wait// joshler

46

word count: 430

me and joshua are just sitting on the couch. our hands intertwined.

"we should go to my house, yeah?"

dad's asleep in his room with the bedroom door shut.

"i wonder why my dad doesn't care about us having sex."

joshua's face turns red.

"well... it's not like.. i can get you pregnant."

"true."

"and he does care. he did say to be safe."

"that's also true."

joshua kisses my forehead.

"let's go to my house."

-

im standing behind joshua as he stands in front of his parents. jordan on his mom's lap and jim is at his parents' feet. his ash and abby are giggling and whispering to our left.

"joshua, you're grounded. you know that."

"yeah."

"you're not supposed to leave the house."

"i know but tyler had a party and i-."

"you disobeyed us for a party?"

"but a different party."

i can feel his hand become cold and sweaty, and it's gross, but i won't let go.

"what kind?"

"a coming out party."

"joshua, you know, if you told us, we would've let you go."

"i couldn't tell you."

"oh?"

"tyler didn't want you to accidentally tell his dad he's gay before he could."

"i see," joshua's mom replies.

"there's.. uhm something else, momma and dad."

"go on son," his dad says. 

his sisters stop whispering and jordan's well asleep by now.

"we're dating," joshua pulls our intertwined hands from behind his back and he smiles.

"damnit," his dad curses under his breath.

"give me thirty dollars, bill."

"what?" joshua stands confused and lets our hands drop.

"i knew it," his mom says.

joshua's dad sighs as he hands his mom three ten dollar bills.

"again.. what?"

"okay. me and your dad made a small bet on account of you being secretive. we ruled out drugs, or sleeping with people... or possibly running away. and your sisters thought you had a crush on tyler. the girls voted that you were dating tyler, and the boys voted that you weren't."

"oh shit."

"yeah, and seeing as how tyler is now your boyfriend the girls won," joshua's mom says as she hands the other girls ten dollars each.

"he's only been my boyfriend officially since yesterday though. he had to come out to his family."

joshua's parents nod.

"nice to meet you, again, officially, tyler."

"hello mr and mrs dun," i say, slightly behind joshua.

"was that all, josh?"

"yeah, can i be ungrounded now? because i was helping my almost boyfriend throw a party for his coming out."

"yeah," his parents say at the same time.

"thank you," he takes me by the hand to his to room.

"don't do the thing!" his mom yells.

"at all or do it alone?"

"what do you think joshua william dun! you're eighteen!"

"got it momma, thanks!"

joshua shuts the door to his room behind us.

and he smiles at me.