the boy on the bridge ✔️

14. family boy

Chapter 14 — family boy

"Miss another day of practice and you're off the team, got it?" Josh's coach gives him yet another warning before leaving the field.

Zach who also happens to be the captain of their school's soccer team grimaces at Josh before quickly following behind their coach. The blond only rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He really cannot be any more bothered if he were to be kicked out the soccer team — he may have to face his father's unending lectures, but really what's new there.

Josh realises that lately he doesn't even really care about things anymore. He used to be repelled by even the idea of displeasing his father and do everything in his power to keep him satisfied, but nowadays, he just can't... care.

It scares him — this new devil-may-care attitude in him, but also it is strangely calming.

Just as he is wondering if he should do anything to change this attitude or just let it be, he hears someone by his side and is startled.

He knows that voice, and well, has missed that voice this past few days.

"So, you're still alive, huh?"

Josh can't turn and look at him — the bridge boy, or maybe he won't. Because what if he does, and it turns out that he's not really there. That he's only imagined him. Yet again. But he knows for certain that this time, it's not his imagination. The bridge boy is really there; he really heard his voice; and it's really his warmth that he can feel beside him.

And so, with a deep breath, Josh dares to sneak a glance, a little glance, to his left, and sure enough, there he is — the bridge boy.

And dear God, it's comical how much he's missed him. But there's no one to blame here really. It's Josh who stopped going to the bridge. He thought it would help him curb his seedling of a crush on the curly-haired boy, but oh boy, how more wrong can he have been.

He still likes him. Just as much as he did when he first realised his crush, maybe even more than that. But yeah, he still likes him.

The bridge boy meets his eyes and Josh quickly looks away, his cheek quickly tinting a bright shade, embarrassed.

Josh is sat at the bleachers while he was waiting for Zach since the latter has asked a ride back home. The bridge boy is also sat at the bleachers a few seats away from Josh — he doesn't know when he had come and sat there, he must have been too immersed in his thoughts.

"Nice weather," the bridge boy comments after a while and Josh doesn't get how he can appear so calm and poised.

Josh, on the other hand, is filled with nerves and all this buzzing in his head — the very opposite of calm. His throat is terribly dry, and he reaches for his water bottle but there's only a trickle of water left in it, so that's not of much help really.

He clears his throat. He knows he should say something, but... what will he say? Comment about the weather as well? Josh looks up at the sky and squints; it's a really bright day, and yes, it is kind of nice. And then what? Back to silence?

He knows he has so much to say to the bridge, or at least he feels so, but Josh has never been very good with words, at least verbally; he has to plan everything ahead and go through them thoroughly double, triple times. He never anticipated he will be meeting the bridge boy then, right there in his school field. That morning, he wasn't even sure if he was going to see the bridge boy ever again, but there he is, right before him.

Josh clears his throat again, but just as he prepares to say something, he looks at the bridge boy and once more, he is dumbstruck. This time it's because he realises something new and takes it in with all its wonder — this is the first time he is seeing the bridge boy under broad daylight. And it's very much as if he's seeing him for the first time.