," aria explained.

"so she just... didn't answer?" josh asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"nope, but that's the thing. shouldn't she have just said no?" aria pointed out.

tyler thought about it. it was true, what aria was saying. since she already had a boyfriend, the obvious answer to the question should've just been no. the fact that she hadn't answered sent a small spark of hope throughout tyler. however, he still had his doubts, and he wouldn't let himself be blinded from the truth. she was happy with someone else.

"she probably just felt weirded out by it," tyler said with a shrug.

"why would she be weirded out by being with you?" aria asked.

"i don't know? because i've been her friend for so long?"

"that doesn't mean anything," aria stated. as much as tyler wanted that to be the truth, he knew that it couldn't have been. surely thinking of him in a romantic way had to be a bit awkward for val.

"so, why are you suddenly trying to get us together now? don't you like oliver?" tyler wondered. he would've expected aria to ignore his feelings for her best friend.

"i do like him. i think he's a good guy," she said. "just maybe not the right guy. you know what i mean?" she spoke hesitantly, her eyes darting from tyler to josh. tyler figured that talking about her friend's boyfriend like that without her presence probably made her feel a bit guilty.

he didn't feel like he should respond to that, though. of course he would've agreed and said that they didn't belong together. but that was because he was in love with her. his opinion was clouded with his own feelings for her. he couldn't give a completely calculated perspective on it.

"you guys have to know what i mean, right? i'm sure that they love each other a lot. but they have a lot of issues. he gets way too jealous. she always comes to us asking what she should do so that things don't get blown out of proportion," aria added.

"you're right," josh responded. "i like oliver too. even tyler does. but i think that maybe she would be happier with someone else." that prompted the both of them to look at tyler. tyler simply shook his head.

"listen, i get it. you think that she should be with me. i want that too. but even if you do open her eyes and she breaks up with oliver, that still doesn't mean that she likes me," he said truthfully.

"you think that being her best friend is a set back," aria said to tyler. "but it's not. if anything, it makes it so much easier. she knows you. she already loves who you are. we just need to somehow make her realize that she belongs with you."

"i just don't want to be the reason that they break up," tyler admitted. it was true. he'd feel completely ashamed if they broke up because he came in between them. he didn't want to see val heartbroken. and he most definitely didn't want to be the cause of it.

"we aren't going to make them break up, okay? if they do, then it'll be completely their decision," she assured him.

tyler tried to contain a smile. it was nice, having friends who really wanted him to get the girl that he'd been pining after for so long. whenever he doubted himself, they reassured him. they kept him hopeful, made him actually believe that they could be together someday. with their help, tyler felt that it was possible. he wasn't sure that he'd ever been so determined.