farm boy // joshler

25

josh's point of view

the drive to the lake is peaceful, and i'm grateful that tyler and i had the opportunity to ride alone.

he hums to the song playing on the radio, his hand resting on my knee.

"we're here," i pull into a parking space and take a deep breath at the crowd of people that have already arrived. too many for my liking.

i feel my heartbeat quicken a bit and anxiety bubbles in my chest.

tyler seems to notice and squeezes my knee. "hey, it's okay. i'm here, okay? i'll be here the whole time."

i nod and then take another deep breath before we both get out of the car.

"come here," tyler says. "let me tell you a secret."

i step closer to him, expecting him to tell me a stupid joke or offer words of encouragement. instead, he holds his hand up to cover his lips and presses a soft kiss to my cheek.

"i'm right here," he whispers. "promise."

i smile at him and he smiles back at me, his eyes full of admiration.

"come on. we don't have to mingle, but if i don't eat soon i might die." he walks toward the crowd of people and the table of food and i nod.

i try to focus all my attention on tyler, ignoring everyone else in hopes that it will keep me somewhat calm. it works for the most part, and after we fill our plates, we take a seat closer to the edge of the crowd. it's quieter here, and everyone else is too busy socializing to care.

"are you excited to see the fireworks?" i speak up to make conversation between us and he nods.

"i am." he swallows a sip of his lemonade. "are you?"

"i'd be more excited if there weren't so many people here," i reply honestly and he pats my shoulder.

"i know."

we are forced to interact with a few people, but the sun sets without much trouble on our part. tyler by my side definitely helped. he would tell me jokes or whisper puns in my ear, and i smiled most of the night.

by the time people begin setting up the fireworks, tyler is smiling brighter than he has all day.

"i'm so excited." he takes my hand in his and squeezes it tight, but then he drops it again and lets his hands fall into his lap before anyone could notice.

"you're cute." i elbow him gently and speak quietly even though no one is listening.

"you're cuter." he rests his head on my shoulder... in a platonic way of course.

"alright, everyone!" uncle scott yells to get everyone's attention. "lets get started!"

there's a round of applause and cheering and then the first fuse is lit.

tyler takes my hand and squeezes tightly, looking up at the sky in anticipation. the firework goes off with a boom and tyler's mouth drops in awe.

i don't pay any attention to the explosion in the sky. my eyes are glued to tyler's face as the colors and lights wash over him.

i want to paint him like this, his eyes wide and twinkling, his mouth open in a beautiful smile, cheeks tinted pink.

"it's beautiful," he whispers, finally turning to face me as the firework fades away.

"so are you," i mumble.

"see, you got to make your cheesy line after all." he giggles and then turns to look up at the sky as another firework goes off.