I Prefer The Drummer (Book 2 // Joshler)

Part Øne

Josh turned violently to one side of the bed, ripping his arm away from Tyler's, which had both been entangled together. Josh lost his balance and fell on the hardwood floor of their bedroom, a loud groan escaping his chapped lips. He sat up and looked at the flashing red numbers that appeared on his alarm clock, 4:14. It wasn't even the crack of dawn and he already felt the sharp jolt of a migraine building up inside of him. It haunted him nearly every night, the looks on their faces, the look on Tyler's face when he was scared and vulnerable; on the verge of death.

He stood up, his knees wiggling a bit as he moved towards the window sill, it looks really nice, right? His eyes were wide open as he gazed up at the stars thinking about aliens. What if they were really out there? Maybe they could take him to a place far, far away. No, he stopped himself. He turned back and looked at Tyler who was laying down gently under the covers. I can't do this to Tyler, not now, not ever. 

Josh sighed as he shuffled his way back to the bed, sneaking under the covers. He laid his head back down on the pillow and tilted it to see Tyler. His long lashes resting softly on his cheeks, he had a small smile on his face; he was dreaming happy thoughts. Josh extended his right arm to wrap it around Tyler's shoulder, bringing his thin body closer to his. He could feel the warmth of Tyler's skin on his bare chest and he smiled for a brief moment his mind was clear of any bad thoughts.

Tyler groaned softly as he pushed himself a little closer to Josh before opening his eyes. He pushed himself up on his elbows and was lying on his stomach. "Josh?" His voice was raspy and weak, coming out hoarsely yet gentle.

"Tyler, hey, go back to sleep, okay?"

"Are you alright?" Tyler wiped his eyes and got a better look at Josh who laid wide-eyed and sleepless. "What happened to your arm?" Tyler ran his fingers over a small bleeding cut on Josh's arm and leaned over to grab a tissue, beginning to wipe it off. 

"I fell. I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't wake me. Are you alright?" Tyler kept on wiping the blood away and pressed some pressure until the small opening ceased to bleed.

"I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

"Josh, please talk to me...I can tell when you're not okay and lately, in the last few weeks especially you haven't been the same. You can barely sleep at night."

Josh lifted his arm to hide his face shamefully. He felt horrid about this all, it was affecting Tyler and he blamed himself. He's been bottling this all inside, he hadn't touched a drum kit in a year. He turned away and sighed, still hiding from Tyler.

"Josh..." 

He felt Tyler's hand resting on his shoulder rubbing it in a soothing pattern. He brought his lips to Josh's ear, whispering softly.

"I had a dream." Josh didn't move, but Tyler went on. "I was on stage. I was playing the piano, I was signing and you were there with me. You were playing the drums and there was a huge crowd cheering for us."

Josh turned towards Tyler rapidly as the words were being processed by his mind.

"What?? What did you just say?!"

Tyler was taken back by his reaction, Josh's excitement and anxiety were nearly frightening to Tyler. The poor boy moved back in the bed, distancing himself as Josh jumped up.

"What the hell did you just say??!"

"Calm down! It was just a dream, okay? We were performing something on stage, no big deal okay?"

Josh took a deep breath and sat back so he laid against the wall. He had to tell him, it'd been nearly a year since they were last heard of. It was about time he knew the truth.