They lay there in the weeds for a long time, staring up between the trees to the sky above. Neither of them moved, perhaps both secretly afraid that if the other were to move, the silent beauty that surrounded them would be broken. So they stayed as they were, lying in the weeds and watching the sky turn a slow shade of pink. At last Tyler glanced at Josh, the sunlight filtering through his hair and eyelashes, casting golden light and shadow across his face. He smiled again to himself.
Josh cracked open an eyelid, a slow, lazy smile creasing his face. He stretched, slowly sitting up. Tyler followed suit. "I guess we fell asleep."
Tyler nodded. Josh was still smiling. He'd seen him smiling earlier, and he must have seen him smiling just then. It was just a smile, though. They were friends. Friends smiled when together. It was fine.
"Come on," Josh held his hand out. Tyler glanced up, surprised. He hadn't even noticed that Josh had stood up. He took his hand feeling his face grow red as he allowed Josh to help him stand.
They walked back to the house in silence. It grew dark quickly, but it didn't bother them much. They'd both grown up in Ohio, and it wasn't hard to navigate - even if this neighborhood was one that they'd only dreamed of living in.
Life had certainly taken a crazy turn, hadn't it? They were successful enough now to live in big houses and help their families live happily. Josh had talked about moving to California. Tyler couldn't stand the idea - Ohio had always been home... But Josh was also his home. He'd tried to not let the idea bother him, they were still in a band together, after all. It wasn't like him moving away would be the end of their friendship. They'd still see each other plenty often. It just didn't feel right that after Tyler finished moving into this new place, Josh would be on his way to the golden state.
They entered the house, flicking switches on as they went through the room. They both froze as they entered the kitchen. It was one of the rooms that had yet to be unpacked when they had left, but now several of Tyler's pots and pans were out, and three plates sat on the counter. Josh glanced at Tyler, raising a silent eyebrow.
Jenna walked around the corner, a smile on her face. "There you two are. I was worried I was going to have to put this in the fridge. Come on, sit down and eat - it's still hot."
Tyler smiled, grabbing a seat at one of the stools she must have pulled out. Josh grabbed another and sat beside him, Jenna sitting on the other side. 493Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrB852HF03i
"I didn't expect you until tomorrow," Tyler began. Jenna blushed.
"I wanted to surprise you two. Plus I figured it was about time I showed off what I've been learning." She smiled.
"So you're a chef!" Josh exclaimed. Tyler chuckled.
"The mystery is finally solved," Tyler remarked with a grin.
Jenna smiled back. "I wasn't about to tell you I was going to school to be a chef the night we met. Just like you didn't tell me you were in a band."
After that night all those years ago, they'd met up a few more times, even once at a black tie party. All three of them had hit it off, and had remained friends throughout the years. Tyler had eventually gotten her number, but it had taken several tries calling her school to convince her to give it to him. He'd let it slip he was the "twenty one pilots guy", and had invited her to one of their Canadian shows that was closer to her campus.
They'd been dating ever since.
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