— Wren —
15 missed calls from Ty-Ty. 1 voicemail.
A shaky sigh escaped my lips as I returned my phone to the pocket of my hoodie. Tyler's hoodie.
"Here," Josh handed me a pair of earbuds from a near by airport kiosk, a hint of familiarity in his eyes. I blinked, my confusion evident. "You needed these last time."
"Thank you," I replied softly, slowly taking the headphones from his outstretched hand and carefully placing them into my pocket. This hoodie was comforting yet strange, like the situation I found myself in. Running to Josh was not the smartest idea I'd ever had, but he was the only person I could think of. I had expected him to be as rude as before, but something was different. Him buying me a last minute plane ticket, even though I said I could pay for it myself was too much to ask for but he did it like it was the easiest decision he could have made.
"Our plane leaves in a few," he informed me casually, breaking the silence that had hung between us. "Do you want food or something before?"
"Um–"
"Taco Bell?" Josh suggested, a small, genuine smile tugging at his lips. I mirrored the smile slightly but shook my head. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Josh nodded and headed over to Taco Bell in the food court. As I waited, I decided to listen to the voicemail Tyler had left me. His voice was raw, cracking and shaking with sobs. I felt my own tears welling up, mirroring his pain. I quickly hung up, wiped beneath my eyes, and composed myself just as Josh returned with his food.
"I know you said you didn't want anything, but I got you a Baja Blast anyway," he said, handing me the drink with genuine kindness. His smile wavered when he saw my face. "What's wrong?"
I shrugged and tried my best to force a smile. "Nothing, I'm fine."
"Can I ask you why you want to go home?" Josh's voice was softer than before, making me feel slightly more at ease.
"I ruined everything," I admitted, my voice trembling. "I ruined your friendship, I ruined the band, I probably ruined our relationship too, and–"
"Whoa," Josh interrupted gently. "Stop. You didn't ruin any of those things, Wren."
"But you said–"
"Look, I say a lot of dumb shit, okay?" Josh sighed. "But I know that none of this is your fault. It's mine."
I didn't reply. Hearing Josh admit his wrongs felt great, but I still felt a heavy sense of guilt. Josh looked at me with a sad smile as a voice announced over the speakers that we were ready to start boarding the plane.
"Still wanna go home?"
I nodded, my heart heavy.
"Then let's go," he sighed, leading the way.
