boys in jeans // joshler

whatever you say, joshua.

june, 13

tyler: come over when you get home
tyler: miss you

joshua: of course
joshua: miss you more
joshua: dad said i can take my test the day after my birthday

tyler: are you nervous?

joshua: a little bit, yeah

tyler: i think you'll do fine

joshua: can we nap?? i'm exhausted :(

tyler: yes please. i'll probably be asleep when you get here, just come upstairs as always.

joshua: golden. we're about to leave, i'll be home in 30.

tyler: drive safe, speed racer.

it's been two days since tyler and josh have seen each other, and tyler is going absolutely insane. josh is in his last week of driving classes and when he gets home from them, he goes straight to studying. he wants his license so bad. he doesn't want to let tyler down. the look on tyler's face when he told josh he wanted to go on a road trip melted his heart. he has to do this, no matter how much it scares him, there's nothing worse in the world than disappointing tyler.

tyler lays in his bed in a hoodie and basketball shorts, nevermind the fact that it's 93 degrees outside. he curls up under his fluffy white comforter and closes his eyes. he's excited to see josh, but so tired. because the truth is, he hadn't slept those two days he was away from josh. he felt weird. uncomfortable, but not so amazing. he would admit that it's a little pathetic to feel so terrible over something so small, but he wouldn't change his mind. he missed his best friend, and that was that.

when josh arrives home, he quickly runs to his room and packs up a bag to stay over night at tyler's, as if he doesn't live right next to him, as if he doesn't have half of his wardrobe already in tyler's closet, as if he wouldn't just take tyler's clothes anyway. he bolts down the stairs once his bag is packed and runs into the kitchen to give his mother a kiss on the cheek.

"i'm going to tyler's. love you. goodnight." he rushes out before running to the backyard, jumping on top of the trash can and climbing over the fence, into tyler's backyard. he walks up the steps to tyler's back patio and enter his house.

"hi, momma." he smiles at tyler's mother, kelly, before heading up to tyler's room. when he enters, tyler is sprawled out across his bed, with one leg on top of the covers and an arm draped over his face. josh chuckles and toes off his shoes before climbing into bed next to tyler, hugging a pillow close under his head while he laid on his stomach.

"hmm, hi, joshua." tyler mumbles sleepily, turning over and throwing an arm across josh's back.

"hi, ty." josh whispers, moving his leg so it's on top of tyler's. they have to be touching at all times, it's an unspoken rule about being best friends. it's also an unspoken rule that when they sleep, they cuddle, and it's not weird. it's not weird because there's barely been a day in their lives that they haven't been together since tyler was born and they'd have it no other way.

"c'mere. missed you." tyler grasps at the fabric of josh's shirt, pulling a little bit. josh scoots closer and turns so tyler can curl up into his chest, taking a long breath. josh wraps his arm around tyler and rests his hand inside his hoodie on the small of his back.

"missed you more." josh smiles, closing his eyes, sleep immediately taking both boys at once.

when they awake, it's 5:30 in the evening and the sound of people chattering downstairs can be heard through the floorboards.

"dinner time." tyler laughs, pushing his face into josh's shoulder, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly.

"wanna go swimming or something after we eat?" josh pushes one of his feet out from under the blankets, feeling a bit toasty. tyler nods his head and slowly pulled himself from josh's side, immediately missing the warmth from the other body. they make their way out of tyler's room and down the stairs, never bothering to fix their sleep hair or straighten out their clothes.

"well, good morning! look who's finally awake!" kelly laughs as they enter the kitchen, tyler rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"the pizza just got here!" tyler's father, chris, says as they sit down at the table. tyler and josh both grab a few slices of pizza and begin eating.

"thank you for dinner, momma." josh grins, taking a sip from his soda.

"of course, dear." kelly smiles. tyler's younger siblings, zack, jay, and madison all join the table as well, immediately ravaging the pizza. they'd been playing outside all day long and were absolutely starving.

"we're going to the beach," tyler says, getting up from the table while shoving the last piece of pizza crust in his mouth, "thank you for dinner. love you." he gives his mom a side hug and the two boys go upstairs. tyler packs a blanket and a speaker in his backpack. josh sits on the floor, tying his shoes and looks up at tyler— who has his back to him, facing the mirror and fixing his hair. a smile tugs at josh's lips, and his chest feels weird.

"ready to go?" tyler turns around, grabbing his shoes, ukulele, and camera.

"as ready as ever." josh pushed himself up off the floor and grabbed both their skateboards. tyler and josh made their way down the stairs, waving a quick goodbye to tyler's parents.

"home by midnight, please." chris said as they walked out the door.

"you got it, dad."

as they made their way to the beach, tyler turned the camera on and began recording josh.

"joshua, where are we going?" tyler called ahead of him.

"we're going to the beach!" josh slowed his board down so he was next to tyler, tyler flipped the camera so it was facing both of them.

"i think i'm going to write a song today. i think that'll be the first thing we knock off the list." tyler smiled.

"tyler, give me the camera. you're going to fall and break it, yourself, and your uke." josh laughed, grabbing the camera, causing tyler to roll his eyes.

"whatever you say, joshua."