never mine// tyler joseph

chapter twelve

tyler was getting ready to go out to eat with val and oliver. originally, it was just supposed to be him and val, but then she had told him that her boyfriend would be joining them. of course he was okay with it. he considered oliver a friend too, so it was still fun being around him. however, he was still slightly disappointed.

it was easier getting to hang around val when they were alone. he was able to talk to her about anything without the fear of being judged or causing some sort of problem. oliver was a different story. he didn't know him as well, and he didn't want to say the wrong thing. either way, he was still looking forward to seeing them.

he got ready, putting on a button up shirt along with his usual black pants. he fluffed up his hair and sprayed a bunch of cologne all over himself too. apparently, girls liked that, according to aria. she'd told tyler that val would definitely notice it.

he thought that it was stupid to try and charm val while her boyfriend was there. actually, just trying to catch her attention in general didn't seem right to him. if she was ever going to like him, he wanted it to come naturally. not because he was trying too hard.

but aria was right about val noticing the scent. the second that he got into the car with them, she said, "wow. you smell really good." he tried to catch a glimpse of oliver's reaction to that, but his face remained expressionless. either he wasn't bothered by her compliment, or he was just trying to hide it.

tyler was a bit exhilarated to know that val had noticed, though it wasn't the biggest of deals. but maybe if she was able to notice something as small as his scent, then she'd also be able to see the other things too. like how undoubtedly happy tyler was when he was with her, how he'd listen to her problems, how he'd help her sort them out, how he'd never ever forget about her no matter what. maybe she could love him the same in return if only she knew the way that he loved her.

the night went by well. they ate dinner, talked just as any group of friends would. tyler didn't find himself staring at the couple longingly, wanting something that he couldn't have. because unlike the other times that they'd hung out together, val and oliver hadn't been too touchy. things like holding hands or wrapping an arm around the other would be usual for them, but they hadn't done any of that.

at the end of the night when tyler had opened the car door and was about to leave, val held him back for a quick second so that she could ask him something.

"i know you're leaving for tour soon, so i thought that maybe i could come over right before then," she suggested.

"yeah, that sounds great," he replied with a small smile. as they said their goodbyes and he shut the door, he saw oliver glancing at him from the corner of his eyes, as if tyler had done something to annoy him.

however, tyler ignored it. he wasn't sure whether or not oliver was actually ticked off, and he wouldn't know unless val told him about it later. but it didn't matter right now, anyway. he had a nice time hanging out with the both of them, and he truly did have hope that aria and josh would be able to help him out.

in fact, when he got home, he made sure to text the both of them to let them know how it went.

tyler: so you ended up being right about the cologne thing

aria: i told you that she would notice. i really don't think that it's going be too hard to open her eyes to you

tyler: why do you say that?

aria: because i actually think that deep down, she might already feel something for you

the text shocked tyler, to say the least. val having some sort of feelings for him was something that he couldn't fathom. what made aria think that? was it possible that she was right, yet again?

tyler didn't know what to believe. sure, he desperately wanted it to be true. but he also didn't want to put hope in something that might've just been false. still, he couldn't stop the thoughts from flowing through his mind with the knowledge that this girl might actually like him back, at least a little bit. just the idea of it made his heart flutter.