Mr. Misty-Eyed | Josh Dun

reality | forty-five

"I don't wanna be heard,
I want to be listened to."

. . . . .

The sun that poured in through the window beside my bed warmed my exposed skin and caused goosebumps to rise. I took in a long breath of air, shifting onto my back. I stared up at the off-white ceiling and counted out all the tiny chipped paint marks I found. My dreams finally seemed to be evening out and it felt so good to be able to wake up and not feel the pressure of their weight everyday.

I rolled back onto my side and reached for my phone to check the time. 8:43am. Not too bad. I pulled the blankets off from around my body and sat up, letting my feet touch the cold wood floor. I stretched my arms over my head as I stood and walked over to my closet, sliding on a pair basketball shorts and a sweatshirt.

The floorboards creaked under my feet as I padded across my room and opened the door. My ears perked up at the sound of Tyler's voice as I descended the stairs and headed into the kitchen. A smile tugged at my lips when I saw my best friend as he sat at the kitchen table on the phone with someone. His face was concentrated as he listened to the person on the other line only to look up at me for a split second before agreeing with whatever had been said.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee hit my nostrils and instantly I gravitated toward the counter where the coffee machine was located. I opened the cabinet above it and pulled a mug down, before I picked up the coffee pot and poured the dark liquid into it.

Then I quietly crept over to the table and took a seat across from Tyler, finally noticing a next years calendar sitting out on it. There were a few days marked off in red and I raised my eyebrows in interest as I looked up toward my friend. Without even having to look at me Tyler raised his pointer finger up at me as if to tell me to wait a moment so I sat back in my chair and took a sip from my mug.

"That sounds great, thank you," Tyler spoke into the phone. "We hope to hear back from you soon."

With that he ended the call and placed his phone down onto the table, lacing his fingers together. Tyler finally met my gaze, his pointed stare put me on edge so I quickly sat up straighter in my chair. He cleared his throat and glanced away from me momentarily before he decided to speak.

"I guess I should tell you that we weren't able to book that gig in Cleveland." My shoulders dropped at his words, but didn't say anything as he continued to stare at me as if there was something else he wanted to say. "But... we did get a slot at the Ichthus Festival!"

"W-what?!" The pitch of my voice grew higher with excitement. "Are you serious?"

"We're totally in, man!" Tyler grinned at me and we high-fived across the table.

A grin was still on my face as I stared down at the calendar that sat between us. "What are these dates then?"

"More gigs." Tyler shrugged with a mischievous smile.

It was hard to believe how things were moving in the direction that they were. If it had been a year ago I never would have imagined that this would be what we were doing. There was still so much we needed to learn, but with the two of us together, I knew in a few short years we could be an unstoppable force. But right now I didn't care if we played to 5 people or 5000 people as long as someone was listening.

"Hey..." The tone of Tyler's voice had changed dramatically and as I looked back at him I could see the sensitivity in his eyes. "How's Bryce doing?"

My body tensed and my stomach did a little flip as her name left his lips. It had only been a two days since the incident outside their house with Johnny's father so we both knew everyone wasn't well. And she still hadn't made her final decision on staying in Tyler and I's home.

I shook my head as I began to get anxious. "I think she feels claustrophobic living in that house."

When I had told Bryce that she could stay here for as long as she wanted I honestly didn't even think about Tyler and what his reaction would be. But I guess now was the time to find out.

"I- umm..." I ran a hand through my bed head as I cleared my throat, it instantly turning dry with my nerves. "I may have suggested to Bryce that she could stay here for a while."

The growing smile on Tyler's face confused me and even more so as he clapped me on the shoulder and congratulated me. He wasn't put off or confused and he didn't even seem to have any questions about what it would be like to have a girl living with us. I sat on the edge of my seat and just stared at him as he raised his eyebrows and grinned at me.

"This is actually kind of perfect timing, you know?" As Tyler spoke as his expression changed quickly from excited to sheepish. "There's actually something pretty important I've been wanting to talk to you about."

I gulped back my nerves as I thought back to the last time Tyler had said that to me. It had been the time he had signed us up to play our first gig, the one I had run out on. But even though I had left that night, I still saw it as the first time that I had conquered my anxieties by actually stepping out onto the stage and trying.

"Jenna and I are looking to move into our own place." Tyler averted his eyes from me for a second, a hint of worriedness on his face.

My jaw clenched and my body became hot as I thought over what he had just said. It made sense. I don't know what I had been thinking before this. Once Tyler and Jenna were married they would have gotten a place anyway. This was just them being forward thinkers, which is exactly what I had to do as well.

A small smile formed on my lips as I looked across the table at my best friend. "I guess a congratulations is in order for you too."

.