farm boy // joshler

3

josh's point of view

after lunch, uncle scott tells me to water and weed my section of the fields.

when i first became old enough to work on the farm with him, he gave me a specific section of land that i was to be in charge of, which left his calloused, wrinkled hands a smaller portion to work with. i don't mind, though. uncle scott is getting older, and in a few short years, he won't be able to work at all.

for now, i take care of fruits, he handles vegetables.

he explains to tyler that i will be explaining to him how to do all of the yard work, and tyler nods along.

we step outside together once again, squinting in the bright sunlight glowing above us.

i lead him to the fruits, and show him around. "so, over there are tomatoes. the strawberries are right here. we have some trees towards the back, too. apple, pear, and peach."

"i love strawberries." he smiles soft like cotton and kneels down, taking an unripened one gently in his hand to look at it.

"my favorite are the peaches." i lean down next to him and reach across to pluck a red strawberry from its stem. i hand it to him and his sugar-sweet smile grows.

"thank you," his words fall out smoothly, where mine would have been stuttered, and i stand back up.

"come here," i gesture for him to follow me and lead him to the water hose. i turn the faucet on just barely, and he holds the fruit out to be rinsed.

he takes a bite of the now clean strawberry, and his small smile stays painted on his face as the sweetness hits his taste-buds. "thank you," he says again.

i nod and turn up the water pressure. i take a few steps forward and spray over the dehydrated plants, making sure they're all coated lightly enough for the soil to be damp.

tyler watches quietly, and follows me when i move along. i don't see any weeds sticking out in particular, most likely because of the fact that i pluck them out as soon as they appear.

after we water the plants, i turn to make sure the trees get a nice refresher as well.

once all of the fruits are hydrated, i show him how to pick apples (when they're in season), how to pluck the strawberries, and how to take the peaches ever-so gently. i teach him about how to know when a fruit is ripe, and when it isn't.

i'm sure all of this is boring to the boy beside me, but he stares at me and nods along with my instruction as if it's the most intriguing thing he's ever heard.

having someone pay such close attention to me makes me slightly anxious, as i feel like he's analyzing every flaw upon my face. i wonder if this is what he felt when i stared at him upon his arrival. a hint of guilt seeps into my skin at the thought of making him uncomfortable, but i keep talking through my angst.

by the time we have a basket of ripened fruit, and tyler has been fully informed on how to take care of them, it's been an hour or two, and i'm sure he's overwhelmed by the amount of learning he's had to do in his first day of being here.

"i know that was a lot. i'm sorry if i was too overbearing to you or anything." i pause and run my empty hand through my hair.

"not at all." he shakes his head. "you're okay." he graces me with another one of his small, honeyed smiles and touches my shoulder gently before letting his hand fall away all too fast.

"well, we don't have much else to do." i shift my grip on the basket. "we'll have to feed the animals closer to sundown, but other than that we're done for the day."

he nods and follows me back to the house, glancing around the scenery as we walk. he seems to be taking every inch of land his eyes can drink in, fascinated with the farm and everything in it.

once the creaky screen-door closes behind us, i set the basket on the table. "would you like a drink? or are you still hungry?"

he shakes his head. "no. i'm okay."

i nod and look down, noticing his bag still sitting on the floor. "oh. i, um, i can show you to your room if you want."

he reaches to pick up his bag, but i stop him.

"let me." i smile, and it's not nearly as nice as his. my smile feels forced and awkward despite my best efforts for it to appear otherwise. he doesn't seem to notice.

"thank you, josh." he says my name for the first time and it rings in my ears.

i lead him upstairs, fighting the blush i feel desperately flushing up my neck. "um, so, here's your room." i walk him inside his bedroom and set his bag on the bed. "mine is right next door. the first door across is the bathroom, and uncle scott's room is at the end of the hall."

the thought of this beautiful boy being only a few feet away from me each night makes my heart swell and my cheeks heat further.

"is there a certain time we have to be up?" he questions, taking a seat on his bed and drawing invisible shapes into the quilt with his finger.

"we're normally up at around eight, but it's okay if you're a little late." i shrug and look down, resisting the urge to sit next to him.

"okay."

it's silent for a moment, simply because i have nothing to say.

i clear my throat and run a hand through my hair, a nervous habit i don't bother trying to quit. "i, um... i'm gonna go hang out in my room i guess. if you-"

"why don't you stay?" his voice is shy, but loud enough for me to hear, and i nod, glad he offered so i didn't have to ask.

"o-okay." i hesitantly take a seat next to him on his bed. i pause for a minute before i speak. "so, um... tell me about yourself?"

he shrugs. "i'm not very interesting. i like music and i used to play basketball. that's about it."

"i'm sure there's more to you than that." i move just an inch closer and his face paints itself pink.

"um... okay. my favorite color is pink," he begins to speak, but i interrupt him.

"what shade?" i listen intently as he describes his favorite color, the way his voice moves and tilts with description.

"light pink, but not too light. kind of like cotton candy pink, but also the pink that blends itself into the sky while the sun sets. not as bright as bubblegum, but not too soft. does that make any sense?" he giggles a little at his own rambled words, but i nod.

"it makes perfect sense."

(an: yo this ended in a weird place again, but here's a chapter. how do you like this new version so far??)