Next Semester

28. sixteen candles (pt.2)

1933 words

Dinner was great. Not only was Josh his favorite person to be with, he was also a fantastic cook. Tyler gushed about the food about a hundred times before their meal was done, leaving Josh's cheeks slightly pink and his lips and eyes smiley.

"You wanna watch a movie?" the older offered as he collected their empty plates to take to the kitchen. Tyler followed closely on his heels, attempting to reach around the man to take the dishes from him, "Sure, right after I do the dishes."

"You're not doing the dishes," Josh laughed, bumping Tyler away with his hip as he placed their dirty plates in the sink. Tyler bumped him back, giggling as the man shoved him, "Josh! Let me do the dishes for you!"

"No!" the man laughed, "Let's just go watch a movie."

"But you cooked," the brunet pouted, "its only fair that I do the dishes."

Tyler's heart nearly fell out of his chest when Josh's hand moved to his face as the man gently placed his thumb on his pouty bottom lip, "Stop pouting at me. You're my guest; I can do the dishes."

Tyler blinked, his mind cleared of any and all coherent thoughts as he stared wide-eyed at the man. Josh laughed lightly and pulled away, "Come on. You can pick the movie."

Tyler's mind was racing. Josh couldn't be real, right? At any moment I'll wake up and realize this is just one giant wet dream.

He sat on the couch, allowing Josh to decide how close they should sit to one another. The man joined him, their thighs brushing as the man shifted and handed him the remote. Tyler's eyes widened, "What am I supposed to put on?"

Josh laughed and shrugged, "I don't care. I'll watch anything you pick."

The pressure weighed heavily on him, as if this single decision would determine his entire relationship with Josh. He nervously scrolled through the many, many streaming apps the man had (seriously, the guy had all of them), and bit his lip nervously. Josh smiled sweetly next to him and kissed his cheek, "There's no wrong answer, Ty."

"Shut up, I'm looking," the younger grumbled, switching to another app. He gasped as he came across one of his all-time favorite movies ever: Sixteen Candles. It was an 80s classic, so Tyler obviously loved it. Josh laughed and scooted a little closer to him, "Sixteen Candles?"

"You said there was no wrong answer," he pouted again. Josh's eyes flicked down to his lips before kissing his pouting lip softly, "Stop pouting and put it on."

With pink cheeks, Tyler started the movie. Josh left the couch to turn off the overhead light and grab them a blanket to share. He giggled gently as the man draped it over their laps mumbling a quiet, "Can't watch a movie without a blanket." Tyler thought he was adorable.

••

Though Molly Ringwald was giving her best performance (Pretty In Pink being a close second), Tyler couldn't keep his eyes on the screen. Josh was just so gorgeous as he sat next to him, barely illuminated by the screen of the television. His nose piercings glinted in the hazy light of the movie, making Tyler blush lightly as he realized he hardly ever got to see the man with the hoops in his nose. Josh's side profile made him dizzy; the man was as beautiful as any Greek or Roman statue in any museum.

"Are you watching the movie in the reflection of my glasses or something?" Josh teased, his voice soft and warm. Tyler nudged him playfully, but scooted a little closer as he settled into the couch a little more. After a few more minutes, the man's arm slowly made its way to rest over his shoulders and he felt like he was floating. Before Josh could ask if Tyler was comfortable with the gesture, the brunet leaned into him, sighing softly as he snuggled against his side. Josh thanked whatever God was watching that the lights were off because he knew he was blushing like a school-girl.