clementine // joshler

23

josh's point of view

on friday night, hayley comes to my apartment to hang out for awhile so we can see a movie together a little later. we decide to go to dinner before heading to the theater, and as we're walking out the door, we see tyler also walking out of his.

he stops when he sees us, his eyes going wide again. "oh. hi." he smiles a little, a bit shy i think.

i'm not sure why he's always like that when i see him everyday, but i think it's somewhat endearing. i try not to linger on that thought.

"hey, tyler. you doing alright tonight?"

"yeah, yeah, just taking out the trash." he holds the bag in his hand up a bit. i hadn't even noticed it before. "then i'm gonna get ahead on some homework i think."

"what! man, go enjoy your friday night!" hayley interjects, smiling brightly at him.

"well, as your teacher, i have to say that i think you should catch up on your homework. but, as a neighbor and a... strange type of friend, i think you should do something fun," i tell him, my palms growing clammy as i grip my keys.

tyler's cheeks flush a darker shade of pink and he shrugs. "i think i'll be fine. i'll probably watch a movie after i'm done or something."

i lock my door and then turn to face him again. the eye contact feels different and i nod once.

"alright. goodnight, tyler."

-

i'm folding laundry with music playing awhile after hayley's gone. a knock on the door interrupts me and i pause the song playing.

i wonder for a moment if its hayley coming back because she forgot something, but she'd probably come in without knocking.

the only other person it could be is tyler.

i'm proved correct when i open the door and he stands there in navy blue pajama pants and a hoodie.

"hi, tyler."

"sorry, did i wake you up?"

"nah, it's barely even ten yet. everything okay?"

"oh, okay, good. um, i was wondering if maybe you could help me with my homework? i know you're like, off duty or whatever, but neither of my friends are in stats and i can't figure out this problem. we have a quiz next week and it's really bothering me," he rambles, his homework in his hands.

"oh. um, i mean, okay. yeah. here, come in." i open the door wider so he can come in and then close it behind us.

when he was over for dinner, i felt so awkward and nervous. it's always kind of scary to have someone over for the first time, worrying about impressing them or what they'll judge you for.

it's still nerve wracking, really, especially given the fact that i am his teacher. i'm not sure where the line is with this sort of thing and it makes me anxious.

he looks over at my coffee table, where the plant he gave me is still alive and well.

"you kept the plant," he notes.

"yeah." i laugh a little and lead us both to my kitchen table to sit down. "i haven't killed it just yet."

he smiles and when he sits down, we're much closer than i anticipated. it feels... weird, but not necessarily bad-weird. i try to push it down to unpack later and he opens the book between us.

he shows me the problem he's having trouble with and tells me about the formula he's supposed to be using. because i took stats in college, it's somewhat familiar to me.