josh's point of view
it's finally september, which means it's been two and a half weeks since school started. it also means today is moving day.
it's a saturday, so hayley and i have spent all morning moving into my new apartment.
we're on the last couple rounds of boxes when i hear a car door close and footsteps headed this way.
"mr. dun?" emily stands next to sydney, both with slightly shocked expressions.
great.
"what about him? oh." tyler walks up to stand next to his friends with wide eyes and keys in his hands.
awesome.
i open my mouth to say something but hayley interrupts, walking out of my apartment, now empty handed.
"josh, what are you- oh! tyler! fancy seeing you here! sorry about spilling that diet coke yesterday." she smiles at him, offering a small wave. always the extrovert.
"oh," he says again, shaking his head. "it's fine, no worries."
"so... you live here?" i ask, gripping the box in my hands tightly.
"yeah, right in there." he gestures to the door next to mine.
"oh."
sydney takes the opportunity to speak again, which i'm honestly thankful for. "so you guys are neighbors now? that's good. the guy that used to live next to tyler always left cigarette butts outside the door. it's like, get an ashtray maybe?"
"i have a neighbor like that," hayley chimes in, her nose scrunched up. "it's the worst."
tyler looks down at the box in my arms, finally snapping out of the stance of a deer caught in headlights.
"do you need any help moving?" he offers.
"no, no, no. don't worry about it. you guys enjoy your weekend. thank you." i try to smile but i know it probably seems stiff and awkward.
"nice to see you, mr. dun," emily says quietly, waiting behind tyler as he unlocks his door.
"you too, emily."
once the door is shut, my head snaps over to face hayley, panic written on my features.
"alright, come on." she takes the box from me. "it's fine. let's finish getting these inside and unpacked and we can talk."
fuck.
-
hayley and i have music playing while we finish unpacking boxes, so it goes by fairly quickly. we got the furniture in last night and i left my clothes on hangers when i brought them over, so there's not really much to put away.
when we're done, we both sit down on my couch.
"you need more decorations. knickknacks and stuff. we shouldn't be done already. you need more," she comments, looking around the room.
"aright, that is not my concern right now. what the hell am i supposed to do? that was so awkward. i'm going to have to do it almost every day now."
"jooosh, quit being lame. there is no concern. i mean, so what if you're neighbors? i had a teacher live across the street from me in high-school, remember? i asked her for an egg once because i was making a cake and i was one shy. it was fine."
"oh my god." i bring my hands up to cover my face and hayley wraps an arm around me, leaning her head on my shoulder.
"it'll be fine, j. however, for christmas, you can expect trinkets and picture frames."
jesus christ.
-
a few hours after hayley is gone, i pull out my phone to text her after having a terrifying realization.
josh: HAYLEY WHAT IF ONE DAY HE BRINGS A BOY OVER AND I HEAR HIM HAVING SEX
josh: OH MY GOD OR WORSE WHAT IF I HAVE SOMEONE OVER AND HE HEARS *ME* HAVING SEX
hayley: josh bffr rn
josh: IT COULD HAPPEN
hayley: you have never had a hookup in your life. so i'll believe it when i see it. you'll be fine. i'm going to sleep now, i have morning shift. i love you tho
josh: fine.
josh: i love you too
i set my phone aside and finish eating dinner so i can get ready for bed too.
obviously, i don't sleep well, and i end up waking up too early for a sunday.
however, i can't force myself to go back to sleep, so i decide to just be up for the day.
i make myself a cup of coffee and get some work done on my laptop, entering grades and editing lesson plans and such.
but even that doesn't take very long, so i wind up sitting on the couch after, wasting most of my day watching tv and trying not to think about anything at all.
-
once the sun sets, i make dinner for myself. a recipe for chicken and rice recommended to me by hayley sounds like a nice project to start.
as i'm finishing up, i hear a knock on my door. i know it's tyler before i even step out of the kitchen.
i open the door to see him standing outside with a small plant.
"hi, tyler. how are you?" i smile at him. i actually don't feel as awkward as i thought i would when i see his hands shaking slightly and his cheeks a light pink.
"i got this for you. as a housewaming gift. i don't know if you like plants or not, but you only have to water this one once a week." he holds it out for me to take and then tilts his head a little. "it smells good in there, what did you make?" he quickly shakes his head. "actually, that's not my business, i'm sorry. i'm just gonna go," he immediately backtracks, obviously feeling just as weird about this as i was worried about being.
"oh, um. thank you. i'll do my best not to kill it. and it's, um... i made chicken and rice. do you... want some?"
as soon as the words leave my mouth, i panic. is that allowed? i think it's just an instinct for me to offer someone food if i'm having any. that's how i was raised. but is that even appropriate in this situation?
"oh... really? i mean, don't feel like you have to offer. like i said, i don't need pity, so if it's just-"
"no, i didn't mean it like that. i just meant, like, as a thank you, i guess. or just to be polite. i dunno. i'm gonna have a ton leftover anyway. i just thought i'd offer."
we're both quiet for a second before his small smile returns.
"okay."
(an: hehe. it will start to kinda pick up from here. extra chapter bc i'm in a good mood today. also,, i'm writing ahead and i'm on like chapter 38 or smth and it's so weird to read this and think about how far their relationship is going to be in just 18 chapters. dedicated to denden!)
YOU ARE READING
clementine // joshler
Fanfiction"i don't need anyone. i just need everyone and then some." - in which tyler is a senior in high-school who's been living on his own for two years and josh is a teacher fresh out of college who's just gotten out of a four-year relationship. - #1 in t...
