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thursday, october fourth. twenty minutes of class left. twenty minutes until the day was over. twenty minutes until he could return to his safe space. josh was a twenty-year-old psychology major at columbus state university, his work was often rigorous and time consuming. he worked part time at the local retail store down the street to try and make ends meet. he lived on his own in a small apartment within walking distance from his college; due to the closeness between his home and his school, rent was through the roof most of the time. he didn't own a car, either.
"i have $8.66 in cash on me right now," he thought to himself. he gets paid on fridays, so he would have to wait another day before even considering buying groceries or new supplies or clothes or whatever he needed to get by.
"it wouldn't hurt to stop and get a coffee," he thought. he has worked so hard, he can treat himself to a drink for once. josh left class with sleepy eyes and a dozed-off mind, completely oblivious to the material he was taught twenty minutes prior. whatever, he'd just study extra hard later. ned's breads & coffee was across the street from the university, he could catch some of his acquaintances at the shop during the after-school hours from time to time. he rarely went to the shop, he never bought unnecessary things for himself. today felt different, though.
josh walked into the coffee shop and was immediately taken away from the pungent smell of espresso and coffee beans, a smell he had missed. the brown-white aesthetic of the building made his mind feel cozy and at ease. he came to get a coffee to partially wake himself up, but the warmly lit environment was making him sleepier.
there were two people in line ahead of him. he carefully counted his money, making sure he didn't lose any. hell, he checked he even got the amount correct in the first place. he was never good at math. some five minutes go by and next thing josh knows, he's next. he didn't get out much or talk to many people, therefore his social skills were frazzled and awkward. he quickly skimmed the menu and picked which drink sounded most appetizing.
"hello, welcome in! what can i get started for you?" asked the brunette barista. he was respectfully tall, his mocha-colored eyes matching the aesthetic of the dimly lit café. he spoke with kindness and energy in his voice, yet he was glad his eight-hour shift was coming to an end in thirty minutes.
"um--hi--um, could i get.. a cappuccino?" asked josh, still staring at the floor. his voice was quiet and his hands were fidgety.
"a cappuccino, no problem, what size?"
"uh, regular, please. thanks."
"...uh, would regular count as small, medium, or large?" asked the barista after a second of silence. by this point josh had looked up from the floor for the first time. he locked eyes with the barista. he had very pretty eyes. surprisingly pretty eyes. josh stood for another second or two, his mind's focus was on what he could afford.
"oh, um.. small. sorry, i should have specified."
"ah, no worries... your total is $4.24. would you like to leave a tip?"
"that's like, half my cash..." josh thought to himself. he gave the barista a $5 bill before deciding on a tip. he knew he couldn't afford to leave a tip. something about the barista's warm aura made it hard to look away, though. he gave a patient smile while josh thought away.
"a tip, right- uh, a tip... i'm sorry i can't afford to leave a lot, uh, you can keep the change," josh awkwardly smiled.
the barista nodded, probably just as half asleep as josh was. "can i get a name for the coffee?" he asked.
"josh, thank you."
"right. thank you, josh. i'll call your name when it's ready."
josh sat down at a table and checked his phone. the barista was weird in a cute way. he had that cute smile that just makes you instantly want to smile with him. he never even bothered to look at the barista's name tag. he looked around and noticed he was the only one in the shop. he wanted to strike up a conversation with the barista, he seemed nice and something about him made josh just want to talk to him as much as he could. josh had never had feelings for anyone before, he didn't exactly know how to recognize feelings when they were present. some five minutes went by, and before he knew it, josh heard the cute barista shout his name, signaling his drink was done. josh walked up to the counter to claim his drink.
"small cappuccino for josh?"
"yeah, that's me, thank you, uh..." josh awkwardly turned to get a glimpse of the barista's name tag. on the tag was the name "tyler" written in orange and white bubble letters, with a small doodle of a pumpkin in the corner. "thank you, tyler."
"no problem, josh. have a good night!"
"you too!"
and just like that josh was outside the coffee shop door, sipping his lukewarm coffee. the chill autumn breeze made his ears a little red and his nose a tad stuffy. "tyler," he thought. "that's a nice name." josh began walking to his apartment, picturing tyler's smiling face and staggering eyes.
when he got home, he set his empty coffee cup down, alongside his laptop and backpack. he got a frozen tv dinner from inside his freezer and peeled the foil back. he put it in the microwave, turned it on for sixty seconds, and sat down on the couch. he turned on the tv and began watching his favorite show. the microwave beeped, signaling his food was done. he sat down with his meal and began eating, lost in thought about his lecture an hour prior and the boy working in the coffee shop. josh had a shift later in the day, but only for three hours, from 4 pm to 7 pm. he tried not to think about it too hard 'til the time came.
he was facing the west and the window was to the east. josh was a very attentive person, he noticed things most people didn't. he heard the sound of a car pulling into the parking lot, and, being as curious as he is, he glanced out the window to check. josh saw tyler, the cute mocha-eyed barista, exiting his car and walking up the stairs of the apartment complex.
"he lives here too?" josh said as he perked up, seeing as to where tyler's apartment was located. he must've lived on the floor below him, he heard a door open and shut directly below him. "that's neat," josh thought as he dismissed the situation. "my shift is in an hour... i should get ready."
josh got his uniform on and began walking, the store was a 15 minute walk away. it felt like any other random day. "what are the odds i see him again sometime?" he thinks to himself.
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three hours of ringing up customers wasn't fun, as you could imagine. josh was this close to falling asleep, the airpod in his ear was almost dead, and he couldn't stop thinking about tyler. his shift ended in fifteen minutes and the only thing he wanted to do was go home and sleep.
tyler walked in to the store. he needed to pick up some basic necessities for his apartment. he made a little more money than josh, but not by a large margin. neither of them noticed each other until it was time for josh to ring tyler up. tyler put his items on the conveyer belt, not taking his eyes off his phone. josh noticed who he was ringing up and tried to keep his composure. "should i say something? do i get his attention? he looks busy, i should stay quiet..." he thought to himself.
"u-uh, hey! i remember you, from ned's breads," josh finally spoke up, halfway through ringing up his items.
"oh, hey! josh, was it?" said tyler, perking up as well.
"yeah..." he smiled awkwardly. they both had a red hue to their cheeks, while staying awkwardly silent. "uh, your total is $19.53. cash or card?"
"oh, uh, gift card," tyler said as he handed josh a gift card. josh swiped the card and handed it back to tyler. he so badly wanted to ask for his number or his social media. he was thinking of the words to say before tyler beat him to it.
"hey, um... can i have, uh, your phone number?" tyler asked with a slight embarrassment and quietness to his voice. josh stood there dumbfounded, completely stunned by the brunette's request. he quickly nodded and jotted his number down on a receipt, thanking tyler for his purchase. he noticed the brunette leaving the store with a childish grin on his blushing face, which brought a smile to his face. tyler had such a contagious smile.
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eight pm. josh was waiting for a text from tyler. he anxiously checked his phone every few minutes, checking to see if the notification failed or something. eventually he got a text saying, "Hey its Tyler is this Josh? Just making sure I got the right number :)"
josh sat up immediately, fixing his hair and trying to look his best. he eagerly thought of the words to say, not wanting to lose this opportunity he just now realized he secured.
"hey yea its josh. how have u been? how is ur night?"
"My nights been fine thanks!! I have a full shift tomorrow lol."
"ah that sucks. i have a full shift tomorrow too. i took off class just so i could get extra hours."
"I see. What do you major in?"
"psychology"
"Thats rlly cool!"
"thanks! no ones ever said that before lol"
"What time does your shift start/end?"
"9-6"
"Asking to see if u would be down to get some coffee w me tomorrow? It's on me, dw about paying!"
josh sat up. did he just get asked out? by the guy he met earlier today? is this going too fast? he has so many questions, the last thing he wanted was to seem needy or clingy.
"are u sure? thats rlly nice of u!"
"Dont worry about it. Talk to u tomorrow? I have a lot to do tonight."
"sounds good, thanks again. see u tomorrow!"
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tomorrow came and went. josh's mind couldn't focus on a single thing aside from tyler's offer on a date, essentially. it was at that moment that josh had realized he fell in love with tyler. they barely knew each other. they had only had two conversations in the same day. josh didn't care, however. tyler's looks alone was enough to make him fall. he was anxiously anticipating the 2 o'clock bell for dismissal, then for his shift to be over.
hours and hours and hours. it felt like days when josh stood at his register and rang up customer after customer, anxiously awaiting the precious text he was waiting to receive. totals ranging from $3.61 to $164.82, josh paid no attention and never looked anyone in the eye. he was focused on one thing and one thing only; that thing being tyler.
it felt like days. finally, at 6:30 pm on the dot, tyler texted josh, confirming their date.
"Hey we still on for coffee?"
"yea of course! i clocked out 30 mins ago. ready when u are :)"
"Perfect! Meet me @ the shop?"
"i'll be there in 5"
josh happily jogged to the coffee shop. he couldn't wait, he had spent all day anticipating this moment. he truly wanted something with tyler. he couldn't wait to learn more about him and get closer to him.
"hey, josh!" said tyler, sitting up. he had already saved them spots at a booth, and he had prepared josh's cappuccino he ordered the day prior, alongside a milky hot chocolate for himself. josh was starstruck from the actions of the boy, who clearly reciprocated the feelings. josh just wondered to himself, they both clearly had something for each other, but tyler just seemed so much better at showing it in every which way. josh had little to no experience with this stuff.
"oh, dude, thank you so much! you truly didn't have to do all this, let me at least repay you."
"don't worry about it, it's on me."
between some awkward silences, "what's your favorite color"s, and some couple-y small talk, it was time for ned's breads to close for the night. by this point it was raining outside, the atmosphere felt too movie-like for josh's liking. it all felt surreal, like there was no way all this was happening.
"i should get going. i work tomorrow, too," he said, putting up his hood. he gave tyler a fresh $10 bill. he knew that was way more than needed, he still wanted to give tyler a majority of what he had. josh had never experienced this before, he didn't know what to think, do, or say.
"oh, hey. i hope this doesn't come off as weird or anything, but, uh… i noticed you don't… have a car. you shouldn't walk in the rain alone, especially at night. at least let me give you a ride. we're going to the same place, anyway." said tyler, picking up his car keys and looking josh up and down. "dude, don't worry about it! you've already done so much for me. i'm really thankful, i wouldn't want to trouble you anymore." replied josh, earnestly but hesitantly declining tyler's offer. "no, i insist. come on, man. it's the least i can do."
josh thought about it. he needed a ride, he did. he would get sick if he walked in the pouring rain, especially in the autumn. "okay. thank you again. i'll forever be in your debts, thank you so much." josh spoke over and over.
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one five minute car ride later and they both walked up to tyler's apartment, hands locked. they were both quiet boys, their conversations often turned awkwardly silent. "i'll see you tomorrow. i'll text you in the morning," josh said, letting go of tyler's hand. tyler didn't reply with words. he simply nodded. they stared at each other for a second. it felt like years. tyler joseph, the boy josh dun fell in love with in the matter of hours, leaned in and connected his lips with the black-and-red haired boy. they stood in the hall, lips pressed on each other, making small movements and additional kisses.
"bye, tyler," said josh, pulling away after a few minutes. he was hesitant to leave, he wanted to stay in that moment so bad.
"bye-bye, josh," reciprocated tyler. "hey, question."
"yeah?"
"does this make us… a thing? like, officially?"
josh smiled that same childish grin he had grown to love. he nodded profusely and affirmed it to the point the words felt they lost meaning. "it does. it does!" he smiled and giggled, realizing this was the first relationship he'd ever been in.
tyler smiled and giggled too. after a few more kisses, they parted ways, faces both a crimson red. they both knew this was just the start of something extra special between them.
"maybe he put something in my coffee to make me fall for him," josh joked to himself. "his fumes were too strong."