never mine// tyler joseph

chapter nineteen

tyler would once again be leaving to continue with the tour soon, so on his day off while he was still in columbus he had taken val out for lunch. it wasn't a date or anything, he had told her. just a friendly hang out. a way to comfort her after the breakup.

she appreciated how much he truly cared. he had admired her all of these years, but still always wanted the best for her, always wanted her to be happy. finding out about his feelings had only made her fall for him more, made her trust him more. despite how he had felt, he had given her so much advice and was continuously there to support her relationship with oliver.

but now that the relationship was seemingly over, and that tyler had admitted his feelings for her, things between them had slightly changed. it was nothing drastic, though. it was just that the air between them seemed to hold something more lighthearted, more romantic. of course, neither of them were being touchy or kissing or anything like that, but just the knowledge that they shared the same feelings for one another made things feel sweeter.

whenever tyler smiled at her and she caught a glimpse of his dimples, she felt herself blush. it was just so new and exciting, knowing that her best friend loved her. that he considered her something special to him. she couldn't remember the last time that oliver had made her feel that way.

she still couldn't seem to stop thinking about him. the initial sadness she felt from their break up seemed to simmer down, but she was still left with an ache of heartbreak that she couldn't push away. and as happy as she was hanging out with tyler, she couldn't help but feel that ache continuously.

during lunch, tyler seemed to notice when she was getting lost in her thoughts about it. her hand was resting on the table, and she felt his fingertips brush her skin. the touch was feather soft, yet it still contained the comfort that a hug might give off. when she looked up, he was gazing at her, his chocolate eyes full of care.

"are you okay?" he asked softly. she wasn't sure she could ever get enough of the comforting tone in his voice.

"yeah, i'm good," she admitted honestly. sure, she was still hurt, but having tyler here made her feel so much better.

he kept his fingers there, making butterflies swarm her stomach. he didn't move them until their food came, and even then, he brushed her skin slowly as he pulled back.

her mind was such a jumbled mess at the moment, going back and forth between thoughts of tyler and oliver. on the one hand, she really did admire tyler, and she longed for those small, affectionate touches he'd been offering her. but on the other hand, she couldn't stop remembering the times she had spent with oliver, the love she truly had for him. she had started to fall for tyler, and it was an exhilarating, joyous type of fall, but it was almost as if that fall had been put on a standstill ever since the breakup. her entire world had shifted, and the fact that she would no longer spend time with oliver was really starting to hit her now, even if she had been contemplating their split ever since those feelings for tyler had snuck their way into her heart.

she still liked tyler, of course, but she couldn't imagine focusing on those feelings right now, at least not fully. if she was going to be with him, he deserved all of her attention. she didn't want to finally get together with him only for him to simply pick up the pieces of her broken heart. she didn't know how long it would take, but when the time was right, she was sure that he would be there waiting for her.

xxx

the next day, tyler was back on the tour bus, pondering over the previous days' events. if only he could bring her with him. he felt awful leaving her back home after everything that had gone down, especially after they had admitted feelings for one another, but he knew that she probably needed time alone anyway.

it was almost impossible to focus on anything other than her, and for good reason, too. part of him still couldn't believe that she felt the same, so he kept replaying the moment over and over again in his head, just to be sure that he had remembered correctly, that this was real.

he missed her already, and wondered if she would call him later, as she usually did. probably not, being that she was still dealing with a breakup and all. he could understand that. besides, he was halfway into the tour and only had a bit of shows left until he'd get to see her again. he was just going to simply enjoy the shows and play the best he could every night, and he'd allow himself to think of the raven haired girl when he was finished.

later on, during soundcheck, paige had offered him a kind smile and waved him over. he really hoped that josh had been wrong about her being interested in him. he really didn't want to hurt her feelings, but then again, she did work for him, so maybe she'd just decide that it would be best to keep quiet about any feelings she had for him. either way, she was a sweet girl, and tyler had no issue speaking with her.

"how was your time back at home?" she asked him as she unpacked some equipment from the large box they were stored in. "did you hang out with your girlfriend?" she said it teasingly, already knowing fully well that tyler and val were not dating. not yet, at least.

"i did," he replied, not bothering to correct her.

"and did anything... interesting happen?"

"why do i feel like you know something?" tyler asked, amused. he hadn't told anyone except for josh what had happened, and josh wasn't the type to go around telling everybody else tyler's business.

"i don't know much," she admitted with a small laugh. "i just saw a video going around from the show when you smiled at her. everyone thinks you guys are together."

"what? why?" tyler's eyebrows furrowed together in concern. of course he was aware that videos from the show would be online, but he didn't actually think that anyone would suspect that something was going on with him and val. it wasn't great timing, either. she was still heartbroken, and he doubted that she wanted to go on her phone only to see that everyone was speculating about their relationship.

"it was a cute moment," she said with a shrug. "and she was cheering for you throughout the show, so they're just making assumptions."

"great," tyler replied sarcastically, breathing out a sigh.

"it's not so bad," she assured him. "they seem to like you guys together, though."

even if he wasn't thrilled about the attention people were giving him and val, he could admit that he was glad that everyone liked the idea of them together. at least he knew that when they finally did get together, for real, people would be supportive of it. he wasn't sure how long it would be until then, but he was prepared to wait. however long it took.