Warnings: The tiniest bit of angst

Word Count: 1883

Author's Note: Would you believe me if I said this was the last Tyler chapter of this book? This series has gone by wayyyyy faster than I expected it to! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

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Today was the day.

I rinsed the last bit of shampoo out of my hair before shutting off the water. It would be awhile before I got to shower in the comfort of my own apartment again. I would miss the consistent water pressure and ability to shower for as long as I pleased. Tour wouldn't have the same luxuries.

Not wanting to waste any time, I dried myself off and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and the shirt I had worn to bed. I wanted to spend as much time relaxing this morning as I could before the afternoon was spent running around making last minute preparations. There were still a million things that I needed to pack, but that could wait until after breakfast.

The coffee pot hissed while I cooked up some eggs for myself. Over the last few days, I had been trying to use as much of the perishable food in my fridge as I could before I had to toss all of it. The last thing I wanted was to come back from tour to a fridge that reeked of spoiled food. That wouldn't be fun.

I wondered what Y/N was up to as I cooked my eggs. Her classes would be starting again in just a few more days, and I knew she had been really enjoying her break from constant studying and going to class. I wished that I could stay for the rest of it, but our label had been insistent on leaving as soon as we possibly could.

My thoughts were interrupted by someone calling me. With my free hand, I picked up my phone and and held it to my ear while continuing to stir up my eggs with the other.

"Hello?"

"Hey, man," Josh said. "I just had a quick question for you and calling is easier than texting."

"Sure, what's up?"

It turned out that Josh's "question" was more like twenty. He was asking about everything under the sun, from how many shirts he should bring to what equipment he had to be in charge of. By the time that he finally finished the interrogation, I had finished cooking my eggs and made it halfway through my first mug of coffee.

"Alright, thanks, Tyler."

"Yeah, no problem," I said before shoveling more eggs into my mouth.

"I'll see you in a couple hours?"

"Sounds good."

Josh ended the phone call and I tossed my phone down onto the couch. It bounced along the cushions for a moment before landing face down next to my leg.

I thought about calling Y/N for a moment, just to distract me for awhile, but ultimately decided against it. She was probably busy - or asleep - and it was better not to bother her. There would be plenty of time to get on her nerves with phone calls while I was on the road.

Far away from Ohio.

The idea of it still put an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, even though the reality of the situation hadn't really set in. There was still a good chance that it wouldn't be as bad as I was expecting it to be, right?

Maybe it would even help me finally get over my feelings for Y/N. Or finally give me the confidence to tell her.

Now that was an interesting thought.

I had come so close to telling her again last night. Everything had just felt so natural with her wearing my sweatshirt and laying on my chest, like that's where we were meant to be all along. She had probably been able to hear my heart pounding in my chest while I debated if I wanted to tell her or not.

But no, instead I just told her that I would miss her. At least I knew that she was going to miss me too.

I shook my head in an attempt to get the thoughts to leave it. Today was supposed to be about leaving for tour, not ruminating on what could have been. With a sigh, I took another large bite of eggs and washed it down with a gulp of coffee.

My phone buzzed.

Y/N: I don't know exactly when you leave, but have fun today! I'm going to miss you lots and can't wait to see you when you get back :)

The text made me smile.

Tyler: Still have a couple hours, but of course I left everything until the last minute :P going to be a packing tornado until everyone gets here

I quickly finished my eggs as I waited for her response. Knowing my tendency to get distracted, I was going to need as much time as possible to pack up and clean my apartment.

Y/N: Don't forget to take care of yourself! Anyway, I don't want to distract you. Just let me know when you leave, please :)

Tyler: Will do :)

I quickly cleaned off my dishes and left them out to dry for now. There were two hours until everyone got here and an endless list of things to finish before we left.

The countdown started now.

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It felt like I was being pulled in twenty different directions: trying to finish packing up the apartment, coordinating with all the crew members, and carrying everything downstairs. If I didn't calm down soon, I knew I was going to forget something vital.

"Shoes? On feet. Music folder? Backpack. Ukulele? By the door," I murmured, all the while trying to take a few deep breaths.

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the packing list that Y/N had helped me make a few days ago. Most of the stuff was already packed up in the van, but I was doing one last sweep of my apartment before we left, just to make sure that nothing was left behind.

There was a knock on my door, pulling my attention away from the list. It was probably one of the crew members.

"Come on in!" I called.

The door swung open, revealing Josh standing on the other side. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"I just got here," he said. "How are things going?"

I glanced around the room, "They're going."

"Do you need help with anything?"

"No, I think I have everything handled."

Josh walked over and hopped up on the counter next to my packing list. He pulled it a little closer to him and looked it over.

"Did Y/N help you make this?"

"What gave it away?" I laughed.

"I've read your handwriting enough times to know that this isn't it."

"I wouldn't have had anything except for musical instruments if it wasn't for her. Half of the stuff on that list was her idea."

Josh nodded and slid the paper back to where it had been sitting. I wandered over to the couch and began to wrap up some loose cords that were hanging over the back of it.

"How are you feeling?" Josh asked.

"I'm doing alright. Still trying to wrap my head around this whole not-being-in-Ohio-for-three-months things that we have going on, but it will sink in soon enough."

"Yeah, as soon as we're out of Ohio," he laughed.

"Exactly."

"What about Y/N?"

"What about her?" I asked, turning to look at Josh.

"Are you going to miss her?"

"Of course I'm going to miss her. She's my best friend." Josh shot me a look. "Alright, the thought of leaving her almost made me bail on this whole tour thing but if I let myself think about it, it's only going to hurt worse in the end."

"That's more like it."

"Yeah, thanks for that," I said sarcastically.

"How is she handling it?"

"Fine, I guess. She was really positive yesterday, but I'm guessing that was just a front for how she was really feeling. My guess is that she's doing about how I am."

"Are you going to see her again before we leave?"

"No. Yesterday was our last day together."

"Did you tell her how you feel?"

"No."

"Ty, come on, man!"

"Listen, I wanted to tell her. It was just - I didn't want to tell her and then leave for three months. That isn't fair."

Josh raised his eyebrows, "It sounds like you're just making excuses."

"It's more complicated than that. Can we just drop this?"

"Fine. Sorry for bringing it up."

"It's fine," I sighed. "Want to help me carry this stuff downstairs?"

"Sure."

Josh and I made a couple trips between my apartment and the van out in the parking lot. My legs were protesting more and more with each time that I went up and down the stairs, meanwhile Josh seemed to be having no issues going back and forth.

"Is that everything?" he asked as we arrived upstairs for what felt like the millionth time.

"I think so."

"Ok, I'm going to head downstairs and see what they need help with."

"I'll meet you down there. I just need a few more minutes."

Josh gave me a pat on the shoulder before walking out the front door. I wandered over to the couch and sat down on it, kicking my feet up onto the coffee table. It felt so empty in here, now that most of my favorite possessions were gone. The corner looked too empty without my keyboard in it.

The plants that I had tasked Y/N with taking care of were still sitting by the window. She had told me that she was going to pick them up tomorrow on her way home from running errands with her brother. I wondered what she would think of the empty apartment. It hardly even felt like my apartment anymore.

"Hey, Tyler!" someone called from the other side of my door. It wasn't Josh.

"Yeah?"

"We need to get out of here in ten minutes."

"Ok, I'll be down soon."

There was no point in wallowing alone in my empty apartment, so I stood up and did one final walk around, just to make sure everything was how I liked it. Once I was happy with how it looked, I grabbed my keys from the counter and walked out into the hallway. I double checked that the door was locked - not that it really mattered since Y/N would be over tomorrow - took one final look at the door, and went down the stairs.

"There he is," one of the crew members said as I joined the small crowd that had gathered in the parking lot. "Let's do one final check of everything and get out of here."

Josh walked over to where I was standing and resting a hand on my shoulder, "Still doing ok?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

He nodded. I forced a smile.

"It's going to be ok, Tyler. All of it."

"I know. Tour is just a whole new concept to me and I'm not quite sure how to handle it."

"It's only three months," he reassured me. "We'll be back before you know it."

Josh raised his eyebrows as I turned to look at him. My stomach was twisting uncomfortably, although I wasn't quite sure if it was excitement or nerves at this point.

"I just hope things haven't changed by the time we get back."