𝙏𝙍𝙀𝙀𝙎 || 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗹𝗲𝗿

21 - Christmas

Saturday, December 25th:

When Josh showed up at Tyler's house that night, he could sense the tense atmosphere. Tyler had told him earlier that day that his parents said yes to Josh coming to the party, and then proceeded to remind him that there was still time to back out. Josh still insisted on coming, though, no matter how many times Tyler told him how boring those parties were. He just wanted to make Tyler's day better.

He knocked on the door, and Tyler opened it, looking relieved.

"Hey," he greeted Josh. The older boy had to resist the urge to kiss him, not knowing if his family was watching or not. He thought Tyler looked amazing—as always—dressed in a nice button-up shirt and pressed slacks.

"Hi. I hope I'm not interrupting dinner or anything."

"Nope, we just finished," Tyler informed him, seeming stiff, unhappy. Josh could see his mother standing behind him a little ways when he looked over Tyler's shoulder. He could tell how overwhelmed she made Tyler feel, just by her presence. He hated it, but knew he couldn't do anything about it.

"Are you ready to go?" Josh questioned. They were driving there separately from Tyler's family, which Tyler was very relieved about, as he made clear to Josh when they discussed it.

"Let me grab my coat."

Tyler then walked away, and his mom came up to the door, a smile Josh knew was fake on her face.

"It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Joseph," Josh said, forcing a smile onto his face.

"You as well, Josh. Thanks for driving Tyler around," she said, sounding cordial enough, but knowing how she made Tyler feel made Josh's blood boil. Still, this was his boyfriend's mom, and he wanted to make a good(ish) impression, so he kept a smile on his face.

"Of course! He's my best friend, after all; I'm glad to do it."

Josh wasn't quite lying here—he just wasn't telling the full truth. Tyler was his best friend still; he just also happened to be his boyfriend.

"I'm happy to hear that," Tyler's mom said, lacking any true feeling in her voice.

Tyler then came back, a black coat slung over his shoulders. Josh gave him a real smile, just feeling grateful that Tyler was his.

The two walked out to Josh's car, and once they got in, Tyler let out a sigh of relief.

"I feel like I can't breathe when I'm in there," he sighed.

Josh gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm glad they let me drive you. That way, we can leave early."

Tyler looked at him for a moment before shaking his head. "They'll never let me do that."

"Even if you feel sick and you conveniently have someone else that can drive you home?" Josh asked, and Tyler thought for a moment before a small smile came onto his face.

"That might work."

Josh began to drive after typing the address into his GPS, putting on some light music in the background. He heard Tyler hum along, and it made his heart swell with contentment, the silence between them comfortable.

The party wasn't too far away, and it didn't take them long to get there. As they parked on the street, Josh turned to Tyler.

"Are you sure you want to do this? We can turn around now, if you want," Josh said, a little nervous about his boyfriend's mental state.

Tyler just shook his head. "No, I have to at least show up. That way, I won't get in trouble. I don't want them breaking another ukulele," he spoke, his voice a little sad. Josh reached over and grabbed Tyler's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Okay," he agreed, and gave Tyler's hand one more squeeze before getting out of the car. He went around and opened the door for Tyler, which instantly brought a smile onto his face. "What a gentleman," he commented, making Josh grin.

"I just wanna treat you right," he told Tyler, making the younger boy blush, which Josh found adorable. Still, they couldn't act like a couple at the party, and Josh refrained from grabbing his hand or pulling him close or anything along those lines as they walked into the party.

Josh marveled at the house it was in. It was huge, with a beautiful, crystal chandelier hanging and two huge, beautiful staircases that curved up into another huge floor. Josh wondered just how many people lived here. It was like a castle to him.

Tyler looked annoyed. "This. Again," he muttered, rolling his eyes a little as they stepped into the house. All around them were people in suits and dresses, mingling and drinking. They even had servers wandering around with trays of food and drinks that people picked off of. "It's the same every year."

He sounded a little bitter, and Josh had to refrain from giving his hand a reassuring squeeze as they began to wander further into the house. It wasn't long before someone found Tyler who wanted to talk to him, greeting him. Josh stood awkwardly off to the side, feeling so very out of place at a party like this one.

"And who's your friend?" the man Tyler was speaking to asked, making Josh look over.

"That's my best friend, Josh," Tyler told the man.

He gave a smile as he held his hand out for Josh to shake, introducing himself. Josh took it, shaking his hand, feeling so very awkward inside.

"And whose family do you belong to?" the man questioned, assuming he came from wealth. Assuming he had status.

Tyler shot Josh a look that Josh saw out of the corner of his eye, one that looked a little nervous and sorry to put him in this situation.

"Oh, I doubt you'd know my family," Josh replied, trying to be polite as he waved it off. The man's smile fell a little, becoming a bit more strained. He left shortly thereafter, seeing someone with status that he actually wanted to talk to. Tyler put a hand on Josh's arm.

"I'm sorry about that," he spoke softly, and Josh shook his head.

"It's okay. It's not your fault," he told Tyler with a little, reassuring smile. Tyler returned it with an uncertain one of his own, and Josh could tell he still felt bad about the encounter. Josh, personally, was feeling a little fed up with rich people as the party continued, having to refrain from rolling his eyes at nearly everything they said when speaking to Tyler. Josh was grateful for the people that didn't ask to be introduced to him, but most did, and a few of the encounters went much like the one with the man from before, ending with them walking away because they got slightly put off that someone without status was at the party.

Josh could really tell why Tyler hated these parties so much. They were draining and annoying, and everyone there was pompous. He couldn't wait to leave.

They were there for about an hour before Tyler located his family, telling his parents that he had a migraine and needed to leave. They seemed angry at him, scolding him a little before telling him that he could go.

Josh finally felt like he could breathe when they walked out of that stuffy party, and, once they were out of sight, Tyler pulled him into his side, rubbing his arm a little.

"I'm so sorry about everyone," he apologized, sounding as though he truly felt awful.

"It's okay. I can see why you hate those parties," Josh mumbled, scrubbing a hand over his face, feeling utterly drained after having to sit through that.

"But now we're free," Tyler reminded him, and when Josh looked at him, he had a smile on his face. "So, what do you wanna do?"

"We could go back to my house," Josh suggested. "My family will probably just be watching Christmas movies, and my siblings will just be playing with their presents."

"Okay," Tyler agreed with a smile, pressing a little kiss to Josh's cheek before getting in the car, Josh having opened the door for him. The kiss made Josh smile, and he started to feel himself come back to life after having been drained from the party. He got into the driver's seat and started driving to his house, excited that they could go experience Christmas with his family, who, in Josh's humble opinion, did Christmas way better than the snooty rich people did.

Guys, I'm so sorry this update took so long. Life's been a little crazy lately. There will be so so many more updates this week to make up for it! Love you!