Air Catcher

There's a Screen on My Chest

Alyx's pov

Merritt, Patick, and Hannah were all already at my house. We were just waiting for Josh and friend. We were in the kitchen snacking on chips and drinking soda, chatting about random things. We were mostly complaining about school. Music was playing quietly in the background, calming my nerves.

I wasn't horrible at talking to strangers, it was as soon as the interaction was over I would dramatize everything I said and accidentally make it a lot more awkward than it was. I hated my head sometimes.

The doorbell rang.

I thought I saw Mere and Hannah share a look, but I brushed it off. I went to open the door and saw none other than Tyler standing in the doorway, looking all around the doorway awkwardly.

"Tyler?" I asked.

His head snapped in my direction. "Alyx?" He sounded about as surprised as me.

"He- hi. Um... Come in." I stepped to the side and let him walk in. Josh followed behind, determinedly staring at his shoes. He hurried over to Merritt and stood behind her. I gave her a questioning look. She shrugged.

"You know Tyler?" She asked. "I'm Merritt, by the way."

"Yeah, Josh has told me a lot about you." Tyler said absently, shooting Josh a look.

"He's in my English class." I explained to Mere. She looked over her shoulder at Josh and smiled.

Things started piecing together in my head and I glared at my friend. Hannah was being oddly quiet as well.

"So... Should we start the movie?" I asked after it got uncomfortably quiet.

"Sure!" Patrick looked confused.

I walked to the living room and put The Greatest Showman in. As I set it up Patrick and Hannah got very comfortable on the couch and Josh sat next to Mere on the loveseat, his arm around her shoulders.

'Great.'

Tyler sat down on the edge of the couch awkwardly. I sat down in between him and the couple, making sure I had plenty room on both sides. I pressed play and relaxed as the movie started.

I held myself back from singing along to the songs since Hannah and Mere weren't big on singing, but as soon as I heard Josh sing quietly i joined him. Soon Tyler was singing as well. His voice was unlike any I had heard before. It wasn't perfect, far from it, but it's imperfections made it perfect. It was a human voice; a real voice. A voice I could listen to all day long. I leaned closer to him.

"I told you you had a great voice." I said quietly.

He blushed in the most adorable way possible.

I saw Mere watching us from her seat and silently screamed at myself.

'Now is not the time Alyx. Nothing will come out of this and nothing should. You do not need to get tangled up in a relationship right now. The most important thing right now is school and preparing for college. Besides, He'll be gone before you know it. So don't get any funny ideas. You're such an idiot.' I flinched and put myself back in the middle of the couch. Mere frowned.

The majority of the movie passed in silence, the only sound was Josh or Tyler singing occasionally. I kept my mouth shut and Patrick didn't seem to know the words.

"Philip seems like a cool guy," Tyler commented just before Rewrite the Stars. "I bet he eats Taco Bell."

"He definitely does." Josh agreed.

I laughed. "I don't think Taco Bell existed then, guys."

Tyler and Josh gasped in unison.

When the movie ended I turned the dvd player off and the tv automatically switched to satellite, which was playing Teletubbies for some reason. I went to turn it off then Tyler grabbed my arm. I stopped and stared down at his hand on mine.

"Wait, teletubbies is great!" He pleaded.

"Yeah it's sick!" Josh agreed.

I didn't register their words for a minute. No one said anything or moved a muscle.

"You... You can't be serious." I said.

Hannah and Merritt watched me closely. Poor Patrick was still confused.

"Please?" Tyler's eyes got big all of a sudden.

'I hate you, Alyx.' I thought.

"Fine. But you two are literally three." I gave in and pulled my hand abruptly away from Tyler's. It felt like all the warmth was draining from me.

'This isn't OK.' I thought. 'You two are friends and it's going to stay that way, but don't you dare try to make anything else out of it.' I shook my head, frustrated, and tried my best to block everything out and sit with my thoughts. Naturally that's when my sleep deprivation caught up with me.

Tyler's pov

She was asleep on my shoulder. I didn't know what to do. Her hair smelled like strawberries. Patrick, I think his name was, moved to turn off the tv and we all sat quietly. My back was ridged. Everyone was looking at me.

'Should I put my arm around her?' I asked myself.

Even if I wanted to I couldn't move. My head was empty for once. There was nothing there but strawberries. Merritt gave Hannah a look and they both stood up, taking their boyfriends into the kitchen. I silently begged Josh not to leave me. He shrugged apologetically and went with the rest of the group. I could hear them talking in the other room but I couldn't make out words.

I sat for a minute, trying not to panic or doing something stupid, but after a minute I rested my head on top of her's.

What the heck was I going to do?