Josh Dun x Reader

Already Gone - Part Three

Warnings: Angst

Word Count: 1092

Tyler's POV

I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled my shoes on. My hands were already shaking a bit as I tied the laces. Josh and I were supposed to be meeting for lunch in twenty minutes, and I wasn't looking forward to the conversation that we would inevitably end up having.

I hadn't talked to him at all since the incident at the grocery store last night. Y/N had been worried all night, asking me constantly if he had said something. I hated to see her so upset over something that wasn't even her fault.

"Ty!" she called up the stairs. "Don't you need to leave soon?"

I turned to look at the clock on her bedside table. Sure enough, if I didn't leave soon I was going to be late to meet Josh. The last thing I wanted to do was piss him off even more.

"Coming!" I called back.

Y/N was in the kitchen, making herself something for lunch. She smiled at me as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Are you feeling ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," I smiled, even though it was a lie.

"Good," she said. "I'm glad."

I walked around the counter and wrapped my arms around her waist. She leaned her head against mine.

"I shouldn't be gone too long, maybe two hours at most."

"Take as much time as you need."

I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before walking off towards the door.

"Good luck," she called after me.

Josh's car was already in the parking lot of the restaurant when I arrived. I checked my hair in the rearview mirror before getting out of the car. His car was empty, meaning that he was probably already inside.

Sure enough, Josh was sitting on one of the benches just inside the restaurant's doors. He smiled at me when he saw me, although it didn't reach his eyes. We were silent as the hostess led us to the table and handed us menus.

"What are you going to get?" Josh asked shortly after we sat down.

I was a bit taken aback by the simplicity of his question. Part of me had been expecting some loud outburst the first time that he spoke to me. Instead he seemed totally calm and not at all upset. I wasn't sure which was scarier.

"Umm," I said. "Probably a burger."

Josh nodded and continued to look over his menu.

"What about you?" I continued, not wanting to be rude. It felt like I was walking on eggshells.

"Most likely the same as you. Number eight looks good."

I scanned the menu for the burger he was talking about and took a moment to read the description.

"Yeah, that does look good."

Josh didn't say anything else. In fact, he was quiet until the waiter arrived at our table and took our orders. Once he was out of earshot, Josh turned back to me and folded his hands on the table.

"So how did it happen?"

"How did what happen?"

"You and Y/N."

Right. Don't be dumb, Tyler.

"Um, well," I stammered, trying to think of the right way to phrase it. "She came back to Ohio shortly after the tour ended and moved in with me while she looked for a new place to live, but we developed feelings and she ended up just staying in my house with me."

"Oh."

I nodded, "Listen, Josh, I know you're probably upset that I stole your ex-"

"No, Tyler, it's fine. Really. Cheating on Y/N was the worst thing that I could do to her and because of that I don't deserve her. Everything just kind of hit me all at once last night and I didn't know what to say when I saw you two together."

"So, you're not upset?"

"I mean, of course it still hurts to learn that the girl that you were in love with is now dating your best friend. But at the end of the day, what I did was wrong and she's happy now. That's all that matters."

I nodded, unsure of what to say. Josh was reacting to the entire situation way differently than I had anticipated.

"Besides, if she's going to be with someone else then I'm glad it's you. She doesn't deserve to be hurt again, and I know you're going to treat her the way I should have from the beginning."

It felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Josh wasn't upset, meaning that I no longer had to hide my relationship with Y/N. Lying to him had been one of the hardest things for me to do.

"So we're good?" I said, extending a hand across the table.

"We're good," he smiled, shaking my hand.

Your POV

Tyler had been gone for close to two hours now. You were growing more worried with each passing minute, wondering what things were like between the two of them now. The last thing you wanted was to drive them apart, your relationship with Tyler just wasn't worth that guilt.

You decided to make yourself a cup of tea to calm your nerves. Tyler had said he would be gone for two hours at most, meaning that he should be home any minute now. You were anxious to hear how things had gone.

Your tea had just cooled down to a reasonable temperature when you heard Tyler's car pull into the driveway. You practically spilled your drink on yourself in your rush to get to the front door and greet Tyler.

"How was it?" you asked the second that he had stepped inside.

He smiled, "It was good."

Seeing Tyler smiling made you happy, "Define good."

"He's cool with it. He realizes how messed up cheating on you was and he's happy that you're with someone that's going to treat you right."

"So I'm assuming the reason you were out so long is because you two were just getting along and having a nice lunch."

"Yeah," he beamed.

You set your tea down on the table in the foyer and threw your arms around Tyler. He held onto you tightly and buried his face in your neck.

"I'm so relieved," you said.

"Me too, we don't have to hide our relationship anymore."

You finally let go of Tyler and took a step back, picking up your tea in the process.

"So will you stop worrying now?" Tyler asked.

"Me? Stop worrying? Never," you smirked before taking a sip of tea.