Mr. Misty-Eyed | Josh Dun

reality | thirty-seven

"The songs on the radio are ok,
But my taste in music is your face."

. . . . .

Everything shifted as the light made its way in through my closed eyelids to disrupt my sleep. My eyebrows furrowed as I fully woke up to the sound of an alarm going off. I groaned and rolled over onto my side, but my actions halted as soft skin ran over my own.

My eyelashes fluttered open, the room surprisingly darker than I had first thought. The shades on the windows in my room were drawn and created a soft blue glow just around the edges of them. I reached my arm out and wrapped it around Bryce's waist as she continued to reach over me to grab at her phone that was continuously making noise.

"Josh," She groaned as I nuzzled my face into the crook of her neck, chuckling softly over the fact that I was making it harder for her to get to her phone.

The room fell silent and I sighed sleepily as Bryce once again relaxed back into the pillows next to me. Bryce's arm wrapped around my shoulders as I shifted to rest my cheek against her chest just under her chin while my fingers trailed over the exposed skin on her side where the baggy shirt of mine she wore had bunched up during the night.

Bryce held her phone above both our heads as she checked the time and replied to a few emails. Today was the first day of Bryce's new teaching job and I knew she was nervous even if she refused to admit to it.

I shut my eyes briefly as my girlfriend ran her hand over my shoulder blades absentmindedly. She shifted next to me and I knew then that our time together was about to end, at least for a little while.

Most nights either Bryce was would be at my house or I'd sleep at hers, either way since after Bryce's accident we've been waking up in the same bed every morning. It felt good to be able to sleep next to her and even better to know that as of now I wasn't going to wake up screaming from my dreams.

A low grunt left my lips as Bryce began to climb out from under my weight before she maneuvered herself over me and stood up off the bed. I turned over, pressing my cheek into my pillow as I watched Bryce pulled my shirt off and slipped the one she had been wearing the day before back on.

"You know you can leave extra clothes here." My voice sounded hoarse as I spoke for the first time.

Bryce glanced at me as though to question my statement, but smiled and nodded in response moments later. "Maybe I will."

Once she had buttoned her jeans and flattened out the wrinkles in her shirt, Bryce turned back to me and smiled again. I could feel my stomach as it tightened with happiness. I returned her smile as she walked back over to the bed, bending down to kiss my cheek and then my lips.

"I'll see you later?" Bryce asked, leaning back as I sat upright in bed.

I ran a hand through my hair and nodded my head. "Yeah, I'm picking up Johnny after school because Trisha wont be able to."

Bryce sighed and took a seat on the edge of the bed next to me. She tugged nervously at the hem of her shirt as she thought over her plans for the day. Bryce had accepted a job at Johnny's school even though she had told me before she hadn't wanted to do that. In the end she decided that it would be okay since she would be teaching two grades above his.

"You're going to do great," I spoke quietly as I leaned my chin against her shoulder and rested a hand on the small of her back.

Bryce was quiet for a second, the purse of her lips meaning she was in deep thought. But just as quickly as her nerves came, they disappeared as she let out a long cleansing breath. I wished it were that easy for me and maybe one day it would be.