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blurry-fics · 5 years

Text

Friday

A Weekend at the Josephs | Series Masterlist

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2778

Author’s Note: Yes! A new miniseries. This will run from today through Saturday (a little confusing because of when the story is set, I know) and then posting will return to normal :) also this totally had an author’s note the entire time. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Enjoy the chapter! (picture credit)

I idly tapped my fingers against the edge of the car door as I looked out the window at the passing trees. My parents were talking quietly in the front seat, going over their flight details and what they would do when they arrived in Oregon. The radio was playing, although I could just barely make out whatever pop song was on over the sound of their conversation.

“I don’t understand why I can’t just stay at home,” I said, interjecting myself into their conversation.

My mom sighed, having already heard this same argument from me three times this morning. She turned slightly over her shoulder so that I could see her face, but kept her attention on the road in front of her.

“It just gives me peace of mind to know that you’re with the Josephs, sweetheart. Staying home alone overnight can be scary. Besides, aren’t you and Tyler close?”

“But I’m twenty, Mom. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself now.”

“It’s only a weekend. It’s going to be over before you know it,” my dad added.

“Exactly. It’s just a weekend,” I mumbled.

“I know you’re capable of taking care of yourself, but I would rather you don’t have to worry about it.”

I crossed my arms and turned back to the window, deciding there was no point in fighting anymore. The argument had been lost the moment that I got into the car with my parents.

“Aren’t you excited to spend a weekend with Tyler?”

“No.”

“Why not? He’s your best friend.”

“Yeah, when he’s not too busy with his band.”

I could just make out the hint of a frown on my mom’s face, but she didn’t press the matter any further. It was probably for the best; my frustration about having to stay with the Josephs paired with the hurt of Tyler prioritizing his band over me would only lead to me talking my parents’ ears off about the entire situation, and I would rather not be pissed when I came face to face with Tyler’s family.

“I’m sure you’re going to have fun this weekend, darling. Have you made any plans with Sav?” my dad asked.

“Not yet.”

“You should do that.”

“I will.”

Our conversation came to a stop as my mom turned off the main road and into an all-too-familiar neighborhood. I tried to ignore the steadily growing feeling of discomfort in my stomach as we grew closer and focused on the comments my dad was making about renovations some of the families had done to their homes. Despite the distraction, I still felt like I might pass out by the time we pulled up outside the Joseph’s house.

“Are you going to be ok getting to the door by yourself?” my mom asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be ok,” I lied, not wanting to create more of a hassle for them.

My mom held out her arms and I awkwardly leaned over the center console to give her some semblance of a goodbye hug. My dad did the same shortly after, but gave me the added bonus of a kiss on the head. I scrunched my nose as he did so.

“We’ll be back Monday morning to pick you up. Make sure to send texts so we know you’re alive. Behave for Kelly and Chris. And, um, just try to have a nice time with Tyler, ok?” my mom smiled.

“I’ll try,” I said as I pulled my duffle bag into my lap. “Say hi to Aunt Nancy for me.”

“Will do,” my dad said.

There was a chorus of “I love you”s as I stepped out of the car and closed the door behind me. I waved to my parents through the window before turning and walking up the stone path that led to the front door. If they had driven away, I hadn’t heard it. My mind was too focused on getting to the door and getting inside without making a fool of myself.

Kelly opened the door shortly after I knocked with my shaky hands, obviously expecting my arrival. She smiled and ushered me inside, already telling me how nice it was to see me and how excited the family was for me to stay with them. I just returned her smile and tried not to get dirt all over the rug.

Her chatter eventually died down and I managed to chime in with a, “Thank you again for letting me stay here.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. We always enjoy having company and you’re no exception, Kae.”

“Thanks,” I smiled.

“Here, I’ll show you the guest room so you can set your things down.”

I readjusted my bag on my shoulder and followed Kelly up the stairs. Years of running around this house with Tyler and his siblings had already given me a pretty good idea of where everything was, but I was glad that I wouldn’t have to go wandering around upstairs until I found the right room.

“If you need anything to help you sleep, like a fan or something, don’t hesitate to let me know! I’d be happy to grab it for you.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Joseph. I appreciate it.”

“Of course. Oh, and Tyler should be getting home soon. He was out with friends this morning, but he said he would be back in the afternoon.”

Tyler. I had been so caught up with getting inside the house and talking to Kelly that I hadn’t even noticed his absence. At least I had some time to figure out my plan of action before he got back to the house.

“Ok,” I said, forcing a smile.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it.”

Kelly turned and walked out of the room, closing the door most of the way behind her. Once I heard her walk down the stairs, I collapsed back onto the bed and buried my face in my hands. I had been here for all of five minutes and I already felt stressed beyond belief.

How was I supposed to survive a whole weekend of this?

* * *

I lost track of how long I spent in the guest bedroom, messing around on my laptop and just generally hiding out from the family. Tyler seemingly hadn’t returned home yet either, giving me all the more reason to not interact with anyone for awhile longer. There would be plenty of time for the stress of that when dinnertime rolled around.

A text popped up in the corner of my screen as I was scrolling through Tumblr. The mere sight of Sav’s name was enough to make me smile; she was one of the few people that might actually have the power to get me out of the house for awhile. Another message followed shortly after.

Sav: sorry my shift just ended!!

Sav: what’s going on?

I had texted her awhile ago, saying that I was stressed out and already tired of being “here”. She had already heard me rant about my parents forcing me to stay with family friends while they went out of town for awhile, although I had never actually confirmed that I had lost the debate with my parents over it.

Kae: i’m stuck at tyler’s house for the weekend and i’m stRESSED. like his parents are so nice but it still makes me anxious, you know??

Sav: you’ve got this though! things with tyler might not be as awkward as you expect them to be

Kae: yeah, you’re right. i think i’m just going to be freaking out until he gets home. i haven’t seen him in like a week

Kae: also, before i forget, do you want to do something tomorrow? i’d really rather not be stuck at the house all day

I switched back over to Tumblr while I waited for her response. Downstairs, I could hear some commotion as someone arrived home. My heart was quick to start pounding in my chest, but I tried to ignore it and focus on the gifset that was currently looping on my screen.

Sav: i have plans with josh, but he said it’s cool if you want to tag along with us! we were just planning to get smoothies and hang out or something, there wasn’t really a plan

Kae: are you sure? i don’t want to ruin your date

Sav: yes, it’s totally ok! josh wants to see you anyway so it’s a win/win

Kae: ok :)

Before Sav had a chance to say anything else, there was a knock on my door. I immediately pushed myself into an upright position and switched from Tumblr to a new tab.

“Yeah?” I called.

The door pushed open slightly, revealing Tyler on the other side.

“Hi,” he smiled. “I was just coming to see what you were up to. My mom said you’ve been up here since you got dropped off.”

I closed my laptop and slid it off my lap, hoping it would distract from the blush on my cheeks. Tyler was now casually leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, waiting until I fully invited him into the room.

“You know how I am,” I laughed. “I get stressed easily.”

“I know, it’s not a big deal. Do you mind if I come in?”

I looked around me for a moment, as if I needed to check if there was enough room for Tyler to sit. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

I scooted over a little, leaving plenty of open space next to me for him to sit. He walked over and practically fell onto the bed, making both of us bounce. From where he was sitting, I could just make out the smell of his cologne. He had a bad habit of going a bit overboard with it when he hung out with his friends.

“I just wanted to catch up. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen one another and I figured, since you’re stuck here for the weekend, we might as well, right?”

My eyebrows furrowed for a moment, but Tyler didn’t seem to catch it. “And we’re best friends?”

“Right, that too,” he said, but he didn’t meet my eyes.

I took a moment to study his profile while he was busy looking at the ground. His eyelashes curled so nicely, highlighting what I could see of his chocolate brown eyes. My eyes slowly followed the line of his face, along the curve of his nose and down to his lips. He must have felt me staring, because he turned and met my eyes, bringing the blush straight back to my cheeks. I turned and looked at a plant that was sitting on a nearby dresser.

Now I remembered why it always hurt so bad when Tyler chose the band over me. It was deeper than just the fact that he had been my best friend for years, although I couldn’t deny the role that played in my feelings.

More than anything, it hurt because of the massive crush I had developed on him a few months ago.

“So what have you been up to lately?” Tyler asked, placing his hands behind him so he could lean back. “We haven’t really seen much of each other.”

“Yeah, because someone has been busy trying to get famous,” I said, lightly poking him with my foot. I hoped that making a lighthearted joke about the issue might open up some serious discussion.

It didn’t.

“I know, I know,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to make time for you, but new things just keep popping up all over the place. Not to mention the band drama.”

“Not the band drama,” I gasped. Tyler rolled his eyes at me.

“It’s serious, Kae.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“I know and that’s my fault. Anyway, I asked what you had been up to.”

I shrugged, “Not much. I’m just killing time until school starts up again, I guess.”

“What about your writing? Have you been doing that?”

“Well, yeah, but you already knew about that.”

“Are you ever going to let me read it?”

“Maybe one day.”

“But not today?” Tyler smiled. Me not letting him read my writing had become a running joke between the two of us.

“Not today.”

“Maybe I’ll stop letting you read my song lyrics until you start letting me read your stories.”

“Not fair!” I laughed.

Tyler made a confused face, only making me laugh harder. It was weird how quickly I had forgotten my frustration with him once he was sitting in front of me, but part of me was glad that I hadn’t kept my guard up. At the end of the day, he was still my best friend, even if sometimes I wished he was more.

There was a knock on the door, and a moment later Kelly had popped her head into the room.

“Dinner is ready,” she smiled.

“Ok, we’ll be down in a second,” Tyler said.

She closed the door, once again leaving just the two of us.

“Ready?” Tyler asked, turning to me.

“I think so.”

He reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. A smile threatened to overtake my face, but I directed my attention elsewhere and put my energy into not doing exactly that.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let it get too awkward.”

“Thanks, Ty.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

* * *

I waited for Zack to finish washing his plate before stepping in front of the sink and cleaning my own. Most of the family was in the living room now, watching TV or talking to one another, and I was currently trying to decide if I would join them or slide back up to my room once again. Before I had a chance to come to a conclusion, Tyler joined me in the kitchen and leaned up against the counter.

“What are your plans for tonight?” he asked.

I held back a laugh, knowing that he most likely hadn’t intended for his question to come off as a joke.

“Not sure yet,” I answered as I stuck my plate in the dishwasher. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out. You know, like chill in my room or something.”

I was relieved that Tyler’s offer gave me an excuse to not sit with the rest of the family in the living room, plus it gave me another opportunity to really talk to Tyler about the whole issue with him ditching me lately. He had already made it obvious that he was aware of it, but I wasn’t so sure that he really understood how badly it upset me.

“Yeah, I’m down.”

“Sweet.”

I closed the dishwasher and followed Tyler up the stairs to his room. He immediately collapsed back onto his bed, but I stood in the middle of the room and took a moment to look around the room. It looked almost identical to the last time I had seen it - which was almost three months ago now - aside from the addition of unorganized stacks of lyrics and sheet music. There were also some half-colored sketches thrown in and stacks of CDs that he hadn’t yet gotten around to selling.

“You can sit, if you want,” he said.

“Right.”

I pulled his desk chair out and sat in it, spinning around to face him. He was leaned against the wall now, idly letting one hand run along the opposite forearm. Although I was looking at him, his gaze was still directed towards the ground.

“There’s something that I want to talk to you about,” he said.

I took a deep breath to calm the increase in my heart rate once again. “What is that?”

“What I said earlier, when I was talking about making more time for you, I just want you to know that I mean that. I know I’ve been really, really bad about it lately, and I can explain the whole story later, but I’m going to start making an effort. You’re just as, if not more, important to me and you deserve to be shown that.”

“I was actually going to talk to you about the same thing, so I appreciate that.”

“I’m actually, uh, hoping that this weekend will help make it up to you.”

“Do you have something planned?”

“Maybe,” he grinned.

I wanted to press him a little further, but assumed it wouldn’t lead to anything. When Tyler wanted something to stay secret, it stayed secret.

“And what’s the plan for tonight?”

“Video games, snacks, and staying up way later than we should.”

I smiled, “I think I can get behind that plan.”

Maybe this weekend wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

#ks youau wc #tyler x kae #a weekend at the josephs #awatj #blurry-fics

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