the florist ❀ joshler

(14) daffodil

regard

guess who's on time for once
❀

an everlasting guilt trip, tyler was on.

josh hadn't show up the next week of school until thursday, and it wasn't until then that everything just hit tyler. both literally and figuratively.

the same day josh had returned, ashley marched up to tyler and with all her might, punched him in the face, without second thought. fortunately for tyler, him and ashley were the only ones to know about that.

skip to further in the day as he walked into the flower shop, immediately shouted at and heckled by brendon. josh had obviously either told him or dallon about everything happening. it felt like a string of bad luck was beginning to unravel, but tyler felt he deserved it.

tyler worked in shame that day, his usual cheery work-self persona dropped, just scraping along the floor.

brendon had left by this point, so it was left to just him and his mom checking in on her son every once in a while. she definitely noticed that tyler was in a mood.

it was only the the third time of coming in that she decided to say anything about it.

"honey, what's wrong? you look down," she says, though quietly, leaning against the doorframe of the entrance to the back room.

"'m fine, mom. it's just been a bad day is all."

"seems so. what was brendon scolding you about earlier?" she enquires.

"nothing. he was telling me off for not finishing an assignment at school."

"don't lie to me, tyler robert. first of all, you two go to different schools. second of all, i was just trying to be nice enough to let you tell me yourself. i know this is about josh, hun."

"wh—how? i mean... i—"

"is it true that you've really been putting that poor boy in harm's way?"

"no, mom, i—"

"don't you start with that. tell me what's going on and maybe i can help you figure this out. i wasn't born yesterday, you know," tyler's mom smiles comfortingly, actually stepping out into the shop now.

"i... yeah. i know," tyler glances towards the floor, in a bit of a sheepish way. but so he began to tell his mother the story.

❀

the doorbell was ringing yet again. a truly awful sound now with the sour twist it delivered last time. but nonetheless, josh answered.

it's probably dallon, he had said to himself. he said he'd be over.

"y'know, you really don't have to—" josh's face drops, and cuts himself off.

"look, i—"

josh sighs, "i have neither the time nor patience to listen to you right now."

"please, let me at least apologise."

"i've said this before, tyler, you have to earn—"

"i know, i know, i have to "earn forgiveness." i understand that, and realise it's gonna take me a hell of a long time to get there. give me just two minutes. just two," tyler begs.

josh takes a moment to consider, whilst slipping his phone out of his back pocket. "alright... hey siri, set a timer for two minutes."

tyler almost scoffs. "are you..."

josh shrugs. "time's a-tickin'."

"i... okay. i know how much of a terrible person i am, and you wouldn't have to tell me twice for me to figure that out. i've done so many regrettable things these past few years, and all this guilt has just begun piling up on my shoulders. i'm a coward for not being able to stand up for myself and others, and i see that now more than ever. i'm sorry, a million times over. and i think it's taken this entire disaster to realise that i maybe, perhaps, that i, uh, thatikindalikeyoulikeyou."

"and... time. what was that last part? i stopped listening 'cause you went over two minutes," josh finally makes eye contact with the taller of the two.

"it was... it was nothing. i'll just go. i hope you find it somewhere in you to forgive me in the slightest, at the very least. bye josh," tyler finishes quietly.

"see ya," josh responds in a similar tone, closing the door with less harshness than he had the last time he was faced with tyler.

once it clicks shut for sure, josh lets out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

and the whole truth was, josh had heard what tyler had said.

and he wasn't sure how to feel.

❀

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