Purpose Will Surface (Compete)

chapter nine

the next few days were spent with ty, i had even gotten some clothes and basic necessities from my place and brought them to tyler's house. it felt strange, but a really good kind of strange. before we knew it, it was super early on friday and we had to go to cleveland with josh. i grabbed as cute of an outfit as i could manage to wear to the show and packed it with some comfy clothes to sleep in and all the basic necessities. tyler told me to grab a swim suit just in case, so i had to fish around my apartment for one. i threw on some comfy pants and one of tyler's sweaters to wear on the car ride there. tyler smiled and rolled his eyes seeing me in his sweater, but i just smiled and pretended i didn't notice. we headed to josh's to pick him up for our road trip, as we were able to just drive there since it was so close instead of taking a bus or something. carpooling because we need to save the planet! i put on some classic throwbacks and we all sing along in the car, laughing and dancing. i caught myself smiling and looking at tyler and josh in amazement a few times, truly shocked at how i managed to get so lucky.

a lot of songs and a well needed food stop later, we finally arrived at the venue the boys were performing in in cleveland. we all helped the crew unload their equipment, all of them talking about technicalities for the show that i just did not understand. before too long, everything is unloaded and the boys are checking everything so they can start rehearing. i'm standing in front of the stage near most of the crew, watching tyler as he tunes his bass. he looks so hot with it, and even hotter when he plays it. they started to play, and everything is super loud and overwhelming but also so exciting! josh's drumming is absolutely incredible and tyler's voice sounds beautiful as always. when he screams his voice sounds so hot, it makes me melt as much as when his voice sounds angelic. maybe even more.

rehearsal wraps up and we head back to the hotel we're staying at for the night. it's a really nice place, and i'm kind of excited. i can't remember the last time i stayed in a hotel. tyler and i had our own room next to josh's, so we all headed up together.

"you guys, we should go swimming," josh said suddenly on the elevator. tyler gave me a "i told you so" look so i laughed, nodding in agreement.

"that sounds fun! i don't know the last time i swam," i said, trying to remember. probably when my parents and i took a trip to lake erie when i was 9. funny enough, we were right next to it now.

tyler and i put our stuff in our room, digging out our swim suits. i went into the bathroom to put mine on, knowing it would take me longer than tyler. i slipped off my clothes and put on the bikini i had managed to find. i looked in the mirror and felt weird being so exposed. i walked out of the bathroom wrapping my arms around my stomach, feeling a little uncomfortable. tyler walked to me and stood behind me, snaking his arms underneath mine and kissing my neck.

"you look beautiful, mel," he said softly into my ear, giving me goosebumps and making me smile. i turned around and pecked his lips.

"so do you," i said, poking his stomach. he laughed and booped my nose. i stared at his tattoos for a minute before suddenly saying, "man, i really want a tattoo."

"really? what do you want to get?" tyler asked, looking at my body as if trying to figure out where i should get one.

"i'm not really sure," i said, looking at myself as well. "something for my parents."

tyler smiled at me. "that would be wonderful," he said softly. "we can go together once you figure it out."

i threw on one of tyler's big t-shirt's and we walked out the door, meeting josh outside in the hallway.

"jeez, took you guys long enough. could've told me you wanted to fool around first," josh said, smiling and gently punching tyler's shoulder. my eyes widened and my cheeks got red as we walked towards the elevator, not believing what josh just insinuated. i mean of course i've thought about it but come on man. too soon. right?

we got to the pool, josh and tyler immediately running while ripping their shirts off and jumping in. i laughed to myself and walked normally, as i'm not a ten year old. i took off tyler's shirt, feeling exposed again.

"come on, mel!" tyler yelled, right before josh splashed him.

"i'm coming, i'm coming. don't rush the old lady," i said jokingly, slowly stepping down the steps into the pool.

tyler swam over to me and picked me up in his arms, making me giggle. he gave me a devilish look which made my giggling immediately stop.

"tyler, don't," i pleaded, his look not fading. before i could stop him, he took both of us under water. when we surfaced, i gasped and rubbed the water out of my eyes.

"you little shit!" i yelled, earning a loud laugh from josh and a terrified look from tyler. i splashed him a bunch, ignoring his pleas for me to stop.

we messed around for a little while longer before getting out of the pool and into the hot tub. josh got out after a few minutes, saying he was going to go use the bathroom. after he had closed to door, tyler didn't waste any time before pulling me onto his lap. before i could even react he pressed his lips onto mine. his hands explored my back as mine snaked around his neck and into his wet hair. he disconnected our lips after a few moments and started kissing my neck. he trailed kisses down my neck until he reached my collarbone, surprising me so much i accidentally let out a slight moan. tyler stopped and looked at me with an amused look and a smirk. my cheeks flushed and i covered my mouth, making both of us laugh. thank god we were the only ones in the room. he took my hands away from my mouth, staring at my lips and then back at my eyes.

"god, you're gorgeous," he said quietly, biting his lip. suddenly the door opened and i hopped off of tyler's lap, trying to pretend like nothing happened. josh came back in with us and we all chatted for a little while longer until deciding it was time to call it a night. we went back up to our rooms together, saying goodnight as we went our separate ways.

i grabbed some fresh clothes when we got into our rooms, deciding i was going to shower tonight since it was going to be an early morning. i took a quick shower, mainly focused on washing the chlorine out of my hair. i put my comfy clothes on and brushed my teeth and hair. when i stepped out of the bathroom tyler was laying on the bed with pajama pants and, of course, no shirt. i crawled into bed next to him and he turned the light off next to him, kissing my forehead.

"ty?" i asked quietly, and he hummed in response. "what are we?"

"what do you mean?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing with confusion.

"i mean, like, josh called you my boyfriend the other day. are you my boyfriend?" i asked quietly, feeling like i was in high school having to ask. he chuckled beside me.

"can i be?" he asked, and i giggled and nodded my head yes in response. he did a little "yes" motion with his hand, making me laugh. "does this mean i can finally call you baby?"

"i didn't know you were wanting to," i said a bit surprised, but also thrilled at the idea of him calling me baby. he chuckled and kissed my lips quickly, leaving me wanting them back. i pouted slightly and he chuckled again, placing his hand on my cheek and kissing me again. he pulled away and rubbed his neck slightly.

"about what josh said in the hallway, i just want you to know i'm not in a rush or anything. we can go as fast or slow as you need," he said quickly, and i blushed remembering josh's comment about us "fooling around."

"i've, um, I've never done it," i said quietly, a little embarrassed.

"that's okay baby, i'm not in a hurry," he said softly, moving his hand down to my neck.

"i want to, though," i said quickly, a little too quickly. "i mean, i've thought about it. i've, uh, you, i've thought about you. doing it with you. jesus i'm sorry." i facepalmed at my excellent articulation skills and laughed, making tyler laugh too.

"i've thought about it too," tyler says softly, brushing my hair behind my ear. "i've thought about you."

i smile softly and peck his lips, moving my head underneath his and closing my eyes.

"we'll see, joseph," i said in a serious tone against his chest. "i mean, boyfriend."

"sure thing, girlfriend," tyler said back, matching my tone and kissing my head. "i mean, baby."