clementine // joshler

58

tyler's point of view

on tuesday afternoon, i scramble around getting ready, both nervous and excited.

i dress somewhat nice, messing with my hair in the mirror to triple-check that i look okay. josh knocks on my door before too much longer and i wipe my clammy hands on my pants before going to open it.

he stands before me with flowers in hand. "hello, love."

i feel myself smile wide. "joshua dun, are those for me?"

"well, they're not for gretta upstairs, so i guess that could only mean the answer is yes," he jokes, handing them to me with a smile that matches mine.

i take them and lean forward to kiss his cheek. "thank you, j. let me put these in a vase and then we can go." i step back inside, leaving the door open for him to follow me.

he does, leaning against the counter while i find a vase in one of the kitchen cabinets. i put some water in it and then the flowers.

"these are beautiful." i come to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him again.

"and so are you," he says, his hands finding their way to my hips. "you excited for our date?"

"i am. i'm also kinda nervous," i admit. "where are we going?"

"i guess you'll see." he kisses my forehead and then pulls away. "come on. let's go."

he opens the car door for me and then gets in on the other side. he leaves one hand on my thigh while he drives, which is something that brings warmth to my cheeks and the pit of my stomach.

i remember what i said, about what we might do if i stayed the night. the possibility contributes to my nervousness, my bottom lip coming between my teeth as i think about the different ways tonight might end.

"whatcha thinking about over there, baby?" he breaks me out of my thoughts and squeezes my leg gently.

i play with his fingers and shrug a little. "i dunno. i'm just kinda anxious."

"about what? it's just me. i made us a reservation for a booth in the back, and theaters are always dark. i don't think anyone will see us. most people are going further out than thirty minutes or just staying home," he says, trying to reassure me.

"no, i'm not really worried about that," i say, hesitant to bring it up right now. i don't want to make things awkward.

"what's wrong then, love?"

"i've just never been on a real date before, you know?"

"i guess maybe the stakes are a bit higher then. this could be make or break." he glances over to me with a playful smile. "i'm kidding, ty. there's no reason to be nervous. i love you."

"i love you too." i exhale, already feeling a little better.

my nervousness has disappeared completely by the time we arrive to a restaurant, one that i know for a fact is very expensive.

"josh, you did not have to-"

"i know." he turns off the car and unbuckles his seatbelt before turning to look at me with a small smile. "i wanted to."

luckily, there's pretty much no one here other than a few older couples spread out through the dining room. we walk up to the hostess and josh tells her he has a reservation, to which she nods and leads us toward the back of the room. josh keeps his hand on the small of my back, and something about the entire scene is incredibly attractive.

"so, have you been here before?" i ask, my hand under my chin and a small smile on my face.

"a couple times with my family," he tells me, his eyes not leaving mine. "thank you for coming with me."