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Chapter Text

“Please remind me…why are we spending our Saturday movie day driving to a rugby ground when we should be spending it together?” Tao slumped into the passenger seat of the Peugeot 208.

“Because it’s my turn to pick Oliver up from his rugby club, you didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to!” Charlie gave Tao a little look as he swung his car into the car park of the Rugby ground.

This was a usual Saturday for Charlie. 9am wake up, annoy Tori for 3 hours, pick Oliver up from Rugby and then head to Tao’s to spend the rest of the day there. It’s was a normal Saturday. Normal. Charlie liked normal. Loved normal. It was a calm before the storm before he had to move back to Leeds for his final year of university, something that Tao was not happy about as their usual film Saturdays won’t happen until at least Christmas. He’d get used to it though, Charlie thought to himself.

Tao still sat in his seat frowning as he gazed out of the car window which now showed a muddy rugby field rather than the bustling sights of Truham. “You know how limited we are for time before you leave me again.”

Charlie chuckled and rolled his eyes at Tao’s response as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Tao was afraid of being alone. He was never alone. He still had Elle, Isaac, his mum and his uni friends. But even then, he still felt so alone. “Tao, it’s literally Leeds. So it’s like 2 hours away. I’m only gone for another year anyway.”

Tao turned to look at Charlie still with his arms folded, “2 hours is too long and too far. I won’t see you until Christmas after next weekend! Who am i going to rant to about the new films I’ve watched.”

Charlie, once again, let out another chuckle at Tao, “Oh i see, it’s not me that you’ll miss. It’s the film nights.” He teased Tao who started to nod his head.

“You’ve got to promise me that we do at least four online film nights a month?”

“Four? I can’t guarantee four but two i can do. I can promise you that.” Satisfied with Charlie’s answer, Tao nodded and unbuckled his seat belt to get out of Charlie’s car.

Both of them started walking towards the Rugby ground where Oliver does his Saturday morning club. It was always Charlie’s responsibility to pick Oliver up, his mum and dad would alternate drop off’s with Tori and Charlie would do pick ups. It works for Charlie’s routine and for Oliver. That’s until Charlie returns back to university and there will be no more Saturday pick ups, no more chatting to Oliver about what new skill he learned in the session, who is best friends are at Rugby and that one day he wants to be an NFL star. Quite sad really.

“How long has Oliver been doing this rugby club then?” Tao asked curiously as they approached the field where Oliver was sat listening to the coach.

“Since April. He loves it, it caters for 7-11 year olds so it suits him perfectly. Mum said he had a new coach join at the start of summer and Ollie is obsessed with him.” Charlie responded to Tao who just nodded as they carried on walking.

As they got further Ollie came into view who was fully concentrating on what his coach was saying. He started gazing around before he noticed that Charlie and Tao were stood waiting for him, he let his coach know and sprinted straight into Charlie’s arms. Charlie spun Ollie around three times, it was Ollie’s favourite thing ever since he was tiny. Charlie enjoyed hearing Ollie’s cheerful laughter.

“Hey Oll, how was your session?” Charlie asked Ollie as he put him down checking he had all of his belongings.

“It’s was so good!! And Tao has come to pick me up too!! It’s such a good day!” Ollie jumped for joy as he went over to high-five Tao and give him a big hug.

“I missed you Ollster!” Tao laughed as he gave him a hug. He was just as close to Ollie like Charlie and Tori were.

“Here’s your fruit shoot, don’t tell mum you’re having one this early!” Charlie giggled as he undid the bottle lid and gave it to Oliver.

“Wicked!!” He said, Oliver grabbed Tao’s hand and both started walking back to the car.

“Hey Tao—“ Charlie stuttered, making Tao turn back in his tracks.

“Yeah?”

“Do you recognise him? That—that instructor over there?” Charlie nodded in the direction of the rugby coach.

The man in question that Charlie was signalling towards was like someone from his dreams. Stood running his golden hair through his fingers as he pushed it back, Charlie was immediately captivated by him. Even though he was stood a fair distance way, he could make out his broad shoulders and incredibly defined muscles through his green hoodie which made Charlie immediately swoon.

Tao squinted his eyes and made binoculars with his hands to try and get a closer look, “erm no. Nothing. Not a clue.”

Charlie looked at Tao and then looked back at the mystery coach, captivated by his distant presence. He sighed as he turned back to Tao, “He just looked familiar that’s all. Perhaps I was wrong.”

Perhaps Charlie was right? Maybe he knew that physique even if it was from a distance. He’s seen him before, but just doesn’t know where.

“Right come on then Olipop,” Charlie spoke as he helped Oliver into the car. “Any new skills today?” Charlie asked as he got in the driver side and started asking about Ollie’s session.

“Yeah!! I learnt how to do a spin pass with my friend Louis! I asked coach Matthew if we could tackle yet but he said no as we’re too young. That’s just boring adult words, I WANNA TACKLE!” Ollie started getting really involved into what he was saying by doing tackling hand actions with his fruit shoot.

Charlie thought for a second. It’s definitely not Matthew. He’s met Matthew many times before, when Ollie bumped his head, when he forgot his water bottle and when he left his bag on the pitch. The mystery man is still a mystery.

Charlie drove Ollie home before diverting his car and making a b-line for Tao’s house. Even though Tao and Charlie were out, Elle and Isaac were already inside. The four of them had been best friends since Charlie could remember, they’d always been there for each other and helped each other through the darkest of times. He couldn’t have asked for the a better or crazier bunch of friends. He felt as though, for the first time within a long time, he fit in. Somewhere and somehow.

Covered by endless duvets and a random, definitely not-boring boring indie film blaring away in the background, sat Elle, Isaac and Charlie doing anything but watching the film that Tao was heavily engrossed in. Every 5 minutes he’d let out an “oooh!” And then a “Yeah.” Definitely the only one that was entertained.

Charlie on the other hand was searching for this mystery man, the search of ‘Rugby Kidz-Truham’ must have happened on every single social media that he owned but there was no picture, sign or scent of the mystery man from earlier. Charlie let a puzzled look reside on his face for a while, which Elle had noticed instantly.

“Charlie? You alright?” She asked as she put her sketch book down.

It took a couple more times for her to say his name before Charlie actually responded.

“W-w-what? Yeah? Oh no! I’m good.” He did an awkward chuckle as if to say, I’m doing some investigating, please give me some space.

Elle lifted her eyebrow at him, “You definitely don’t look fine.”

“No. Honestly. I’m good.” Charlie responded with his head still face down staring at the pixilated screen.

Tao had enough of Charlie being so distant and snatched his phone out of his hand and read his search. It instantly clicked for him.”

“Oh come on Charlie. You really think you’re going to find this mystery man without a name?”

“Mystery man?” Elle shuffled more forward, Isaac closed his book and looked between Tao and Charlie.

Charlie just rolled his eyes at Tao, “When we went to pick Oliver up from Rugby this morning, Charlie was in a complete trance with this mystery rugby coach—“

Charlie’s jaw dropped, “Excuse me, I was not in a trance—“ Tao shushed Charlie and put his index finger on Charlie’s lip.

“You were in a trance, you stuttered your speech too. Anyway, he’s adamant that he knows him but I had a look and didn’t recognise him and now’s he’s trying to be Sherlock Holmes..” Tao shivered as he said Sherlock’s name, “and he’s trying to find him.”

Elle and Isaac just looked at each other in a state of confusion.

“Right, rewind. First of all, you, Tao Xu was at a rugby ground?” Elle choked back her laughter after hearing this.

“Yes, I went with Charlie to pick up Ollie.” Tao nodded, supporting his point.

Charlie knew he had to butt in here, “he actually complained the whole way there. I did say that he could have stayed at home until I was finished.”  He sent a small smirk in Tao’s direction.

Tao was about to open his mouth until Elle interrupted him, “never would I have thought I would see the day!” She chuckled.

“Anyway, so you don’t know his name?”

“No, I just know he’s tall, blond, very muscly and has broad shoulders.” Charlie said picturing the god-like man in his head as he described him briefly to Elle.

“Wow that eliminates, well, less than half of the people in Truham.” Tao started clapping sarcastically to which Charlie rolled his eyes out.

“It is possible you know? To find someone without their name? It takes a while but you can do it,” Isaac added on supporting Charlie with his quest.

“You’ve been reading too many romance books Issac,” Tao slumped back onto his bed.

“They do come in handy if you must know.” He sent Tao a cheeky smile as if to say ‘you know I’m right.’

Just then all of their phones beeped in union, a group chat name appeared on their screens.

1 NEW MESSAGE FROM PARIS SQUAD

Darcy: Waddup peeps! Got some juicy news.

Tao: Hey!

Isaac: Hiiii!

Tara: Peeps? Pls ignore her.

Darcy: Spoil sport. So, the news on the town is that there is a Paris squad meet up with everyone who went to Paris with Mr Farouk and Mr Ajayi! Are we down for this?

Sahar: Yes!! It’s been ages since I last saw you guys!

Elle: Yes! Absolutely!

Tao: Count me in!

Imogen: omg yes!!!

Isaac: Yes!

Tara: It would be the last weekend that we’d be able to spend altogether before me and Charlie go back to Leeds for uni. So it’s a definite yes!

Charlie: I’m happy too!! I miss you guys!!

Darcy: AHHHH buzzing!!! It’s 7pm til late next Saturday at the Buskings Hotel in town. Be there or be square.

Elle: Ooo fancy! See you laters!

Imogen: Buskings!! I’ve always wanted to go there! See you then!

Tao: Definitely going to try frogs legs again.

Tara: Ew Tao!!

Elle: Please don’t. No.

Sahar: Nahh that was vile!!

Darcy: BAGSY DOING IT WITH YOU!!

Tara: Darcy. No.

Darcy: Spoil sport. Anyways see you laters.

Isaac: Bye!

Imogen: See you then!

Sahar: Byeee!!

Elle: See you all soon!

Tao: Au revoir my petitpois.

Charlie: Can’t wait! See you all later!!

                                  ~

The next Saturday rolled around and he was really eager to see all of his friends before he went back to university. And if he was lucky, maybe, just maybe, he would find out the name of the mystery man again. He hopped in his little Peugot and drove straight to the rugby ground to pick up Oliver, concentrating only on the mystery man.

Charlie quickly parked his car and jumped out of it and scurried towards the rugby ground. There he was. Standing there like some form of Greek God. The mystery rugby man. Before Charlie could even step any closer towards the field, Oliver came sprinting towards him with arms open wide ready for a hug.

“CHARLLLIIIIEEEE!!!” Oliver jumped into Charlie’s arms as he spun him around three times.

Charlie put Oliver down and crouched onto his level, before he could say anything a figure came darting over them and loomed over Charlie. He lifted his head up. As if by magic, he was stood there. With blue kaleidoscope eyes that absorbed Charlie within an instant, his hands ran through his hair and Charlie couldn’t take his eyes off them. Awestruck.

“Charlie right?” The mystery man spoke, he was panting slightly as he just ran the whole length of the field to reach him.

Charlie didn’t know what to say, he was lost for words. How could someone have this affect on him? He was so scared he was going to say the wrong like like ‘oh no I’m not Charlie, I’m someone else.’ No. Play it cool Char.

“Um-um-Yes..” He stuttered as his cheeks instantly blushed.

“I’m Nick, Ollie’s rugby coach.” Nick smiled at Charlie and let out a hand for him to shake. Charlie knew he had to shake his hand but he was so worried that his hands were incredibly sweaty. He grasped his hand and shook it. Firm. Firm hand shake. Soft hands. Smooth hands. Oh my god. Charlie stop it. He swear he felt some form of electric shock go between them. He dropped Nicks hand quicker than he would have liked.

Nick put his hand behind his head and big his lip-even Nick was turning red,”Erm..Ollie fell over earlier on and grazed his chin and knee. Just wanted to tell you before hand, I didn’t want you to worry when you saw it when you got home.”

Prewarning me. Not wanting me to be worried. Is there anything extra to this man? He seems to be a package deal already! Charlie thought to himself.

He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t want to say the wrong thing again, “Oh..oh ok thank you for letting me know.” Charlie couldn’t look Nick in his eyes, he knew he would be absorbed straight into them.

“Right come on Ollie, we better get going…” Charlie started to fumble over his words. He just wanted to sit down and take a couple of deep breaths.

“See you soon Oll!” He waved at Oliver, Ollie waved back.

“See you later, Charlie,” Nick smiled at him as he put a hand up as if to say bye.

“Ye..yeah..bye Nick..” Charlie said his name and it just slipped right off his tongue without any thought.

He scrambled himself and Oliver into the car without any thought, he knew that if he were to walk slow he’d turn around and start confessing how absolutely intoxicating Nick’s  eyes were. That’s something that he didn’t want to do. Not yet anyway. And see you later? What’s that supposed to mean? Charlie started to get himself into a right panic and felt his cheeks getting warmer by the second, he scooped Oliver up into his car seat and helped him do his seat belt.

“Charlie, why is your face red like a tomato?” He asked so innocently.

“Oh—I’ve just been lying in the sun for too long. That’s all. Don’t be like me!” Charlie let out a nervous laugh as he quickly jumped into the driver seat, buckled himself in and started the engine.

“Oh ok.” Oliver said so innocently again.

“You’ve just met Nick. I love him. He’s brilliant!” Ollie spoke with a smile on his face.

He really is brilliant. Charlie thought to himself. Even though he didn’t know it fully yet, he could just sense that Nick was going to be absolutely perfect.

Chapter Text

Carefully preening his curls into place, making sure that they all sat perfectly on his head, Charlie stared at himself in the mirror admiring his outfit and curls ready for the Paris meet up. He adjusted the collar of his shirt and made sure it lay flat against his jumper, his style had changed dramatically over the past few years but smart-casual with converse was Charlie’s go-to fashion.

“Where are you going?” Tori appeared from no where and hovered in the doorframe holding onto a glass of lemonade.

Charlie jumped out of his skin and faced Tori, “Jesus Christ Tori. How do you do that?”

“Magic.” She slurped her drink, Charlie turned back to the mirror and carried on correcting his curls.

“But seriously, where are you going?”

“Just out to meet the Paris squad at the meet up. I’ll be fine!” Charlie assured her, he knew Tori was worried about him.

“Call me if things get too much.” She spoke again, bland as ever, but with a hint of emotion cracking through her voice.

“Tori..” Charlie stepped towards her, “I’ll be fine and if I need you I’ll call you, I’m with all my friends anyway.” He smiled at her.

She nodded with only the slightest amount of satisfaction.

“How do I look?” Charlie turned towards her, patting down his jumper.

“Normal.” Tori took a slurp of her lemonade.

Charlie furrowed his eyebrows, he should have known that she was going to give a bland reaction, “wow thanks for the glowing compliment.”

“You’re just normal.” Tori shrugged again and turned to head back into the kitchen.

Charlie sighed, did one last final check of his hair and outfit before heading out the door to get to the meeting place. Nerves overcame Charlie as he pulled into the car park of the hotel, he hated new places, especially when he was on his own. He knew he wasn’t really on his own as his friends were just behind the walls, but walking in felt like the biggest overbearing feeling that he felt.

Charlie took a couple of deep breaths, got out of his car and walked straight up the steps to the entrance of the lavish hotel. Dawned in ivy and fairy lights that arched around the doors, Charlie admired the twinkling lights that dazzled in his eyes-perhaps this wasn’t going to be so bad after all? Stepping through the entrance, he was immediately greeted by several smiling faces which made all of his reverse seemingly flutter away.

“CHARLIE!!” Darcy immediately embraced him in her arms, which surprised Charlie a little.

“Hey Darcy!”

“I missed you! Can’t believe you’re going to see more of Tara than me from next week!” Darcy slumped her arm over Charlie’s shoulder as he let out a sweet little laugh.

Tara came strolling over with a smile sat proudly on her face, “Of course he’s going to see more of me, we’re on the same uni course and sharing student accommodation.”

“I promise to keep reminding Tara to FaceTime you.” Charlie laughed.

“Now that is what I like to hear!” Darcy moved away from Charlie, threw her arm over Tara’s shoulders and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Tara hooked onto Charlie’s arm, “Come on, we’re through here!” Both Tara and Darcy led Charlie into the bar area where everyone from the Paris trip were mingling together.

The three of them approached their friends who all welcomed Charlie with open arms. Elle immediately scooped him into a hug, not giving him any space to breathe or think, which followed by another hug from Isaac and a quick hug from Tao.

“Isn’t this just stunning?! The gang back together!” Darcy took a sip of her drink whilst the group started laughing.

“Seriously though she’s right, totally amazing. I miss you all. Let’s stop doing our big adults jobs and just be us for a day.” Imogen spoke in her own sassy way.

Darcy threw her arm around Imogen and gave her a sip of her drink, “Totes amaze balls. Defo agree. You lot just need to chill out with the work stuff. Let’s go back to Paris!!!”

“Um I think you’re forgetting that some of us have jobs and uni to study for,” Sahar laughed.

“Don’t be boring Sahar!” Imogen nudged her elbow, to which Sahar just laughed and rolled her eyes.

“Yeah don’t be boorrring.” Darcy strolled over to Tao, “come on Tao, back to Paris for the snails?”

Tao let out a small smirk as if he was about to say something before Elle immediately jumped in, “Not a chance! You weren’t the one that had to put up with his dodgy stomach all night!”

“Rude!” Tao smirked and smiled at Elle, “I was going to say that I would go back to Paris again but without the snails.”

Darcy jumped in the air sending her drink particles flying everywhere,” BINGO! One down! Isaac, come on!! I know you want to look into those dreamy French book shops.”

Isaac looked at Tao who nodded at him whilst he raised an eyebrow, “I might consider it…perhaps it might give me some inspiration for a romantic French novella.” Isaac giggled as he held his book close to his chest.

Darcy swung herself towards Charlie and put her arm over his shoulder, “what about you Charlie-warlie? Cheeky Paris trip?”

Charlie awkwardly giggled as his friends looked at him, “erm..let me get my degree first and then I’ll consider it.”

“Degree? Who needs a degree? I have a degree in life experiences?” Darcy nodded as she plonked herself down on a chair besides Tara and Sahar.

“I’m with Charlie I’m afraid..let’s do a summer trip…after we finish our degree?” Tara suggested to the group.

Heads nodded in unison at Tara’s suggestion which seemed to keep Darcy pretty happy. Almost immediately they started to make plans for the next summer, even though this one wasn’t over yet. A few different places were thrown into the mix that they previously visited and some they didn’t: Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Palace of Versailles and Musee d’Orsay. Charlie didn’t care where they went or what they did, he was just happy to be around his friends and feeling quiet content. He switched off after he heard Elle mention Musee d’Art Moderne de Paris for the 4th time in a row, he needed a drink  and a bit of a breather.

“Back in a min,” Charlie smiled at his friends as he headed towards the bar eyeing up the drinks and spirits he could have.

A barmaid with a badge saying ‘Liz’ took his order, “Cranberry juice and lemonade please.” Easy order, Charlie was driving so couldn’t drink. He didn’t fancy just cranberry juice and decided to go a bit more fancier and add a splash of lemonade. Perhaps he just invented a new mocktail.

Charlie was away with the fairies, admiring the great architecture that surrounded the bar until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Charlie?” The unknown voice called out to him, like a voice from the gods. He instantly recognised the voice, an overwhelming blush appeared onto his cheeks and he didn’t have time to let it go down otherwise it would have seemed as if Charlie was ignoring him.

“H-hi Nick,” Charlie stuttered as the blush on his cheeks kept on getting brighter by the second. He was secretly hoping that Nick didn’t notice… who was he kidding? Of course Nick noticed the ever growing redness on Charlie’s cheeks!

“I told you I’d see you later!” Nick smiled at Charlie as he took a sip of his drink through a straw. Charlie thought it was a smile but perhaps it was a smirk?

Charlie seemed confused, “You remember me from the Paris trip?” Liz tapped Charlie on the shoulder and handed him his drink.

“Of course I do! You sat with me under the Eiffel Tower as we practiced our French. Although, you did keep on telling me that you eat apples in Spanish rather than you want to order a croissant in French.” Nick chuckled recalling the memory, he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand trying to calm down a slight redness that was starting to appear on his own cheeks.

Charlie laughed recalling the memory, “Oh yeah, definitely don’t have a single understanding about French! I just came because my friends were coming!” He laughed slightly as he took a sip of his drink.

“Although… I do remember you being very fluent in French.” Charlie pointed out.

Nick gave him a certain look which made Charlie blush again, “I remember you being very amazed.”

Was he flirting? Surely not? Who was Charlie kidding? Nick was just being friendly…a bit too friendly.

“Amazed…hmm..not quite amazed…just very confused.” Charlie teased Nick.

“Confused how?”

“You’re a rugby jock. They definitely do not speak a fluent love language.”

Nick’s jaw dropped, “Rugby jock. Playing rugby yes. Jock, no. And what’s so wrong with with fluent in this love language? I’ll have you know, it’s a very good skill to have.” Nick winked at Charlie. Ok he definitely was flirting.

Charlie didn’t say anything else other than taking a slurp of his drink, still facing in Nick’s direction.

“Sooo..” Nick eased the tension that accidentally grew, “are you staying here long tonight?”

“Um no, me and Tara are moving back to uni tomorrow so it’s a long drive ahead.” Charlie slurped his drink again, he’s been watching Tori too much.

“Long drive? Where’s your uni?” Nick asked, genuinely curious.

“Leeds.”

Nick let out a little a smirk again, not prying for any more information or letting anything slip. Charlie didn’t notice this second smirk, he was too busy finishing his drink.

“What about you? Are you staying long?” Charlie asked Nick as he put his glass down on the bar.

“Um no, I’m starting my new job on Monday so I want my head to be fresh so I can focus.” Nick smiled at him, as he too finished his drink.

“What do you do?” Charlie asked inquisitively.

“I’m a Primary School Teacher.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped, he didn’t expect for a second that Nick would be a teacher. Maybe he did because he coaches Oliver’s rugby team.

“Surprised?” Nick chuckled as he rubbed his hand on the back of his neck again. This seemed to be a nervous trait.

“Just unexpected that’s all. Lovely but unexpected.”

“Perhaps I am full of unexpected things, Charlie. You just have to peel back my layers.” And there Nick was again, flirting.

“Maybe I will.” Charlie smirked at Nick and looked at the ground to try and hide his blush that was once again growing.

Charlie checked the time on his phone and realised that he needed to get going, “I need to get going now.”

Nick looked slightly disappointed but understanding at the same time, “oh, ok….I’ll see you around sometime then, Spring.”

“Yeah, see you around.” Charlie smiled and waved at Nick as he headed out the door of the hotel, making sure he said his goodbyes to his friends on his way out

The last time Nick said ‘see you later’ he genuinely meant that he would see him later, and he was right..

As Charlie sat in the car, the reality of the hour long conversation hit him. The mystery man was Nick all along. He knows Nick. Nick remembered him. A smile sat happily on Charlie’s face as he recalled the conversation multiple times in his mind.

Maybe this wasn’t the last time that Charlie was going to see Nick Nelson. All he had was the hope that he was going to see Nick again. Somehow and somewhere. He was going to make it happen. Maybe something in the stars would make  their paths cross again?

Chapter Text

“That’s everything packed up!” Charlie slammed down the boot of his car as he put his last few bits in ready to move back to uni.

Tara smiled at him as she opened the car door, “let’s do this! one more year and then we will actually be free from deadlines.”

Charlie laughed at her, “that’s until we get proper jobs when we will have deadlines coming out of our ears.”

Tara rolled her eyes at him and laughed slightly, “shhh Charlie! Don’t rain on my parade! Let me focus on putting this playlist on.” She got into the car allowing Charlie to say goodbye to his family-as if he was moving abroad for several years.

Julio embraced Charlie in a hug, something they did more often after the events of the past few years. “Now, make sure you have enough petrol to last you the trip. I’m not having you breaking down on the motorway in 40 minutes time.”

Charlie rolled his eyes at his dad as he let go from the hug, “it’s definitely not like I haven’t done this journey multiple times before. I’m fine. I got it yesterday.” He knew that his dad was looking out for him.

Jane approached him next and just like Julio, embraced him in a hug but a tighter one. They never shared the closeness of what Charlie wand Julio did, maybe because Jane could be cold and stone-hearted at times but she did care for Charlie in her own way.

“Be good. Be sensible. Don’t make any stupid mistakes.”

Charlie looked at Tori who was standing behind their mum, who he just rolled his eyes to. “I know mum. I’m 20, I can look after myself.”

Julio nuged Jane’s arm as if to say ‘tone the harshness down a bit.’

“Just be safe Charlie.” She spoke again in a more softer tone and a smile on her face, Charlie just nodded at her.

Tori stood looking at Charlie with what seemed to be a sad expression her face, although he couldn’t really make it out. Tori was the one that Charlie was going to miss the most while he was away, she wouldn’t be there to annoy every morning, have MarioKart matches, sip lemonade and stare into the abyss. She wouldn’t be a room away when he needed someone to listen to his thoughts. That’s  what frightened him the most.

“Don’t get with any knobs.” She spoke in her usual monotone voice with no expression on her face.

Charlie was lost for words-as usual- whilst Julio and Jane gave her a disapproving look.

“Victoria! Language! Especially around Ollie!” Jane told her off in a condescending voice to which Tori just ignored.

“If anyone is a massive ass dickhead, send me their names and I’ll deal with them.” She gave Charlie a hug whilst he was still speechless. He knew she meant well.

“Bye Charlie!! Enjoy life at the big school! Please can I play on your drums when you’re gone?” Ollie didn’t quite understand the concept of Charlie moving back to university as he was still so young, he laughed as he gave Ollie a hug. Both Julio and Jane shook their heads vigorously at Ollie’s comments about the drums, they had to put up with it enough listening to Charlie play them every day.”

He laughed as he pulled away from the hug, “you have to be really good for mom, dad and Tori to play on them.”

Ollie nodded his head in response.

“I’ll see.” He laughed as he stood away from Ollie.

He waved one final goodbye to his family as he got in the car and headed off to Leeds with Tara. The long 3 hour journey didn’t seem that bad, Charlie had driven the same route many times before but the playlist that Tara put on made it all the more bearable. With a mix of Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, The Kooks and Two Door Cinema Club, it was an absolute concoction of soppy ballads to indie rock songs which reflected both individuals perfectly.

With 15 minutes left of their journey and their student accommodation coming more into sight, Tara’s phone began to buzz with an influx of messages,

“Oh it’s Matty! He’s said that both him and Liv are already there and will meet us at the front doors.” Tara told Charlie as he was still trying to concentrate on the road.

“They must have set off early then,” Charlie added.

“Well Matty left Belfast last night and stayed into a hotel until this morning. And Liv said that she came down from Glasgow a few days ago and stayed with some family in Manchester, so she’s just got the train up.”

Matty James and Olivia Fox had been the best friends of Tara and Charlie ever since they started at Leeds University. Being the very first people they met in their first student flat, the four had become inseparable spending most days with each other when they were in Leeds. Both Matty and Olivia supported Charlie in every way they could when he told them about his eating disorder making him feel safe and comfortable at all times. It definitely wasn’t a hard decision for Charlie when it came to deciding who he wanted to live with during his final year of uni, and he didn’t miss too much of home either.

“Ooo, I think this is it.” Charlie nodded his head towards the block of apartments as he swung his car in the car park.

Tara looked bemused, “They are meant to be new builds. Are you sure we’re at the right place? They seem too swish and fancy.”

“Definitely the right place.” Charlie showed Tara the postcode in his phone.

“Let’s get these bags up to the apartment,  and see what it’s like!” Charlie smiled at Tara, being optimistic as ever.

Bit by bit, Charlie and Tara hauled their luggage out of Charlie’s little Peugeot and made several lift runs to get to their apartment on the 6th floor where Matty and Liv greeted them, talking in their luggage.

Once the final pieces were in they could get a proper look at their new accommodation, both Charlie and Tara’s jaws dropped.

“This is no student accommodation. This is a 5* penthouse suite!” Tara burst out as she ran between the rooms admiring the large spaces and scenic view of Leeds from the balcony.

“Charlie, look!”

Charlie trotted over to where Tara was on the balcony, “Jesus. You can literally see all of Leeds from here.” He stood admiring the view of the city of Leeds as the crisp sunset began to trickle down.

“Remind me Liv, how much are we paying for this?” Tara turned around to Olivia who had just started boiling the kettle to make them all a cup of tea.

“£140 a week,” she replied back with her soft Scottish accent.

Matty chuffed, “they definitely aren’t making profit on a place like this at all.”

“And here comes the business man!” Charlie mimicked him.

“Oi,” Matty laughed in his thick, oozing Irish accent, “I dropped out of Business and Accounting after a week. Bloody boring.”

Tara laughed at him as she walked into the kitchen area, “and that’s why I would never hire you to be my accountant.”

“No but Tara I did have an even better calling in life after I left that course.”

“Oh go on then, tell us the story again.” Liv rolled her eyes at Matty as the two others laughed.

Matty held his cup of tea tightly in his hand, “Took me little nephew to the zoo one day, loved the spiders so I said sod the business and accounting, Zoology is for me.”

“If a spider was to come anywhere near me, I would guarantee you that you would never see me again. Mad you are Matty. Literally mad.” Charlie laughed at him.

“And that’s why you love me Charlie,” he gave him a jokey wink to which the four of them burst out laughing at.

“Who would have thought that a Zoologist, performing arts student and two teachers would be living in the same place together.” Tara smiled and sighed as she reminisced their 3 years together.

The four of them sat talking for a while and helped each other unpack their rooms making them seem more home like. Charlie put up posters of his favourite musicians and books, as well as scattering polaroids across his fairy lights which draped from the ceiling. He wanted everything to be set out perfectly, and as darkness continued to fall over Leeds, Charlie could see the reflection of his fairy lights twinkling in the window as he looked out. He knew he would be ok. He would be happy. He would be safe.

Tara, Matty and Liv were sat at the kitchen table engrossed in conversation when Liv looked up and smiled at Charlie who entered the room.

“Ah Charlie! Just the person we needed!” She smiled at him as she beckoned him over.

Charlie sat down on one of the swivel bar stools, “I’ve been summoned.”

Liv rolled her eyes at him, “We’re creating a shopping list for the week and we wondered what was on your meal plan so we can get the food in.”

Charlie smiled at them as he discussed what was on it for the week. A worry he had when he decided that he was moving away to university was his eating and how the people he lived with would understand what he’s going through. Of course he had Tara who knew all about it, but the thought of strangers knowing really unsettled him. However, Liv and Matty were so accommodating to him, they supported him through every meal time -even the ones that were tough- and catered their meals to Charlie’s meal plan. If only he could go back and tell his 18 year old self how accepting people would be.

“Right that’s the list made, Tara says that you both have a lecture at 9 so me and Matty will go and get the shop in.” Liv told them as she moved the shopping list to the other counter.

For the rest of the evening, the four friends settled into their accommodation. Catching up on their summer, anything major that happened, life events, family. As lovely as it was, Charlie just needed some time to decongest and let his thoughts process of the day that happened, he took himself to bed slightly earlier than the rest of them. Before dropping off to sleep, he decided to call Tori, even if this was the only bit of normality he had, he needed it.

“Hello Charles,” Tori picked up the phone in her usual straight-faced way.

“Hi Tori!” Charlie smiled through the camera, happy to see his sisters face.

“Have you unpacked then?”

“Yeah, made it as homely as possible like Geoff told me.” He panned the camera around to show her his room.

“Impressive. Glad to see the fairy lights have come in useful.”

Charlie smiled, “I love them. They make me feel like I’m at home.” His face then dropped into a sad expression.

“You’ll be ok Charlie. I’ve got you.” Tori let a smile sit on her face.

“I miss you Tori.”

“… I miss you too Charlie.”

Both siblings sat in silence for awhile before Charlie decided to put the phone down.

“I really need to go to sleep now. I have my first lecture at 9am.”

“Enjoy being a nerd.” Tori smirked at him to which he laughed at.

“Goodnight Tori, I love you.”

“Goodnight Charles,” She paused for a moment.

“I love you too.”

Charlie put his phone down and curled under his duvet, letting his dreams wash over him. The thought of Nick still weighed heavy on his mind subconsciously. When was he going to see him again?

The bustling lecture all contained anticipated faces of final year Primary Education students and sat amongst them were Charlie and Tara, happy but with an overbearing feeling of nervousness.

“Why do I feel like I’m having my first day back at school?” Tara spoke to Charlie with clear nerves in her voice.

He looked up from his laptop, “because at any moment you are scared that you going to get detention.” Charlie teased her.

Tara laughed and rolled her eyes, “Actually I have brought all of my equipment today so I can’t be put in detention.” Charlie laughed at her response.

He was about to respond back until Clive, their lecturer, walked into the room. The lecture hall went into a deafening silence.

“Welcome back third years! It’s your final year before you escape and become teachers!” Clive jumped around in his usual animated ways. The lecture hall erupted with cheers and laughter at him.

Clive brought back his serious side, “However, before that, we need to slowly bring our brains back into the mindset of teaching! So, all of you look at the desk in front of you..”

All students looked down and Charlie picked up a blue square that was in front of him which he hadn’t noticed before.

“You have all got a different colour shape in front of you. With these, you are going to find other people with the same colour and shape and join a group. You will then be joined by 3 alumni teachers in each group before I give you the task.”

Tara picked up her shape, “Green circle by any chance?”

Charlie shook his head, “Not a bingo this time.”

Charlie walked around the lecture hall looking for the other people who were in his blue square group. He knew some of them from passing them on the grounds of the university but never actually spoke to them before so it was a prime opportunity for him to do so.

1 NEW MESSAGE: TARA

TARA: Miss you!!

CHARLIE: You saw me less than 2 minutes ago!

TARA: Yeahhhh but you should defo come and join the green circles, we make a fab team.

CHARLIE: Oooo no can do. Got to stick with my blue squares!

Charlie felt the presence of other people sit down at the table, as he looked up from his phone he clocked eyes immediately with someone. Blue eyes. Blond hair. Veiny hands. He knew them. Nick. It was Nick. Of all the places in all the cities, Nick was sitting right in front of him in his lecture.

An older woman next to Nick started talking to the group, “Hi I’m Susan, and I have 25 years experiencing in teaching.”

Another lady, slightly younger than Susan spoke next, “I’m Kerry and I have 15 years experience! I’ve just moved back to Leeds after teaching in Dubai for 10 years.”

And the final person to talk was Nick. Charlie didn’t want to give anything away that he knew him. Well he didn’t know him. He spoke to him twice and immediately fell for his god-like features. But who’s going to know?

“Um hi..I’m Nick..and this is my first year of teaching.” He gave everyone on the table a nervous glance, until his eyes met Charlie’s when this nervous glance turned into a calmer one. Nick sent Charlie a smile, to which Charlie sent back trying to hide his own nerves.

“Right then! Now you know you’re groups and your expert teachers who have joined you, your task is to come up with the qualities that make a good teacher. Use everyone’s experience to do this. 10 minutes on the clock!” Clive shouted from across the lecture hall before he started mingling with groups

Charlie’s group immediately started chatting about the task they had to complete, all of the members of the group were throwing around their ideas of qualities that make a good teacher but that was the last thing on Charlie’s mind. All that was on his mind was Nick and the feeling of a hot red flush riding up his cheeks at any moment. He kept his head down, at least then we wouldn’t be absorbed into his eyes. Nick kept taking slight glances at Charlie and even with his head down, Charlie knew that Nick was looking at him. Breathe Charlie, just breathe. He picked his head up and looked at the group, trying to remain calm and collected, trying to ignore Nick was even there but out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Nick ran his hands through his hair. That was it for Charlie. Immediate face redness and palm sweats. How the heck could anyone make that movement look so good? All he could think about were Nicks hands. The veins. How large his palms were. How he dreamt to have a slight touch of his warm skin.

He must have been zoned out for a few moments as he heard someone from his group calling his name out.

“Oh..Yeah..Erm..Good qualities..I think..Erm..Patience,” he stuttered out, feeling slightly embarrassed that he had been staring at Nick’s hand.

Susan nodded her head and wrote down his response.

“Empathy. One of the first things to realise about teaching is understanding the emotions of children, so definitely empathy.” Nick told the group and sent a slight smile in Charlie’s direction to which he sent a small one back.

The group task had come to a close and a 15 minute break started, Charlie needed to get away from the table as fast as he could before he was caught starting at Nick’s hands again. He needed to find Tara so he headed back in the direction of their original seats when he bumped into her.

“There you are!” Tara smiled at him.

Charlie smiled back, as he looked over Tara’s shoulder he could see Nick coming towards them. And then he felt it again. A flush of redness growing on his face.

Tara looked puzzled, “are you feeling alright? You’ve gone bright red.”

Charlie’s eyes grew larger and he started fanning himself with his hand, “oh um yeah just a bit hot that’s all, haha.”

“Righhttt?” Tara didn’t seem too convinced.

“I’m gonna go and get us a drink if you want one?”

“Yes please. Can I have a latte?” Charlie put his bag down on his chair.

Tara smiled back as she started to walk backwards towards the door, “Ok! You sure you don’t want an ice latte?” She giggled.

“Oh-oh-erm..no..just a normal one thanks.” He spoke nervously, trying anything to avoid the conversation of his face going bright red.

As soon as Tara walked away from him, Charlie instantly predicted that Nick was going to come over and talk to him. Breathe Charlie, breathe.

“Hi.”

Charlie smiled a little, “hi.”

“I didn’t know you came to Leeds Uni?” Nick asked Charlie, with his ever-gorgeous smile on his face.

“Um yeah,” Charlie let out a nervous laugh, “I guess I never mentioned the last time we spoke.”

There was a silence between them. Not an awkward one, just a nice one where both people are happy to be in the others company.

“Actually, you never told me that you came to Leeds when you were at university.” Charlie smirked at him and folded his arms.

Nick sighed and smiled,” I guess not. Trying to get your research in about me?” He sent Charlie a wink.

“Perhaps I am. I like to know who I’m engaging in conversation with. I like to get an idea about someone.” Charlie smirked again.

“Oh I see how it is? Do you do this to everyone?”

Charlie shook his head, “Only certain people.”

He started wondering to himself how he got so flirty, he’s never been like this around anyone before.

Nick’s eyes widened, “Ah ok. And am I a certain person?”

“Maybe you are.”

Another silence grew between the two, again, not an awkward one but one where both individuals were lost in thought.

“We keep crossing paths, don’t we?” Charlie spoke again nervously, letting all of the confidence he just had go.

“We certainly do.” Nick smiled at him.

“Will we ever cross paths again?” Charlie asked with a little bit of hope in his voice knowing that Nick had to dash off from the lecture.

“Maybe we will.” Nick smirked at Charlie this time.

“I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you around, Charlie. It was nice meeting you again.” Nick smiled at him.

“Yeah…see you later, Nick.” Charlie put his hand up and gave him a slight wave before sinking down in his own seat.

A third crossing. But why is it happening so frequently? Something must be going on for them to have another chance encounter, Charlie thought to himself. Maybe he was just being silly? Or could he be right? He felt something when he was around Nick, even though it was only brief. A feeling he never felt before, something warm and fuzzy. He wanted to find out more about him, craved the thought of him. Why are him and Nick Nelson so drawn to each other? It’s a thought that Charlie thought about all the time and wanted to find out the answer.

Chapter Text

It had been 4 months and there had been no sight or sound of Nick Nelson. The mystery of their paths crossing still bugged Charlie as he wanted to see him again, of course he could easily add Nick on Instagram, but where’s the fun in that? Charlie thought he saw him once. Just once, a few weeks ago at the start of November when him and Tara went out to a bar. He swore he caught sign of that blond hair, he knew how it caught the beams of light and produced an electric shine. But it wasn’t. He kind of wished it was. He still wished that Nick Nelson will pop around the corner randomly. But it’s been 4 months and Charlie is beginning to lose hope that he will see Nick again.

The Christmas holidays soon rolled round, Charlie and Tara were buried up to their necks in assignments before they left Leeds feeling like they were being sucked into a black hole of constant stress and typing about irrelevant theories that they would probably never use again in their teaching careers.

“Charlieee, I’m so done with all this. What time are we leaving?” Tara slumped into her chair, slamming her laptop lid down being so done with the theories of why outdoor learning is so important for child development.

Charlie chuckled at her as he set Tara’s cup of tea down onto the kitchen counter where they were both sat, “as soon as you’re done, then we will be leaving to go back to Kent.”

Tara groaned again, “but Charlieee you finished your final assignment a week ago. How have you done it?”

He shook his head, “because i am the master of being organised and you are the queen of leaving everything until the last minute.”

Tara nodded her head to his response. She did always leave things until the last minute but Charlie was always organised, making sure that his work was finished with enough time to read through it, make changes, add references and submit it. It’s how he always liked things to be.

“Come on, I’ll help you with your final paragraph.” Charlie smiled at her to which Tara smiled back, sat back up in her seat and opened her laptop lid.

The pair sat typing, discussing, researching theories and re reading the assignment until it was completed: the wave of mark schemes and assignment deadlines were finished. For now at least.

“Submitted at 13:59 on the dot!” Exclaimed Tara as she hit the submit button feeling very proud of himself.

“Yeah but with less than 30 seconds to spare before the deadline.”

“I got it in though didn’t I?” Tara spoke to Charlie as she turned off her laptop and put it away with the rest of the things she was taking back to Kent.

He rolled his eyes, “I suppose. You really do scare me sometimes with your lateness Tar.”

“And that is why Charlie Spring..” Tara skipped over to Charlie and put her arm around his shoulders, “..we are the best of friends. An early bird and a late, stressed out mess. The perfect match.”

Both of them laughed at each other, though it was true, Charlie and Tara were the best of friends. Of course Tao, Isaac and Elle were but he had a different relationship with Tara, one where she understood him that slight bit more than what they did at times. Besides, they were both trainee teachers too so only they could understand the stress that the other is under.

Their laughter died down when a ping came from Tara’s phone and Charlie felt his vibrate in his pocket, they both looked at each other with puzzled looks on their faces. Simultaneously, they both clicked on the notification that popped up on their phones.

PLACEMENT INFORMATION

Dear Charles Spring,

Please find attached the following information to your placement school. Please email the school to confirm your attendance.

School: Truham Primary School

Key Stage: 1

Year Group: 2

Date Commencing: 4th January

Contact Information: [email protected]

If there are any issues regarding your placement school, please contact me personally.

Kind regards,

Ellis Baxter

Undergraduate Teaching Placement Supervisor

“Placement information.” Charlie said out loud as he still had his eyes glued to the email.

Tara looked up from her phone, “where are you going?”

“Truham Primary.” Charlie looked towards her.

Tara raised her eyebrows, “Same!”

Charlie was a bit lost for words, they’d never been put together in a school and never went to a school that far from their accommodation in Leeds.

“How did you get Truham?”

Charlie thought for a second, “I must have changed my preferences on my uni account to say I could drive.” He didn’t remember doing it, perhaps they just didn’t have enough places in any schools in Leeds.

“How did you get Truham though? That’s the question.” Charlie put his phone on the kitchen counter.

Tara looked away and sent him a smile as if to say ‘please don’t hate me but..’

“I might have set my preferences to that I can drive as well…”

Charlie was as now doubly confused, “but you don’t drive?…”

“Yeahh, but you do!” Tara nudged his arm but Charlie just smiled and rolled his eyes.

“It’s lucky that you’re my best friend as otherwise you’d have to pay your way with caramel iced lattes every morning.” He fluttered his eyes as Tara just laughed at him.

Besides all the laughing the reality hit them, from Leeds to Kent is an 8 hour round trip and definitely something that they both didn’t want to do after working for 6 hours.

“Ok…so now what are we going to do about living arrangements?” Tara asked him.

“I’m definitely not driving from here to Kent every morning and evening, it’s 8 hours altogether!” Charlie looked at Tara, slightly stressed at the thought of what they were going to do.

“I guess…we’ll just have to move back to Kent..?” Tara suggested.

“You’re telling me we moved everything from Kent to here less than 4 months ago and now we’re moving everything back…literally tonight?!” Charlie sighed but also let out a laugh at the same time.

Tara nodded, “come on! We better pack everything up and head back before the Christmas holidays!” She started running around the flat collecting their final belongs before jumping in Charlie’s car and heading back to Kent.

The feeling of Christmas was definitely in the air as the pair travelled back from Leeds, the motorway was jam packed with cars going home from Christmas the headlights created a luminous glow of yellow and red which could been seen from miles above. As the little Peugeot slowly drifted in and out of the lanes towards the sign that said Kent, Charlie began to feel nerves kicking in, why he had them, he didn’t know. Something was setting them off but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was, probably the extra hour that was added onto his journey did it.

Lights twinkled with a white or yellow glow, and Christmas trees stood gracious in living room windows being adorned with garments of Christmas magic as they pulled up onto Tara’s street. Charlie helped Tara to unload her luggage and said a quick hello to her mum who he had become acquainted with on FaceTime a few times; of course Darcy was there to welcome them both home not wanting to let Tara go.

Charlie was sat in his car flicking through his playlist choosing a song before Darcy came and knocked on his window, “Thanks again for bringing her home safe Charlie Boy! Got her home for longer now, buzzing!”

Charlie laughed slightly, he felt the cold winter air tickle his cheeks, “it’s no problem honestly! Glad you two are reunited!”

Tara approached the window, “Thanks Charlie! We’ll see you some time next week?”

“For sure.” He gripped into the steering wheel of his car trying to not let his hands go numb from the cold.

“Merry Christmas!!” Both Tara and Darcy said in unison.

“Have a good one!.” Charlie smiled at them both.

He waved goodbye to both of them and headed towards his own house. It started to snow a little on his way home, Charlie loved the way the snow fell, they way it danced and glided through the air, the way the little specks sparkled as a small beam of light, the tiny sensation of coldness on your hand before it melted into the warmth. It’s brought him peace.

It wasn’t long before he arrived home and pulled up on the drive. His parents were expecting him to come home for Christmas but he mentioned nothing about staying longer so he could easily travel to and from his placement. He knocked on the door and immediately heard the sound of galloping feet.

“ITS CHARLIE!! MUM HURRY UP AND OPEN THE DOOR CHARLIE IS HOME!!” The sound of Ollie’s voice could be heard through the wood of the door, Charlie giggled to himself. He missed Ollie’s excitedness.

“Oliver you should be in bed!” Jane told him.

The door opened and before Charlie could say a hello, Oliver dived into Charlie’s arms latching onto him for dear life. He felt the immediate warmth that he had missed since he left for uni, his family. Julio and Tori stood by the door after hearing the commotion, both smiling after seeing Ollie hugging Charlie.

“I’ve missed you Charlie! I have so much to tell you!” Ollie lifted his head off Charlie’s shoulder and smiled at him.

“I missed you too! What’s the news?”

“I’ve lost my tooth! Look!” Ollie pointed towards the gap at the front of his mouth, beaming with pride telling his brother all about it.

“Come on Ollie, you need to go back to bed now. It’s quite late.” Julio gave Ollie a sad smile.

Ollie sulked and put his head on Charlie’s shoulder again.

“Hey, look.” Charlie spoke to him.

Ollie lifted his head up and started playing with one of Charlie’s curls, he always did that ever since he was a baby, “if you go up to bed right now. I will come up and you can tell me all about losing your tooth.”

Ollie nodded enthusiastically, wriggled out of Charlie’s arms and sprinted up the stairs before anyone could say anything.

“Why have you got all of your suitcases?” Tori questioned Charlie with her same lack of expression look on her face. Julio and Jane turned their heads and inspected what Charlie had brought with him.

“Well..I’d already packed one suitcase to stay for Christmas and then our placement announcements came out and mine is at Truham Primary. I was just wondering if I could stay here a bit longer?” Charlie started playing with his fingers which was a nervous trait which appeared over the last few years.

Both parents shared an affectionate smile, “of course you can. This is your home.” Jane told him with a warm smile on her face, which was a bit strange for Charlie to see.

Of course, it might have been stupid for Charlie to ask to stay in his home where he left only a few months ago and would end up coming back to in the summer, but he felt that his new accommodation with his uni friend was now home. Something he never imagined he would even think about.

Charlie helped Julio bring his suitcases into the house before heading up to say goodnight to Ollie before he screamed the house down asking for him. As Charlie poked his head around the door, he saw Ollie curled up in his bed with his cuddly lion in his hand snoring gently, his own mini Christmas tree still glowing a soft icy blue. Charlie smiled at the sight of his little brother in a peaceful sleep and closed the door quietly before heading to his own room, narrowly avoiding the creaky floorboard on the landing so it doesn’t wake Ollie up.

Everything was just as he left it when Charlie entered his room, his drum sticks left resting on top of his drum kit, the same bed spread on his bed, his fairy lights flickering with different colours, the only thing that had changed was the neat pile of freshly washed and dried clothes which were stacked on his bed. He put them away before flopping onto his bed, letting out a sigh of relief. Home. He missed home. He missed his family, sister, friends. And now he had them back for longer than what he imagined. Charlie took his phone from his pocket and loaded up his Instagram DM’s knowing who he wanted to tell about his arrival.

TAO’S BEANIE STINKS-NO REALLY GROUP

Elle changed the group name to “Tao’s Beanie Stinks- No Really”

CHARLIE: Ew does it actually?

TAO: CHARLIE! Don’t listen to Elle.

ELLE: It’s all true.

TAO: It doesn’t. Isaac, back me up on this one pls.

ISAAC: I am not part of this marital issue argument. I shall not agree or disagree.

ELLE: But seriously Issac, are you on my side? You know it’s true.

ISAAC:…maybe sometimes

TAO: RUDE.

CHARLIE: Um sorry to break up this disagreement but I’m back home from Leeds! Staying here longer than I expected

ISAAC: Yesss! When did you get back?

CHARLIE: Just over an hour ago. Traffic was a nightmare:/

ELLE: I’m so happy that you’re home Charlie!

TAO: Wait…

ISAAC: What?…

TAO: What do you mean that you’re back for longer than you expected?

CHARLIE: I was given my placement information today and I’ll be at Truham Primary soooo I’m gonna be at home until June!

ELLE: That’s so exciting!!! More meet ups!

TAO: I CALLED IT! I SAID YOU WOULD BE BACK DIDNT I ISAAC.

ISAAC: no comment

CHARLIE: Thanks! Glad to know I’m welcomed back.

TAO: This definitely means more film nights

ISAAC: oh GOD no. No more. Charlie you’re so lucky you missed them.

ELLE: Absolutely not Tao Xu. My mind is literally scarred after you made us watch that last movie.

CHARLIE: Do I really want to know?

ELLE: Nope.

ISAAC: if you would like to clean out your brain and eyeballs then be my guest.

TAO: it wasn’t that bad.

ELLE: Tao shhh.

CHARLIE: Is anyone free tomorrow and we can go and get a Christmas Eve-eve coffee at the new cafe in town?

ELLE: I’m sorry I can’t! I’ve got to take my dad Christmas shopping as he’s left everything until the last minute… AGAIN.

TAO: I can’t! I have an important date with a film.

ISAAC: I’m down! Book date?

CHARLIE: Yesssss!!! 11am?

ISAAC: See you there!

Charlie put his phone down as he heard a creak come from his bedroom door before he saw Tori poking her head through the gap.

“Are you still awake?” She asked him.

“Yeah.” Charlie put his phone down as she walked into his room anxiously sat on his bed.

“Happy to be back?”

“In ways i am. I love living alone and somewhere different but these four walls are comforting to me.” He smiled at Tori who smiled back at him, completely understanding what he meant.

“So how long are you back for?”

“Until June.”

Tori frowned at him for a second and started becoming defensive, “there hasn’t been any dickheads that have made you come back for longer has there? I will end them if there is.”

Charlie laughed at his sister, he knew she meant well and Tori had always been protective over him ever since he was tiny. “No, I promise. It makes sense for me to live back here if I’ll be working in Truham.”

Satisfied with his answer, Tori just gave him a slight nod before both siblings were sat in silence in each others company. It’s something they did quite often yet they both felt at peace.

“Sooo, how have you and Michael been since I’ve been away?” Charlie questioned his sister over her male friend as he was unsure of what they actually were.

“Good.”

“Any developments?” He questioned again.

“No.”

“Seeing each other over Christmas?”

“Yes.” This was usual for Tori to answer with one word answers, which made her the most honest person of them all.

“Bringing him round here?”

“Maybe.”

She didn’t like to talk a lot about herself, Micheal or her feelings for that matter but Charlie didn’t want to pry. It was none of his business anyway.

“Just tell me one thing, is he treating you right?” He asked her with genuine concern on his face.

“He is. You don’t need to worry.” Tori sent him a small smile before rising to her feet and heading towards the door.

“I’m gonna go to bed now, I’ll see you in the morning.” She told Charlie as she opened the door.

Charlie just nodded and sent her a small smile.

“Night Tori.”

“Night Charles.” She left the room without a sound. Not long after she left, Charlie also found himself drifting to sleep after the exhaustion of the day. He never really dreamt of anything, but all he could think of how happy he was to be home, surrounded by his family and friends.

11am rolled around the following morning on 23rd December and a bitter chill filled the air. Charlie was wrapped up in his hat, scarf, gloves and thick winter coat that he dug out of his wardrobe after checking the weather forecast. It must have rained the previous night as there was frost and ice twinkling on the floor, there was a high chance of snow but that was not going to stop any of the last minute Christmas shoppers out in the centre of Truham.

Charlie was on his way to meet Isaac in their usual meet up spot, Cafe Beau, who at Christmas put on an absolutely divine spread of festive hot drinks that shoppers get a waft of every time they walk past. With a book clenched in his hand, Charlie entered the cafe which made a slight ding noise from the little bell that sat above the door. He scanned the area to find Isaac who was sat by the blaring fire engrossed in his book, Charlie headed in the direction of the empty chair in which he put his coat on as he took it off.

“So sorry I’m late, it was a nightmare trying to park.” Charlie said sympathetically as he put his book down in the table.

Isaac looked up from his booked and smiled at Charlie, “oh no worries! I got you a peppermint latte, their new flavour for this Christmas.”

“Thank you!” Charlie took a gulp of his latte when the immediate taste of peppermint hit him, he felt as though he was drinking liquidised candy cane.

“That’s so good! What have you got?” He put his mug down.

“Christmas Pudding Hot Chocolate.”

Charlie raised his eyebrows, “That doesn’t sound too appealing..”

Isaac took a sip from his mug which was nearly empty, “don’t knock it until you try it! At least it’s better than Tao eating snails.”

Charlie laughed, “I suppose so.”

Both boys sat being engrossed in their books, talking about different things that happened and allowing each other to read different pages all whilst the fire next to them was crackling and the cafe played sweet Christmas carols quietly on the speakers.

“How’s uni been?” Isaac asked Charlie as he put his book down.

“Oh it’s been good, stressful but good.”

“Andddd moving back to Truham?” Isaac smiled at him.

“I am. Until June anyway but who knows!” Charlie smiled back.

“Well I’m glad you’re back, I’ve missed you. Tao and Elle have as well.”

“I’ve missed you all too.”

Isaac stood up from his chair clasping onto his mug and of course his book in the other, “do you want another drink?”

Charlie shook his head, “I’m alright for the moment thanks.”

Isaac nodded and walked off towards the counter opening his book back to the page that he was on. Charlie did the same, he brought his knees up to his chest on the chair and continued reading his book letting the words dance and wash over him as he was absorbed into it, the fire still happily crackling by him.

Footsteps appeared from behind him but Charlie was too engrossed in his book to notice.

“Hi.” The voice spoke to him.

Charlie instantly recognised him, he lifted his head up from his book and looked at who stood in front of him.  Nick Nelson. Wrapped in a coat with a hat on his head and a soft rosy glow on his cheeks, he was just as god-like as Charlie remembered from all those months ago. Once again, it was as if he forgot how to speak.

“Hi..”

Nick took his hat off his head, “would you mind if I sit here?” He pointed towards Isaac’s empty chair.

Charlie just shook his head, “um no..it’s ok..my friend is just at the counter. He’ll be gone for a bit as the queue is quite long.”

Nick smiled at his response and sat down in the chair, Charlie definitely lost his ability to speak.

“I thought I recognised you.” Nick told him still not removing the smile from his face.

“Oh…yeah?”

Nick nodded, “yeah, I saw your curls and instantly knew it was you.”

Charlie blushed bright red as he felt his curls that were sat messily on his head. He didn’t know what to say other than smile, that’s all he knew how to do whenever he crossed paths with Nick, just smile.

“What are you reading?” Nick nodded towards the book in Charlie’s hand.

Charlie picked it up and showed him the cover, “Romeo and Juliet. It’s a bit soppy I know…” he spoke quite fast trying to not embarrass himself by the fact that he was reading one of the greatest love stories of all time.

Nick shook his head and smiled, “it’s not soppy at all. It’s my favourite play. Probably the most beautiful play that’s been written.”

The blushed glow on Charlie’s cheeks began to fade and a permanent smile sat on his lips, “it’s your favourite?”

“It is.”

“I love the concept of star crossed lovers and how they were destined to meet despite all of the hardships that their families put in place.” Charlie closed his book with his thumb still in between the pages he was reading.

Nick nodded, “somehow throughout all of it they ended up together. As if it was written in the stars.”

Both boys just sat smiling at each other, saying nothing at all.

“I love it.”

“I love it too.”

A blush fell upon both of their cheeks this time and both tried to divert eye contact from each other.

“Coffee for Nick.” The barista shouted from behind the counter.

A moment of sadness found its way between the two of them, they both enjoyed that moment talking about fiction, fictional love and the star crossed concept; Charlie didn’t want it to end, neither did Nick. He didn’t know when he was going to see his mystery man again after this meeting, maybe being back in Truham wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

“That’s me. I have to go.” Nick stood up from the chair.”

“Oh..ok..” Charlie spoke sadly not wanting the moment to end.

Nick smiled at him, “thank you for letting me sit here.”

Charlie smiled back, “it’s no problem.”

Nick was about to walk to the counter to get his coffee when he turned back around to face him.

“Merry Christmas, Charlie.”

“Merry Christmas, Nick.”

Chapter Text

“How do I look?” Charlie spoke into the mirror as he adjusted his grey tie.

“Normal.” Tori replied back in her usual monotone voice, in all honesty it was 10 past 7 in the morning so who could blame her.

Charlie turned to look at Tori, “not smart? Or you look good?”

“You look like you’re going to court.”

“Wow thanks,” Charlie gave Tori a sarcastic smile, “just what I wanted to hear on my first day of placement.”

“No problem. Good luck.” Tori slurped through her straw and turned to walk back into the kitchen.

“Thanks.” Charlie mumbled as he finished adjusting his tie in the mirror.

He took another deep breath before opening his front door to be greeted by Tara, who was stood looking very much like a teacher in a long floral dress, waiting to be whisked away to their placement school.

“Good Morning Charlie!” Tara smiled at him as she handed him an ice latte.

He received the iced latte with a slightly confused expression as they both got into car.

“Morning Tara…and thanks for the latte?”

She nodded as she put her seatbelt on, “i promised that i would buy you an iced latte in compensation for driving us to placement…even if it is -1 degrees on this January morning.”

“Oh i was joking about the iced lattes!” Charlie felt a wave of guilt wash over him as he turn on the ignition and ramped the heating up to the warmest setting so his windscreen could defrost.

“Either way, it’s my way of saying thank you!”

Charlie and Tara both smiled at each other as they set off to the school. The winter mornings remained dark and there wasn’t even a speck of sunlight even though it was half past 7 in the morning. Footpaths were covered in a light dusting of frost, as if someone gently sprinkled icing sugar upon the streets of Truham. Early morning dog walkers wrapped themselves up in thick layers of hats, scarves and gloves, even the dogs had winter jackets to keep themselves warm.

Charlie swung his car into the car park no less then 10 minutes after he departed from his house, the school seemed modern from the outside which made the pair even more nervous as to what it was like on the inside.

He parked his car and the pair stepped out, exchanging nervous looks as the approached the entrance. Charlie gripped onto the strap of his satchel making the pink of his nails turn white under the pressure. Tara opened the entrance door for them both where they were met with an office area which had a rainbow painted on the back wall and little books with wings on flying all around it. In front of them was an office with a window in which Tara knocked to get the attention of the woman who sat behind it.

The woman looked up and slid open the glass, “Good morning. Can i help you?”

Charlie looked at Tara for her to talk, he was always nervous in introductory situations, “Erm yes. We’re here for our placement.”

The woman’s face turned into a smile as she flicked through a diary and saw their names, “Please remind me. What are your names? Safety reasons.”

“I’m Tara Jones and this is Charlie Spring.” Tara spoke confidently for the both of them, Charlie still had his hand gripped into his satchel strap he could feel his hand starting to cramp up.

“Wonderful!” The lady smiled at them again, “if you could both just sign in on the screen, leave your DBS’ here and i will just go and get Mr Nevis.” She signalled towards the small tv screen before scurrying off to try and find who she was looking for, the sound of her high heels echoed down the corridor.

“She seemed lovely!” Tara turned to Charlie just before she started signing in on the little screen.

“Yeah…” Charlie still felt nervous even though he had taught many times before, new environments always made him feel uncomfortable.

Not long after they had both signed in, the lady from the office returned with a tall, well-put together man dressed in a 3 piece suit who was hot at her heels. They walked through the doors of the office and the tall gentleman shook both of their hands.

“Lovely to meet you both, I’m Simon the headteacher of Truham Primary.” He gave Charlie a firm handshake, a lot firmer than what he expected.

“How are you both feeling?”

Charlie looked at Tara again, sending her a nervous glance, “nervous! But we’ll settle in soon!”

Simon nodded, “I remember the feeling. But this is a lovely school and I’m sure your mentors are ready to welcome you!”

Tara squeezed Charlie’s hand signalling that everything is going to be ok.

“Right then, Tara if you follow Lydia she will show you where Year 5 is. Charlie, if you follow me I can show you where Year 2 is.” Simon opened the door for the pair.

As quick as anything they had been separated off to different sides of the school, Charlie felt as if his comfort blanket had been lifted and he was in the wilderness all alone.

“How are you feeling about your final placement, Charlie?” Simon looked at him as he followed behind trying to keep up with his pace.

He had to talk now, “I’m very nervous..I’ve done this before but it’s all brand new again.”

Simon smiled at him as he held open a door with a sign that said ‘Welcome to Year 2!’

“You’ll be great. Your university have already told me some brilliant things about you, so I’m excited to see your teaching in action. Nerves are normal. It’s my first year as headteacher and even now I get nervous!”

Charlie began to relax under Simon’s words as he led them through a classroom door which had ‘2CH’ on the door.

“Morning Chloe!” Simon chirped.

A younger lady who looked to be in her mid twenties turned around, allowing her blonde hair to follow her, “Morning Si! Oh hello!”

“Charlie, this is Chloe Hughes. Chloe, this is Charlie Spring your student teacher.”

Chloe embraced Charlie in a warm hug which made him relax even more, “Lovely to meet you Charlie!”

“Nice to meet you too!”

Chloe turned her attention to Simon who was hovering by the door, “and for your information, it’s Chloe Parsons, not Hughes anymore.” Simon put his hands in his pockets and jokingly rolled his eyes.

“I got married over Christmas, so just making sure that Simon is aware of my name change.” Chloe laughed a little at Simon’s eye roll.

“I’m very much aware. You definitely didn’t give me a count before we broke up for Christmas.” He shrugged, “anyway, I’ll leave you both to it. Have a good day!”

Both of them said goodbye to Simon as Chloe got Charlie settled into the class. It was a bright classroom, with the children’s artwork stuck on every wall, bright and colourful displays which were not only pleasing on the eye but also helped the children too. Charlie immediately felt settled as Chloe showed him around, maybe there wasn’t anything to be worried about after all.

“So, today we have phonics, break, English, maths, lunch, history and music. Our break duty day is a Tuesday. Anything else you would like to know?” Chloe asked Charlie as she started sorting out the worksheets for the day.

Charlie shook his head as he sat on one of the tables, “no not that I can think of. You’ve covered everything!”

“Well I know you have to teach the majority of the week by June but we can start light and build on it, if you’re ok with that?”

“That sounds good to me!”

Chloe looked up from what she was doing and gave Charlie a warm smile, “my teaching assistant Bailey will be in at half 8. They always wear the most wackiest socks and the kids love it.”

Charlie started to laugh, he already knew he would feel comfortable in this school. Just then, a familiar voice trailed from down the corridor. A very familiar voice. A voice he hadn’t heard in a while. The figure of the voice came into apparition holding a pile of worksheets.

“Here’s the maths worksheets for today, Chlo. We’re recapping the properties of 2D shapes ready to move onto 3D shapes by the end of the week.”

He handed the sheets to Chloe when he looked up and caught sight of Charlie. He hadn’t seen that hair in awhile. Those curls he looked out for like he did on Christmas Eve Eve. He didn’t expect that those blue eyes would be stood gazing at him in his place of work. He couldn’t do anything but just stare at Charlie trying not to allow a red hot blush rise to his cheeks.

“Thank you! Oh, Charlie this is my year partner Nick. Nick, this is my student teacher, Charlie.” Chloe sent a smile between the two as she began to sort out the maths sheets into piles.

Charlie bit the side of his cheek, he hadn’t seen any sighting of Nick Nelson for weeks and now he did, right on his door step. He never even expected to see Nick again, let alone work with him. It was as if Nick was a mythological creature to Charlie, only heard about in legends but never seen again. The legend of Nick Nelson and the muscly rugby arms.

“Hi…”

“…Hi.”

The two both looked down, not trying to make eye contact. Both knew that a blush would rise to their cheeks if one looked.

Nick ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat, “so erm yeah, I’m in the class next door so I guess we’ll be working in close proximity together. How long are you here for?”

Charlie could barely look up to his golden eyes, he twiddled his fingers as he responded, “6 months.”

The sound of Charlie saying 6 months circled itself around Nick’s mind. 6 months with Charlie Spring. 6 months to talk to him and see him every day. 6 months that Nick always wanted.

“Ahh nice, well if you need anything give me a shout! Need to get going to my class, only have 5 mins until  the kids come in.” Nick straightened his tie and smiled at Charlie before walking to the classroom opposite Charlie’s.

“I’m here, Chloe! Sorry I’m late. My cat refused to eat so I had to feed it cheese.” Bailey walked in with their coat half hanging off their shoulders trying to rush around to make sure they were ready for when the children came in.

“Cindy playing up again?” Chloe chuckled as she sat down at her desk.

“Nightmare! I’m running out of cheese. I don’t even think you’re meant to feed cats cheese!” Bailey threw their arms up in the air as they opened their laptop.

Chloe laughed, Charlie let out a little laugh too.

“Oh my god, I’ve been so rude! So sorry, hello, I’m Bailey. I’m never normally this late!” Bailey approached Charlie.

“I’m Charlie. Are you the one with the wacky socks? I presume?”

Both Bailey and Chloe nodded, “ahh! You’ve heard all about me and my wonderous socks!”

Charlie laughed again, “I have. Chloe let me in on your secret.”

“Well, you’re both going to have to wait until the children come in to see which ones I have on today!” Bailey spun around in their spinny chair.

Just as Bailey finished talking the sound of children babbling was heard from outside the door, and as if by magic they sprung into the classroom embracing Chloe into a hug. They all looked up at Charlie as if he were some magical creature, some waved, a couple gave him a hug and others just stared at him in awe. Of course just like Chloe and Bailey said, the children hounded Bailey to find out what socks he had on that day.

“We have dino socks!!” Bailey put their foot on the table to show of their dino socks. They had giant googly eyes on the bottom and fabric that embodied scales, the children erupted into hysterical laughter.

Charlie found himself a spare seat in the classroom as he watched over the morning routine, trying to remember everything that happened as he would be doing this one day soon. As soon as Chloe finished the register she stood up and beckoned Charlie to come to the front of the class, he gave her a small smile and made his way to the front and was met with 30 tiny faces staring at him.

“Today we have a special guest in our class, this is Mr Spring and he is going to be teaching you until June!” Chloe presented him as if he were a magic trick.

Sounds of ‘wows’ and ‘ooos’ came from the crowd of children. A couple of hands flew straight into the air, bursting to ask a question.

“Mrs Parsons, does Mr Spring like animals?” A little gapped tooth child, with blonde piggy tails asked a question.

Chloe sent her a little laugh, “why don’t you ask Mr Spring the question.”

“Mr Spring, do you like animals?” The child asked Charlie the question again.

Charlie sent the girl a smile, “I love animals! My favourite animals are cats!”

“Woww!!! Just like Bailey!!” The girl responded clapping.

Another little hand flew up into the air, “Mr Spring will you be teaching us today?”

Charlie sent Chloe a nervous look, she just nodded at him. “Yes, I’ll be teaching you today!”

The little boy sprung to his feet and gave Charlie a hug, “I love you already, Mr Spring! You’re my favourite teacher ever!”

Charlie just laughed and patted the boy on the back. The day went ahead smoothly, he taught a phonics lesson which he thought went well and Chloe highly praised him for, he supported the children during their lessons and taught small groups. All in all, Charlie felt the most settled that he had ever been. One thing was still on his mind, Nick Nelson’s classroom was directly in front of his. He would be working alongside Nick every day until June. He’s be seeing Nick in a suit and tie, shirts that clasped themselves onto his muscly arms, the way he ran his fingers through his hair. Nick Nelson was near him all the time and Charlie had never been more happy.

“You did great today!” Chloe said to Charlie as they approached the school office to leave for the day.

“Thank you! I was nervous but they went in the end!” Charlie smiled at her.

“Nonsense! I never would have guessed you were nervous! It seemed as if you had been teaching for years!”

Charlie smiled again, “ah thank you!”

Chloe looked into the office and saw Lydia sitting behind the desk, “I’ll see you tomorrow Charlie! I need to go and check that my surname has been changed on all my documents!”

“See you tomorrow!” Charlie gave her a wave as he left the building.

Just has he left, he put his bag on the floor  as he tried to locate his keys when he heard footsteps and a familiar voice from behind him.

“Charlie!”

He turned around and saw Nick bundled up in his mustard winter coat and his black laptop bag draped over his shoulder, Charlie immediately felt nervous.

“Oh, hi Nick!”

Nick looked down for a moment and then smiled at him, “how did your day go?”

“Oh..” the nerves approached Charlie again, “it went well. Really well in fact. It’s a lovely school.”

Nick nodded, “it is. I’m glad you like it. If you need any help with planning let me know. I mean, I’m sure Chlo has it covered…” Nick began to stutter, “…but I plan maths and if you need any help understanding the maths planning or scheme just let me know.”

Charlie smiled at Nick’s little stutter, “I mean..I would appreciate some help. It is a bit complicated to understand…”

“Oh…oh right! Brilliant!… not that it’s brilliant that you don’t understand it…” Nick began to go a cherry red, “…but brilliant that I can help you! erm I can message you on Instagram or call you?”

Charlie looked down as his feet and let out a small smile as he looked back up, “either would be good.”

Nick looked a little shocked at Charlie’s acceptance, “cool! right erm maybe if we switch numbers and things now?”

They both switched Instagram handles and phone numbers and just stood in silence looking at each other, wondering what to say next.

Charlie’s phone bleeped with a message from Tara:

TARA

Tara: hope your day went well! you don’t need to wait for me! Mum picked me up on her way back from work! I’ll be at yours tomorrow morning!

Charlie: thanks for letting me know! it went well, hope yours did too! see you tomorrow!

“Who was that?” Nick raised an eyebrow at Charlie.

“Oh erm..” Charlie put his phone back in his pocket, “just my friend Tara, I was going to give her a lift back home but I don’t need to anymore.”

Nick raised his eyebrow again, “Tara..as in Tara Jones and Darcy from Higgs?”

“Yeah! You know them?” Charlie nodded.

“Oh yeah, they were in my year and we hung out a couple of times when we went to Paris!”

Charlie smiled at Nick again, “perhaps we need to do a meet up!” Charlie suggested.

“Yeah…I’d like that!” Nick smiled back before looking at his watch.

“I need to get going! I’ve got to take my dog on her evening walk otherwise she’d be barking at me all night.”

Charlie gripped onto his satchel strap again, not like a bad nervous one like earlier, more of a good nervous one. “You have a dog?”

Nick nodded, “yeah, she’s called Nellie!”

“I love dogs…although my parents don’t want any pets in the house.”

“Well…what if you come to my house one time and you can walk her? And I could help with your planning too of course.” Nick suggested.

Charlie nodded, “I’d really like that!”

“We’ll have to arrange it!” Nick sent Charlie a smile at which Charlie could have fallen head over heels for.

“I really have to get going now, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Nick waved at Charlie as he started to back away towards his car.

“Bye!” Charlie waved back as he headed towards his car too.

Charlie threw himself into his car and let out a little excited scream that he had been keeping in all day, he thanked the lord that no one could hear him. Nick Nelson basically invited him to his house to walk his dog, a gorgeous rugby lad who he was obsessed with, working closely with invited him round?! ‘This never happened to me!’ Charlie thought to himself. Nick Nelson would definitely be on his mind, all the time.

Chapter Text

There wasn’t a day that went by where Charlie Spring didn’t speak to Nick Nelson, of course they were in classrooms directly opposite to each other so they couldn’t miss one another, and they shared little glances every time they passed one another. A shy smile here, a little ‘hi’ there, something about Nick Nelson had mesmerised Charlie completely and utterly, but little did Charlie know that Nick was captivated by him.

Tara found out almost immediately that Charlie was working with Nick to which she was happy to reunite with an old friend, Darcy kept on mentioning how completely love struck Charlie was every time he mentioned Nick’s name- obviously she was joking…but he did mention Nick a lot. Then, Charlie came clean to Tao, Elle and Isaac about how the mystery rugby man and himself had been bumping into each other for a while, and that it was actually Nick Nelson who he was now a teaching partner with.

“NICK NELSON?!” Elle practically screamed at Charlie as she found out about the mystery man.

Isaac smirked as he looked up from his book and Tao just let a frown reside on his face, “Yeah..” Charlie nodded with a light blush on his cheeks.

“As in rugby captain Nick Nelson from Truham?!” Elle asked again shuffling closer to Charlie waiting to hear more gossip.

He just nodded with another light flush of red fluttering up to his cheeks. Isaac didn’t take an eye from his book, “you like him.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped in a slightly embarrassed way and Elle lifted her eyebrows, “what?…no…definitely not.. I haven’t spoken to him enough. He’s just…he’s…nice..”

“Your cheeks flush red every time you mentioned his name in the past 5 minutes, and you haven’t stopped searching for him for months….” Isaac smirked again as he turned the page in his book.

Charlie shook his head with an ever growing flush rising to his cheeks, “nope…def..definitely not..”

Tao, who was looking at his Instagram feed trying to not engage in the conversation, slammed his phone down and clenched his fist around it, “you CANNOT like Nick Nelson.”

Elle, Isaac and Charlie stopped giggling over the situation, “Tao-what?” Elle spoke to him with a sense of confusion in her voice.

“You physically cannot like Nick Nelson. Like at all.”

Charlie frowned at him, “why?”

“Because he’s the rugby captain and just a rugby lad. It’s not a good mix in a person.” Tao threw his arms in the air showing an angry passion for what he was talking about.

Isaac rolled his eyes, “here we go again.”

“Tao were not in school anymore..” Elle looked at him directly in the eyes.

“He’s trouble.”

Isaac looked up from his book, “he’s a teacher.”

“But still a rugby lad.”

“So why can’t Charlie like Nick then? What are you trying to say?” Elle folded her arms becoming defensive over Charlie.

“I’m not saying he can’t like him…I’m just saying that’s he seems like trouble…” Tao backed away from Elle’s gaze.

“You make no sense…” Isaac put his book down.

“That’s what you’re implying though, Tao. Charlie can like who he wants and who are we tell him…” Elle continued with her defensive tone.

Charlie couldn’t take the brewing argument all because he blushed at Nick’s name, “right ok…please just stop!!” He raised his voice just a little too loud.

“Nick doesn’t play rugby anymore and just because he once did, it doesn’t mean that it should define him and have this ‘lad’ label put on him.” Charlie took a deep breath.

“And…even if I did like him…I guarantee you he won’t like me back..” his voice started to quiver as he looked down at the sleeve of his woollen jumper picking off the loose bits of fluff.

Charlie believed himself, why would Nick even like him? He would never know. Charlie was always shy around that topic and didn’t want to engage in the thought of it, but he did start to believe perhaps he wasn’t good enough for Nick Nelson and neither did Nick like him.

Elle put her arms around Charlie and Isaac held onto his hand, Tao sat away relishing in his thoughts, “Charlie, listen..” Elle pulled him into a hug, “Ignore Tao, he’s just being…well…Tao..”

Charlie let out a snuffled giggle.

“But you are worth so much, anyone who is blessed to know you would know how incredible, kind and caring you are. I’m pretty sure Nick knows that already. You’ve just got to let time run its course, who knows what will happen?” Elle smiled at Charlie as he lifted up his head.

“I could definitely turn this story into a book if anything happens.” Isaac raised his eyebrows at Charlie and Elle.

“Make sure you put my name in the dedicated to page in bold letters. 50 percent of your profit comes to me!” He laughed at Isaac’s statement.

“Oh of course. All credit will go to you!”

The four continued talking that night, not much else was said about Nick Nelson as that seemed to be a sore subject for Tao. But there wasn’t a lot he could do. Charlie was encapsulated by Nick and knew that he wanted him.

A month rolled past since Charlie started his placement at Truham Primary and the February half term couldn’t have been a more wished for break. Although he enjoyed teaching his placement class, a part of him loved seeing Nick each day that little bit more. Of course they could talk out of work, but they never did. Nick gave Charlie his Instagram if he ever needed help but he felt so reluctant to message him. On multiple occasions, he typed a little ‘hi:)’ into the text box and hovered his shaking thumb over the blue arrow to send it, but he immediately deleted it and threw his phone onto his bed and just sighed. A sigh of disappointment in himself. Why was it so hard to message a living, breathing god?

“I just don’t get it.” Charlie huffed as he started chewing the lid of his pen.

“Get what?” Tori appeared in the kitchen with a glass of lemonade in her hand.

Charlie jumped and sent her a startled look, “for gods sake! Please announce your presence when you enter a room, you’re gonna scare me to death one day.”

Tori just frowned at Charlie as she took a sip from her lemonade, “get what?” She repeated herself again, completely ignoring Charlie’s cursing.

“This maths planning, the scheme makes no sense…” he pushed his laptop away from him.

Tori hovered over the laptop screen staring at it intently, “it’s all just numbers and gibberish.”

“Exactly. Load of crap. Useless scheme. How am I meant to plan a series of fractions lessons if I don’t understand the bloody scheme!” Charlie raised his voice slightly in annoyance, Tori just sniggered. Charlie losing his mind over a maths scheme was some what amusing to Tori, and she wouldn’t let this be the end of it.

“So what are you going to do then?”

Charlie turned his head to face her, “sit in a dark room and hope that this planning will plan itself.”

“Unlikely.”

“I gathered that.” He rolled his eyes at her.

“But seriously, what are you going to do?” She repeated herself again.

Charlie just folded his arms and shrugged his shoulders giving up all hope on his fractions planning.

Tori moved away from the table slightly, “you could message Nick?”

Charlie slowly lifted his head up from his hunch and turned to face her. Tori knew about Nick. Tori knew that Charlie liked Nick. He told her everything, about the mysteriousness of him at Ollie’s rugby club, the little meet ups and run ins, and them now working together. She compared them both to star crossed lovers, not the romantic herself but Tori also had a soft spot for a Shakespeare play or two. Tori knew everything about any guy Charlie ever liked, and knew everything about every guy that ripped his heart to shreds. They knew her. And not in a nice way. She knew from the start that Charlie liked Nick, and being the protective older sister, she wanted to do the sisterly thing of helping him to realise his true feelings.

“You think I should?”

Tori nodded as she slurped from her straw, “Yes.”

Charlie shook his head, “no, he’d think I’m stupid.”

“Don’t be a knob. Just message him.” She raised her eyebrows with a disapproving look on her face.

He rolled his eyes and picked up his phone, Charlie quickly clicked on Nick’s Instagram handle and typed out the message. Tori tried to have a quick glance of Charlie’s screen but he covered it up so only he could see the message.

NICK NELSON

CHARLIE: Hi Nick. Sorry to disturb you on your break, I just wondered if I could have some help with some maths planning please. I just need some guidance. Hope you’re having a good week off!

“There,  it’s sent.” Charlie placed his phone down on the table.

Tori nodded, “well done. You’ve finally made the first move.”

A red blush rose to his cheeks, “shut up.”

Less than 2 minutes after Charlie sent the message his phone lit up with Nick’s name, both Charlie and Tori scrambled to read Nick’s message.

NICK NESLON

NICK: Hi Charlie! My break is going well thank you, hope yours is too! I can definitely help, if you want you can come to my house tomorrow and I’ll go through it with you? Plus I have to dog sit all day too!

“You’re definitely in there.” Tori smirked as she took a sip of her drink.

“Tori.” Charlie smirked back with his eyebrows raised.

NICK: By the way, you’re not interrupting me at all :)

Tori backed away from Charlie’s phone still with the same smirk on her face, “it’s a date.”

Charlie didn’t say anything other than let the redness settle on his cheeks settle. He had been waiting forever to send Nick a message and worrying about his response, but it turned out even more perfectly than he imagined.

The following day rolled around and Charlie was stood in Nick’s door step hovering his finger over the doorbell with a million thoughts racing through his mind. He’s stupid for being here. He could tackle the planning on his own. He’s disturbing Nick. Nick was only being nice because he has to be not because he wants to. A million thoughts tying his brain into knots pulling them tighter. In the end he gave in and rang the bell.

Footsteps were heard soon after and then the door opened, there stood Nick in a Nike jumper and grey tracksuit bottoms with his hair elegantly flicked as he usually as it. Even though he wasn’t wearing his suit, Charlie was still completely awe struck by him.

“Hi.” Nick said to him as he opened the door.

“Hi..” Charlie replied back with a little smile creeping on his lips.

Nick stood to the side to allow Charlie entry, “come in.”

Charlie entered the door and was immediately hounded by two dogs jumping up at him trying to lick him to death, laughter escaped his lips and Nick loved the sound of it.

“Nellie get down!” He called to Nellie as she then came bounding towards Nick with her tail wagging like the speed of light.

Nick helped Charlie to his feet as Nellie had knocked him down in the lick attacking process, a warm feeling rose through the pairs hands that travelled straight through them as if they had finally been connected after so long. Nick attempted to hide the blush on his face as he helped Charlie up.

“Um thanks..” Charlie muttered with a small smile creeping on his face.

“Sorry about them, they get so excited when someone new comes in.”

Charlie shook his head, “Don’t worry about it, I love dogs. What are their names?”

“This is Nellie,” Nick pointed towards the brown and white boarder collie who was happily trotting away into the kitchen. “And this is Henry.” Nick picked up the pug from the floor to which Charlie started stroking Henry’s ears.

“Well it’s lovely to meet you, Henry.” He spoke to the pug, who gave him a little lick on the nose.

Nick placed Henry back on the floor and put his hands on his pockets, he couldn’t quite believe that Charlie was in his house. If truth be told, Nick wanted to message Charlie for a while but even he didn’t have the courage to do it.

“So erm, do you want a drink before we start the planning?” Nick rubbed his left hand behind his head, feeling slightly nervous.

Charlie nodded and followed Nick into his kitchen, “what do you want? Coffee? Tea? Juice?.”

“I’ll have tea please.” Charlie took his rucksack off his bag and sat down at the table, admiring the surroundings of the modern and airy kitchen.

He knew that he wanted to make conversation with Nick but didn’t quite know how to start, “Sooo, you said you’re dog sitting today?”

Nick brought the tea over and sat down at the table, “umm, yeah, yeah, my mum has gone to see my Auntie for the week so I said I’d dog sit. Usually she’s here all the time with them.”

Charlie nodded as he took a sip from his tea, he raised his eyebrows and let an ‘I’m impressed’ look sit on his face, “This is good.”

“Haha, thanks it’s only a cup of tea though.” Nick laughed.

“I bet I can tell you how many sugars you put in this.” Charlie spoke again as he took another sip of his tea.

“Go on then.” Nick challenged him.

“2 sugars.”

Nick’s jaw dropped, “what—“

“Just enough sweetness but not overpowering.”

“Alright then, what about the type of tea bag it is?”

Charlie took another slurp allowing the flavours to run wild in his mouth, “PG Tips.”

Nick’s eyes widened, “how did you know? I don’t even have the box out?”

“It’s a strong flavour but not bitter at all.” Charlie nodded at him feeling proud of himself.

“Well from now on I will officially call you a tea connoisseur.” Nick giggled taking another sip of his tea.

“I will happily accept that title.”

Nick put his mug back on the table, “Oh best believe I  am now challenging you with different types of tea.”

“Oh that’s a deal.”

Both boys giggled for awhile before a warm silence draped itself over them as they were drinking their tea, Charlie had imagined this scenario for a while being in company with Nick away from work and it was exactly what he dreamed of.

Charlie finished his tea and put his cup back on the table, “so you said your mom lives here?”

Nick nodded.

“Is it just you and your mum or…?” Charlie asked out of curiosity wanting to know more about the mysteriousness of Nick Nelson.

“No, I have an older brother who doesn’t live with us and I don’t see my dad so it’s just me and mum really. I’m happy with that, I wouldn’t change it for the world.” Nick answered Charlie’s question.

“Oh um I’m sorry about your dad..” Charlie caught himself, not realising that Nick doesn’t have this perfect home life to what he initially presumed.

Nick shook his head, “please don’t be. I rarely see my dad, very rarely and I rarely talk to him. I did put in the effort to speak to him but it was never reciprocated back, I don’t really want that sort of thing in my life.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

Nick gave Charlie a small smile, “you have nothing to apologise for. He’s just a dead beat dad. I have mum and that’s all I need.”

Charlie felt only the tiniest bit better after Nicks reassurance but he still felt horrendous because of the fact that he imagined Nick to have a bustling family life where everything was jolly and happy, yet everything wasn’t completely jolly. In a way, it was just…normal.

“Enough about me,” Nick cleared his throat as he drank the last of his tea, “what about you? Who’s in your family?”

He never really spoke to anyone about his family, the only people who knew some of the story were Tao, Elle and Isaac but even they didn’t know half of it. Charlie didn’t want to go into detail about his families relationship, not yet awhile anyway.

“Uhm, well there’s my mom and dad, my older sister and my younger brother.” Charlie gave Nick a small smile after his brief answer.

Nick seems shocked at the size of his family, yes it was only an extra person added into it but it was years since Nick lived in a bustling family home where there was more than himself and his mum around.

“Wow there’s a lot of you then!”

Charlie nodded, “yeah, I suppose there is.”

“Are you close seen as you’re a big family?”

Charlie took a deep breath trying to put together an answer that wouldn’t give good much away, “we could be closer. I’m really close with my older sister but I just wish I had a close relationship with my mum…kind of like how you explained yours  with your mum.”

Nick didn’t want to pry any further, he could tell that Charlie was holding a lot back and only giving him small bits of information, but at the same time he seemed slightly wounded when he was talking about it all. Nick being Nick, he wanted to change up the conversation to make it a bit more lighthearted.

“Are any of them tea connoisseurs like you?”

Charlie laughed, a laugh which Nick really started to admire, “no, I’m the only one in my family that was a very fine taste for tea. Only the best for me.”

“Definitely only the best for you, it’s what you deserve,” Nick let it slip out and wished he could take back the words he just said. He did mean them of course. But didn’t feel ready in himself yet.

Nick cleared his throat again, not wanting to make the situation awkward, “right let’s have a look at this planning then.”

Charlie got his laptop out from his bag and spent at least 3 hours around Nick’s house talking about the maths scheme, how the lessons should look, planning and of course general chit chat too. Nick made things easier for him to understand, there was no complicated words or thoughts that went by when Nick was helping Charlie, just ones of peace and calm.

After an afternoon with Nick looking over the planning,  they decided to call it a day and let their minds calm after thoughts of fractions and spending a tedious amount of time creating a sequence of lessons that would work well together. Charlie also didn’t want Nick to become absorbed into his home life, not yet awhile. It was definitely chaotic to explain the least but he didn’t want to explain that much to Nick.

“I best be off. Thank you for helping me! Sorry again for disturbing you again!” Charlie turned to face Nick as he stepped out of the door.

“Hey! What did I say about apologising! The next time you say sorry when you don’t need to, you will put a pound into the Sorry Swear Jar.” Both boys laughed at Nick’s comment, Charlie had to hold back the urge of saying sorry again.

“But seriously, thanks for your help, Nick.”

“Anytime.” Nick nodded at Charlie.

“I’ll see you at work then?” Charlie said to Nick before he completed his short walk him.

“Yeah..” Nick felt saddened to see Charlie go as he enjoyed being in the company of someone, someone who made him laugh and made him smile a pure smile. Even if this was the first time they spent multiple close hours together.

“Wait,  Charlie!” Nick called out to Charlie who was already at the bottom of the drive way. He turned back up to meet him at his door again.

Nick took a deep breath when an idea hit him, “are you free tomorrow?”

Charlie felt a tingle rise from his hands, was Nick asking for more time with him? “Yeah I am.”

Nick took another deep breath, “do you fancy coming on a dog walk with me tomorrow? If you’re free? I could do with a change of scenery…and the company too..” he dropped his head to look at his feet not wanting to make himself seem like a fool for asking.

A slight red blush rose to Charlie’s cheeks, did Nick Nelson want to spend more time with him?

“Yeah I am..”

Nick looked up again, but this time with a small, hopeful smile on his face “would you like to go on a dog walk? With..with me tomorrow?”

Charlie nodded, with a smile creeping up on his own face too, “yes. Yes I would like that very much.”

“So same time tomorrow?”

“Sounds good to me!” Charlie responded with hope rushing through his veins.

“See you tomorrow, Nick!” He waved him a  little goodbye before he walk down the drive feeling on top of the world.

Nick stood on his door step waving with a smile edging its way onto his face as his mind replayed the past 3 hours with Charlie. Happiness. Warmness.

“See you later, Charlie.”

Chapter Text

Nick Nelson was always on his mind. Always. Quite literally. The day previous had been so perfect, spending time away from work with Nick. They were still working but it was where they could talk in close quarters…and sit in close quarters for that matter. Charlie couldn’t believe that Nick wanted to spend the day with him again today…like a date. Maybe not a date? Or is it a date? Charlie didn’t know nor did he care, all that he was bothered about was that he got to spend more time with Nick Nelson, finding out all about him like land that had yet to be discovered. Let’s be honest, without Tori basically forcing Charlie to text Nick, he wouldn’t be going on a date-not date-date today. Maybe sisters do know what’s best?

“Nice jumper.” Tori smirked as she stood leaning against the door of Charlie’s room.

He caught his breath as he was startled by an unexpected guest but soon turned to patting his jumper down, “you think?”

Tori nodded, “oh yes. It’s very date-like.”

Charlie’s eyes widened and he went a bright red, “d-date? What are you talking about?”

She walked into Charlie’s room and flopped onto his fed so she was sitting looking at him, “the date you’re going on. Seems as if the pre-date went well yesterday.”

“It’s just a walk.”

Tori pulled an ‘are you quite certain about that face’. “Oh yes, definitely a date.”

Charlie shook his head as he put on his beloved white converse that he found in his mountainous collection of converse, “Tori, it’s just a walk with Nick and his dogs.”

“Which will turn into more walks with his dogs more regularly.”

He ignored her and carried on putting on his shoes.

“It’s not just a walk though is it?” Tori raised her eyebrows.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Charlie spoke again whilst putting on his navy winter coat as it was still quite nippy outside.

Tori smirked, “it’s a walk with a guy that you like.”

“Nope..Nick’s nice but…but..that’s all. Just a friend.” Charlie went bright red as he put his hat and scarf on.

“Oh yes. Definitely just a friend.” Tori used her fingers to mimic the word ‘friend’

“A friend that you don’t stop talking about. A friend who you blush at the sound of his name. A friend who you have been searching for months for. A friend who you used to gaze at over Ollie’s rugby club like a love sick puppy.”

Charlie pretended to be offended, “I never used to gaze. The sun was just in my eyes.”

“Hmm.” Tori smirked again and folded her arms.

“Definitely a date.”

Charlie rolled his eyes and sprinted out of his room and to the front door before Tori could tease him anymore, “I’m going now bye!” He shouted.

He decided to walk to Nick’s house as it was only a short walk away, as he discovered when Nick sent him his address when he realised they’d been living 5 minutes from each other this whole time. Once again, like yesterday, Charlie rang the door bell and heard the sound of scurrying paws and excited barks head towards the door.

“Hi..” Nick said to Charlie as he opened the door.

“..hi.” Charlie responded back, being completely in awe of how good Nick looked wrapped up in his coat and scarf.

Nick picked up the two dog leads, “I would invite you in but the dogs would start going mad. Do you want to go now?”

Charlie nodded, he didn’t care if he went into Nick’s house, all that mattered was he was spending time with him. Nick stepped out of the house and locked the door behind him whilst Charlie was crouched on the floor making a fuss over both dogs.

“Who do you want on the walk? Nellie or Henry?”

“That’s such a hard choice…I can’t pick between them both they’re too cute!” Charlie laughed at Nick.

Nick smiled back, admiring Charlie’s laugh, “How about you have Henry on the first half of the walk and then we’ll switch?” He handed Henry’s lead towards Charlie

Charlie nodded and accepted the lead, as he reached out to grab it the pair touched hands for a millisecond and the same spark, the same warm glow feeling rushed through the pair of them. Charlie didn’t want to make it too obvious that he had a blush growing so moved his hand as quick as he could. Nick scratched the back of hos head to hid the obvious rose glow that he had developed- hoping that Charlie wouldn’t notice.

They walked to the nearest field which was covered in morning frost and it wasn’t melting anytime soon. Charlie and Nick let the dogs off their leads and they started weaving in and out of the bushes beyond them, chasing each other and not letting the cold frost affect their paws. This allowed both boys to have time to themselves, to talk to each other more, learn more about each other.

“It was nice spending time with you yesterday..” Nick told Charlie as he was focusing on the slippy path ahead.

“Yeah?” Charlie was in slightly disbelief.

Nick nodded, “yeah…it’s nice to have someone to talk to … other than the dogs of course..”

Charlie felt a soft blush rise to his cheeks, “I enjoyed it too…for the dogs…a-and you too.” He thought he embarrassed himself there.

“Glad you enjoyed my company too. I’m just the backstage manager for the dogs, they’re the stars of the show…” Nick laughed.

“Well..I enjoyed speaking to the backstage manager too..”

Both boys just smiled as they carried on walking down the frosty path, a silence was shared between them where all that could be heard was the sound of their footsteps on the path keeping in time with each other, the sounds of leaves crunching as the dogs ran through them and their delicate panting showing excitement of being outside. Nothing in the world could be more perfect to Charlie.

“So you said yesterday that you live with your mum?” Charlie spoke out of the blue.

Nick looked shocked at Charlie’s straightforward question but let a smile reside on his face, “woah straight in with question time!”

Charlie felt embarrassed immediately and shook his head, “sorry. I didn’t mean to be intrusive..”

Nick stopped in his tracks and turned to face Charlie whose head was still down. He put his hand on Charlie’s arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world, this made Charlie look up towards him allowing a warm glow to flush over his as he stared into Nick’s eyes.

“It’s not intrusive at all…we’re getting to know each other and this is how it works..” Nick smiled at him to which Charlie smiled back.

“So I’m not an intrusive idiot?”

Nick laugh, “not at all. More like a nosey neighbour.”

Charlie laugh at Nick’s repose, “shhh!! I’m not that bad!”

Nick raised his eyebrows at Charlie which led to both boys laughing in hysterics.

“To answer your question, it’s just me and mum. There was me, mum and my brother, David, but he lives in Liverpool now as he moved there from Glasgow after he finished uni. I don’t really speak to him or see him much.” Nick unveiled his life story to Charlie who was immediately gripped like it was an Oscar nominated film.

“Oh, I’m sorry..” Charlie spoke with a sad tone in his voice.

Nick shook his head vigorously, “oh please don’t be sorry. We’ve never had the best relationship. He’s a knob. A dickhead in the smallest sense. David has these awful views on life which could really hurt people. He’s never been my biggest fan, always making fun of me, calling me names, making sly digs and comments. Even now he still does it.”

“He sounds awful.”

“He is. It’s shame though as I have a niece, Lexi, and I never really get to see her.”

Charlie gave Nick a sad smiles before Nick continued talking.

“David has pushed a barrier between us all my life and now he doesn’t want me to have anything to do with Lexi. I only really see her at Christmas, I couldn’t even celebrate her 4th birthday with her last year. It’s not fair on mum though, she’s stuck in the middle of it all. She says it doesn’t affect her that me and David aren’t close, but I think it does…” Nick ended with a sad tone in his voice.

Charlie looked at Nick with a sympathetic smile on his face, “I hope you get to see Lexi one day soon.”

“I hope so too.” Nick sent the same sympathetic smile back.

“What about your dad?” Charlie asked curiously.

“I don’t see him. He’s never been a part of my life. He said he’s put the effort in but he really hasn’t. I haven’t seen him for over a year. I try to call him sometimes but he always says he’s busy. I guess he doesn’t have time for me anymore…”

Charlie didn’t say a word but just felt this overwhelming feeling of sadness for Nick, Charlie imagined Nick’s life to be so perfect but a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover.

“It’s not all negative! I have mum and it’s been me and mum for as long as I can remember. She’s amazing and is both mum and dad. Of course I have Henry and Nellie too,” Nick perked up when speaking about his mum.

Charlie smiled, “I’m glad she makes you happy.”

Nick nodded in response, “enough about me and my sad life stories. What about you? What’s to tell Charlie Spring?”

That’s the first time Nick ever said Charlie’s name and it rolled off his tongue perfectly, Charlie secretly loved it.

“Well there’s me, mum, dad, my older sister Tori and my younger brother Oliver- who you’ve met. Tori is the oldest out of us as she’s 22, I’m the middle being 20 and Ollie is 7..”

Nick raised his eyebrows, “that’s a heck of an age gap.”

Charlie let out an awkward laugh, “haha, I guess so. We call Ollie the unexpected surprise. To be honest I couldn’t imagine life without him. The house is never quiet with him.”

“What’s your relationship like with Tori?” Nick questioned Charlie as they continued on their walk.

“We’re really close. She’s like my bestest friend even though she’s my sister. She knows when I’m sad or angry, she knows when the help. Sometimes me and Tori will sit in silence in the same room and we will know what each other is thinking. Half the time we’re playing Mario Kart with each other, I’m yet to find anyone that’s better than her.” Charlie spoke with complete pride when speaking about how close him and Tori are.

“I’m happy to accept that title of Mario Kart king.” Nick smirked at Charlie.

Charlie looked shocked and raised his eyebrows at Nick, “are you challenging me to a Mario Kart race?”

“I am.”

“I’ll have you know that I am the champion.” Charlie over exaggerated with his arms.

“Hmm pretty sure I can take that title.” Nick sent him another smirk.

“Not a chance, Nick.” Charlie laugh at him.

Nick laughed a moment before another though pondered into his head, “what about your parents? What are they like?”

Charlie didn’t really know what to say… “Well, I’m close to my dad, he listens to me a lot and understands me which I appreciate. But I’m not too close with my mum…she listens and all but…sometimes she doesn’t respond to me in the best way. I guess I’ve always felt like a burden to her…”

“I’m sorry, Charlie.” Nick sent Charlie a sad smile.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s just something that can’t be helped I suppose. Maybe one day she will understand.” Charlie sent him a sad one back.

The two boys made their way back to Nick’s house, getting to know each other, learning about what each other’s favourite films are, how Nick despises a cold breeze on a hot day, how Charlie loves the sound of a cracking open fire and how Nick loves Formula 1, Rugby and the sound felt tips make on paper. In that walk it was as if they had known each other for years, the way each other listened to the other, understanding one another. It was as if they had been the best of friends for years, when in reality it had only been a matter of weeks.

“Thanks for coming with me today.” Nick smiled at Charlie as he stood on the doorstep.

“No, thank you, I really enjoyed it.” Charlie smiled back.

“I’ll see you later.” Charlie waved at Nick as he walked from the drive way still in complete awe of the day.

“Charlie!!” Nick shouted as he ran down the driveway.”

Charlie turned around, startled. “Text me when you get back, so I know that you’re safe.”

He nodded in response, Charlie didn’t know whether to hug Nick or if it was too soon to do that. So instead, he gave him a smile and a wave. “I will do, I promise.”

“See you later, Charlie.”

“See you later, Nick.” With that Charlie walked off down the street in literal heaven over the past day.

Charlie called Elle and Isaac on the way home to tell them all about his day, both of them were over the moon for him and kept on mentioning how it was a date, as Tori did. Charlie never mentioned anything to Tao because of his reaction previously and didn’t want to get that sort of reaction again. Besides, Elle and Isaac were happy for him and Tori would be too when he told her.

Charlie arrived home just as the clock hit 6pm. Everyone was in the living room, the last thing he wanted to do right now was engage in small talk and awkward intruding questions. Instead, Charlie just flopped onto his bed absorbing his thoughts in his head, replaying the day over and over again not wanting it to end. He felt so happy. So eternally happy. As promised, Charlie messaged Nick to let him know that he was back safe.

NICK NELSON

CHARLIE: I’m back home now, thank you for today! :)

NICK: Glad you’re back safe! Thank you for an amazing day too! :) x

A kiss. A kiss at the end of Nick’s message. A kiss that Charlie would think about until he saw Nick Nelson again.

Chapter Text

“So you’re telling me you spent everyday with Nick Nelson?” Elle mumbled in a tired morning voice.

“Yup.” Charlie answered back as he was pulling his car onto the school car park.

“And do you have any suspicion that he likes you?” Isaac spoke down the phone, he had been engrossed in a new book since half 5 in the morning.

“I mean…no…for all I know he’s just a lovely, straight guy.”

Silence came from both ends of the phone, “hmm…I don’t think he’s straight.”

Charlie stared at his dashboard as he finished parking his car, “Umm Elle you’ve never met him?”

“And? I just don’t think he’s straight. Something in me is telling me. Do you agree Isaac?”

“I do indeed. It’s only a matter of time before you realise it Charlie,” Charlie could hear the sound of a page turning when Isaac responded.

Both Isaac and Elle started ranting down the phone of their theories as to how they thought Nick likes Charlie and how spending every waking second together outside of work is definitely not normal for ‘just friends’. It’s something that really scared Charlie and couldn’t take it all in at 7:40 on a Monday morning.

Charlie caught sight of Nick getting out of his car and his heart immediately began to flutter, “I need to get going! You know, set up for the day and all that…”

“I presume that means you can see lover boy in sight.” Elle said to him, completely reading his mind.

“He’s not my lover boy.”

“Not YET he isn’t,” Isaac teased Charlie over emphasising the ‘yet’.

Charlie giggled slightly and rolled his eyes, “ok but seriously I have to go!”

“Enjoyyyy! Don’t stare at Nick all day!” Elle giggled.

“Give us any details on anything that happens!! See you later!” Isaac responded.

“Bye!” Charlie put the phone down and grabbed his bag and headed straight to the direction of Nick who was heading towards the office.

Both were still wrapped up in winter coats as a cool breeze still entered the March morning air, hopes of warmth and sun were on its way as the month was about to roll into April. Hopes that something will happen between himself and Nick also entered Charlie’s mind as this was the 3rd and nearly 4th month of working together.

“Morning, Nick!” Charlie slowed down his pace that he picked up so he could reach Nick.

Nick turned to him with a radiant smile sat on his lips, one he often showed to Charlie, “morning Charlie! Did you have a good weekend?”

“No not really. I spent it with an awfully boring man that kept droning on about his dogs all the time. Seems as if he prefers dogs over humans.” Charlie replied back, of course joking but had a dead-set annoyed look on his face.

Nick pretended to be shocked, “oh dear that sounds awful!”

Charlie nodded sympathetically, “yeah it was. Bored me to death. Won’t be doing that again. How was your weekend?”

“Pretty much like yours if I’m honest.”

Charlie looked at Nick with confusion, “how come?”

“This curly haired bloke was round my house all weekend and wouldn’t bugger off. Kept mentioning about drums and books. The bloke still plays Mario Kart! I mean how childish is that?” Nick played along, joking with Charlie.

Charlie rolled his eyes, “oh god. Very childish. Bet you won’t be doing that again?”

Nick shook his head, “nope. Definitely not. Would much rather spend it with you instead.”

As much as Charlie knew that they were both joking around, he couldn’t help but let his heart flutter slightly when Nick said that. He couldn’t do anything other than smile.

“I’d rather spend my weekend with you too.” Charlie spoke in a quiet voice so only the pair could hear as they were making their way to their classrooms.

“Well…saying that…” Nick looked to the floor nervously.

Charlie couldn’t help but feel confused and slightly uncertain at what was going to be said. One thing was for certain, Charlie HATED long pauses. Especially with people he cares about, it’s never a good thing.

Nick rubbed his hand behind his neck, something he always did when he was nervous, “do you want to.. you don’t have to…but do you want to come and have dinner at my house on Saturday? My mum is cooking and would love to meet the infamous Charlie Spring.”

Charlie stood and smiled, he couldn’t say anything for awhile as he was too absorbed by Nick’s nervousness but also the fact that he had been invited round for dinner. Never had he been invited to dinner before. It did worry him slightly.

“I’d love to come! But I’ve already met your mum..?”

Nick gave Charlie a happy smile,” yes!! Brilliant! I know you’ve met her but she wants to have a proper conversation with you…”

Charlie raised his eyebrows, “should I be worried?”

“What—no—no..please don’t be worried! You’ve been round my house so much that she just wants to meet you a bit more as we’re always up in my room.” Nick shook his head at Charlie trying everything to calm him down.

A relieved look washed over Charlie, “I honestly thought I was in trouble then..”

Nick laughed a little, a soft laugh that sent Charlie’s mind waltzing around with happiness, “…you’re only in trouble for stealing my heart…” Nick mumbled under his breath so quietly that Charlie couldn’t hear anything. He knew it was a cringy thing to say, but the realisation was hitting him more that Charlie was stealing his heart and there wasn’t a lot he could do about it…and Nick didn’t care.

Charlie looked at his watch. 8am. By now he would have sorted his printing for the day, loaded up the register and started sorting out the books that the children would need for the day. Even though he was on placement, Charlie felt as if it was his own class and within a matter of months he would be a teacher with his very own class…but without Nick next door to him which upset him slightly.

“I’m gonna go at sort the classroom out, I’ll speak to you in a bit?” Charlie said to Nick as he turned the handle of the door.

Nick nodded,” of course. Latte at break time? I’ll make you one.”

“Definitely.” Charlie smiled at Nick before both of them walked into their classrooms.

The day went by swiftly, Charlie taught the class for the day whilst his mentor was out on training, he liked it. Loved it in fact. He felt like a proper teacher and of course he saw Nick too which made his day ten times better than it already was. The conversation of Nick inviting him round for dinner was going round and round in his head, happiness was the first emotion, Charlie was so happy that Nick wanted to spend more time with him and to get to know his family more. But also Charlie felt tense and a flush of worry, worry over food and his eating. Nick knew nothing about what he had been through nor did he know anything about his eating disorder. He was worried that Nick would judge him, say something, laugh in his face. That feeling, that awful overbearing feeling over took him and removed all of the happiness he initially felt.

“I’m home.” Charlie shouted up the stairs as he shut the front door behind him and put the keys on the hook. Silence came from the house.

He walked up the stairs, unsure of the silence. Usually the house was bustling with noise but today there was nothing. “Mum? Dad?” Charlie repeated himself again.

“Hello..” Tori appeared at the top of the stairs.

Charlie jumped out of his skin, “shit! Tori! How many times have I said stop doing that? I nearly fell down the stairs.”

“Well you didn’t.” She looked at him blankly.

Charlie walked past Tori and straight into his room, putting down his bags whilst Tori followed behind. “Where’s mum, dad and Ollie?”

“Mum and dad are at work still and Ollie is at his after school club. Board Games Club. He’s trying to beat me at chess.” She replied back to his question.

Charlie just nodded and then flopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“What’s up?” Tori plonked herself down next to Charlie.

“Nothing.”

“You wouldn’t be staring into space if there wasn’t anything.”

Charlie sighed he needed to tell someone and the person he would always turn to in a crisis is Tori. “Nick.”

Tori frowned, “what about Nick?”

He let out another sigh and sat himself up so he was in a seated position. “He’s invited me round on Saturday..”

“And isn’t that a good thing?…” She replied back, very confused.

“He’s asked me to go for food..”

“..oh..”

“..and I haven’t told him about my eating.” Charlie looked down at his hands that were picking loose bits of cotton from his duvet.

“If I tell him he’s going to think I’m stupid and weak and that I’m someone that constantly needs checking upon and continuous around the clock care. He’s going to think I’m so fragile and useless.” Charlie let a small tear escape from his eyes.

Tori shuffled closer to him and embraced him in a hug which Charlie collapsed into, “Listen Charlie,” he looked up and faced Tori.

“I know how much you like him. I know I tease you but it’s just an older sister thing to do. But I know you like him and deep down you know that too.”

He did nothing but sniffle.

“You are not stupid. You are not useless and you are certainly not weak. You’ve got more strength and willpower inside of you than most people have. You don’t have to tell Nick all of the details if you don’t want to, but mention to him about your eating and how some days are tougher than others and how you have safe foods from your menu to help you. The bravest and most strongest thing to do it to talk. You’ve proven to yourself that you are brave and strong. I know I believe that.” Tori finished what she was saying and another sniffle escaped Charlie’s lips.

“Speak to him Charlie, I promise you. He will understand.” Tori smiled at him as Charlie raised his head.

And that’s exactly what he did. Charlie couldn’t do it over text as there were so many things he wanted to say but he couldn’t write them down. So calling Nick was the way forward. Nick didn’t say anything. He just sat and listened as Charlie spoke to him. Initially, Charlie was only going to talk about his eating disorder and how there are some days where he really struggles but something within him felt so comfortable when talking to Nick which allowed him to get everything out. Right from the start. From when the bullying began, coming out, Ben Hope, his mental health struggles, his eating disorder. Everything. Every thought and emotion he ever had and felt was let out on this phone call to Nick. Nick listened tentatively. When he did speak after Charlie had let everything out, he reassured him. He reassured him that if he felt like he couldn’t eat or Saturday or he was struggling then that was ok and to speak to him. Nick gave him constant reassurance throughout the call. Charlie didn’t know what to expect, but with Nick’s reassurance he was more than happy.

Charlie arrived at Nick’s as happy as usual on the Saturday, feeling relieved that he opened up to Nick. He was greeted in the same way as usual, being licked to death by dogs who were jumping up his legs and welcomed through the door by Nick whose smiles radiated with pure happiness.

“You sure you’re ok to do this?” Nick asked Charlie with an air of concern in his voice.

Charlie gave him a slight smile and nodded, “I’m feeling ok today.”

Nick sent him one back and led Charlie into the kitchen where Sarah Nelson was busy finishing cooking a meal from Charlie’s menu.

“Mum, Charlie is here.” Nick called to his mum who was busy draining the boiled potatoes.

She turned around with a gleeful smile on her face, “Charlie! Wonderful to see you, darling!” Sarah embraced him in a hug, a hug in which Charlie thoroughly appreciated.

“Lovely to see you too, Mrs Nelson.” Charlie smiled at her as he pulled away from the hug.

“Honestly Charlie, please call me Sarah!” She laughed at him and turned back to getting the food out of the oven.

“Did you have a safe journey, Charlie?” She asked him as she was dishing up the food.

Nick guided both himself and Charlie to sit at the table that he made up 30 minutes before Charlie’s arrival.

“I did thank you, Sarah. I really could have walked but it started tipping it down as i left.” He smiled at Sarah who brought Charlie his plate of food.

Nick gave Charlie a little look to check to see if he was ok with the food, Charlie just nodded and smiled before picking up his fork to take a bite of his food.

“Ahh, yes. Nicky said you only live about 10 minutes away!” Sarah smiled at Charlie as she herself took a bite of her own food.

Nick groaned in annoyance, “Mummmm, will you stop with the nickname please?”

Sarah shot Nick a look, “why can’t I call you Nicky? You’ve never had a problem before!”

“I don’t have an issue—it’s just that Charlie is here…” Charlie snorted a little at Nick’s embarrassment.

“You don’t mind do you, Charlie?” Sarah nodded towards Charlie.

He shook his head, “no, not at all!”

“See, I shall carry on calling you Nicky for the rest of your life.” Both Sarah and Nick shared smiles with each other.

“So, Charlie. How long have you got left at Nick’s school?” Sarah asked him as she took another bite of her meat.

Charlie took a sip of his water, “3 months before I start at my own school in September.”

“Own school?” Nick looked at Charlie very confused.

“Have you got a teaching position at a different school for September?” Sarah asked Charlie.

He nodded, “I have!”

Nick looked at Charlie initially in shock before a smile broke out on his face, “oh my god, Charlie! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I really didn’t think it was big news..” Charlie began to go bright red.

An even larger smile grew on Nick’s face, “Char! This is big news! This is massive news! I’m so proud of you! When did you get it? When did go for an interview?”

‘Char’ slipped out of Nick’s mouth, it felt so natural and so right. He meant every word of it. A warm rush ran through Charlie’s body after hearing Nick say that, a nickname. His very own nickname. No one ever called him that before. It felt so good. So so good.

“I went for an interview just before February half term, when I had that day off, and I found out I got it when we back after the half term.” He smiled at Nick and Sarah who were bubbling with excitement.

“I’m so proud of you!” Nick told Charlie who blushed under his words.

“Congratulations Charlie! Where will you be working?” Sarah buzzed.

“Kent Village Primary. About 10 minutes from my house so it’s nice and convenient.” Charlie smiled at Sarah.

“That’s down the road from Truham Primary!” Nick smiled at Charlie knowing that they’d be working in close proximity come September.

Sarah collected the plates and began washing up, “ooo! My sister, Diane, children go to Kent Village. They must be in Year 3 now.”

“Perhaps I might teach them on day!” Charlie beamed back.

Nick stared at Charlie in awe, butterflies danced in his stomach as his eyes glazed over Charlie’s jawline. He kept having a certain feeling, a feeling he only felt with Charlie, one he never felt before until he met him. Was Nick Nelson falling for Charlie Spring even more?

Sarah turned to face the boys that were still at the table, “speaking of good news, have you told Charlie yours?”

Charlie turned from Sarah to Nick who was shaking his head.

“No, well erm, I finished my PGCE in August and my graduation is next weekend. I have two tickets, mum already has one but I was wondering if you would like the other? I would love—like for you to be there.” Nick fumbled over his words.

A warm blush rose to Charlie’s skin, being invited to an important event meant a lot to him. Surely this must mean something?

“I would love to come, are you sure you want me to have the other ticket?” Charlie asked hesitantly.

Nick nodded enthusiastically, “absolutely, I really want you there.”

“I’m more than happy to come to see you graduate!”

“Brilliant! I’ll go upstairs and grab your ticket before I forgot!” Nick immediately sprung to his feet and ran to his room so he could get the ticket.

Left in the kitchen was just Charlie and Sarah, “this means a lot to Nicky you know?” Sarah told Charlie.

“How come?” He asked her as he stood by one of the kitchen counters.

“He thinks the world of you. He never stops talking about you. Ever since you started working with him he’s become a new man. A happier man. I’ve seen such a big chance in him, it’s nice to see him smile for once and care so much about someone.” Sarah spoke softly.

“I had no idea that he mentioned me…” He felt a blush grow onto his cheeks.

Sarah nodded, “everyday. There’s not a day that goes by when he doesn’t mention you. Nick really wanted you to see him graduate and has been nervous about asking you. He cares about you a lot. You’re good for him, Charlie.”

“Here it is!” Nick ran back into the kitchen with the graduation ticket in hand.

“I’m going to have to dig out my best suit.” Charlie smiled at Nick before looking down at the ticket in his hand.

“With a red tie?” Nick winked at him.

“Just for you.” Charlie laughed back.

Sarah, Nick and Charlie sat for the rest of the evening discussing and sharing stories of Nick’s childhood, embarrassing photos and listening to Sarah talk about her travels before she decided to have children. Charlie enjoyed being in the company of Sarah and Nick, it felt so homely and warm.

“Thank you for saying that you will come to my graduation.” Nick smiled at Charlie as they stood by the open door ready for him to go back home.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Charlie smiled back.

Something strange happened between them. A spark. A spark that only the two of them could see. A spark that brought their eyes together as they gazed at one another. Then, a warm feeling that was hot, light and fuzzy rushed through them at the same time and Nick’s immediate reaction to this feeling was to throw his arms around Charlie and pull him into a hug. So that’s what he did. The hug lasted a while, the sweet smell from Nick’s jumped travelled up Charlie’s nose as he buried his head into the crook of his neck like it was the most natural thing to do. Nick’s arms gripped around Charlie’s waist not wanting to let him go, protecting him from anything that would come their way- Charlie very much enjoyed this. When the hug ended, they slowly pulled away from it and just stared at each other for a while with no words being spoken. The hug said a thousand words and nothing more needed to be said.

Both boys just stood with arms loosely draping around each other’s waists staring into one another’s eyes, taking in every single proportion, every tiny detail of their faces. A small smile was shared between the two of them which expressed exactly how they felt about what just happened: happy, content, completely and utterly head over heels for the other.

“I will see you tomorrow.” Charlie smiled at Nick as he stepped out of the door.

“See you tomorrow.” Nick smiled back as he leant against the door frame watching Charlie getting into his car.

As Charlie drove away, the thought of what just happened wrapped itself around his brain and the conversation with Sarah rang in his ears. Charlie was completely and utterly devoted to Nick Nelson, and he hoped, especially after that hug, that Nick felt the same way about Charlie too.

Chapter Text

“I don’t know which one to wear!” Charlie moaned out of annoyance whilst he was staring at the 3 suits that were looking back at him.

“Try them all on, then you can see which looks best!” Elle sighed as she stood up from Charlie’s bed and positioned herself by him, scanning the suits.

“I need to wear a red tie. None of my shoes match the outfits. I’m going to look so stupid.” He huffed again flopping down onto his bed.

Isaac looked up from his book, “why do you need to wear a red tie?”

Charlie propped himself up on his elbows, “I promised Nick I would.”

Elle and Isaac looked at each other with a smirk residing on their faces, “if it’s what you promised Nick then that’s what he’ll get.” Elle held out an open hand to Charlie so he could stand up from his bed.

“Navy suit and white shirt would look so good with a red tie.” Isaac held the suit which was on a coat hanger in his hand.

“And for shoes…” Elle went into Charlie’s wardrobe and pulled out a pair of brown dress shoes, “these will always go the best with a navy suit.”

“Try them on.” Both Elle and Isaac held out the suit and shoes towards Charlie, who accepted after a long sigh and took them to get ready in the bathroom.

It was an important day for Charlie, the first proper event that Nick had invited him to. His graduation. He never expected it, not once. But he couldn’t turn it down when he asked, and the hug that they had when Charlie left Nicks house last Saturday felt more than just a friend hug. It felt more than any hug he had had before. It was a hug that solidified his feelings. He likes Nick. Really really likes him in fact.

“Please don’t laugh. But tell me if I look stupid.” Charlie’s voice echoed from behind the closed door.

“We won’t, promise!” Isaac called back. Both him and Elle stood facing the door waiting for Charlie’s arrival.

He opened the door and there Charlie stood, dawned in his navy suit and red tie looking quite sophisticated. “What do you think?”

Elle and Isaac stared at Charlie and smiled, “Charlie! You look amazing!” Elle chirped taking a step closer to look at him in his suit.

“You’re not just saying that?” A wave of nervousness was left in Charlie’s voice.

Elle shook her head, “no! Honestly! You’re look so so so good!”

“Nick is gonna be mesmerised by you! Charlie, you’re incredible!” Isaac joined in, smiling at his best friend.

“Thank you both, sorry for being a pain.” He smiled as he looked down at his brown dress shoes.

“You’re never a pain. Now, you have a graduation to get to.” Elle smiled at Charlie as she wrapped an arm around him before he set off on his taxi journey.

Nerves encased Charlie like a swarm of bees hovering around a flower, the short 20 minute taxi driver to the university campus felt like forever as a million different thoughts ran through his head, leaving traces of doubt in his mind. Nick doesn’t want him there. He’s worthless. Nick only invited him because he felt sorry for him. He’s only leading him on because Nick knows he likes him. The thoughts circled and circled in his mind and he knew he had to hush them to a stop.

NICK NELSON

CHARLIE: on my way! will be about 20 minutes!

NICK NELSON: Ok! Meet us outside of the university just getting my robes!

CHARLIE: will do! Can’t wait to see you!

Immediate regret. Of course Charlie felt better that Nick was expecting him and the voice in his head was just being stupid. But is saying ‘can’t wait to see you’ reaching too far? Charlie dreaded the response. He knew their hug meant something last weekend, but did it mean as much to Nick as it did to him?

NICK NELSON: Can’t wait to see you too! X

There it goes again. A kiss. The confirmation that Charlie needed that Nick was looking forward to see him. The kiss was also a lovely added surprise too. The taxi journey that seemed like forever turned into seconds when Charlie pulled up outside of the university. Getting out of the taxi, he straightened his tie and dusted down his navy jacket. There was a slight warmth in the air and the 2nd April drew in, the campus of the university was very different to the one back in Leeds that Charlie knew very well. The Kent campus was idyllic and screamed cottage core vibes to Charlie, whereas the campus back in Leeds had more of a hustle and bustle too it, city life was painted all over the campus, and in a way Charlie preferred it a little bit more.

Just as he was about to pick up his phone to text Nick, he heard the sound of a familiar voice calling his name.

“Charlie!” The voice grew closer.

He immediately turned around when he was faced with Nick who was dawned in his cap and gown with a black 3 piece suit underneath it. Charlie was immediately mesmerised. Awestruck.

“Hi…” Charlie spoke softly.

“…hi..” Nick spoke back in the same hush tone.

Nick looked Charlie up and down, admiring him looks and being completely captivated by him.

“You look…look…” He stumbled over his words, which made Charlie giggle a little.

“Amazing. You look amazing.” Nick smiled as he looked Charlie up and down again.

A blush rose its way onto Charlie cheeks and let a little smile reside on his face, “you look amazing too.”

The two boys just stood in awe of each other, admiring the others complete and utter perfection but not quite know what they wanted to do next.

Nick gently rubbed his thumb over Charlie’s red bow tie and Charlie caught the smell of Nick’s aftershave which could have made him melt immediately on the spot.

“You wore the red tie.” Nick smiled at Charlie whilst still admiring it.

Charlie nodded, “I promised you I would.”

The two boys stood staring at each other again, with a soft air fluttering between them.

Nick did his nervous look at his shoes and then back up to Charlie expression, “I’m glad you came.”

“I’m glad I came too.” He sent Nick a soft smile.

Before anymore words could be shared, Sarah came to embrace Charlie in a hug.

“Charlie, darling! It’s lovely to see you.” Sarah spoke to Charlie as they hugged.

“Lovely to see you too Sarah!”

“That’s a lovely suit, Charlie.” She smiled at him.

“Thanks..!” Nick looked at Charlie and smiled at him as he responded.

Charlie built up a tight relationship with Sarah, it was a relationship he wished and dreamed to have with him own mum. In fact, in a way, Charlie was envious of the relationship that Sarah and Nick had. He just wanted that close-knit relationship with him mum where she listened and understood.

Sarah picked up her phone and read the notification that pinged up on it, “Nan and Grandad are waiting for us inside of the theatre, Nicky! We need to get going!” Sarah chirped, Nick had never seen her so excited for anything. It was nice to see her happy for once, it brought Nick so much happiness to see the ones he cared being so happy. Even Charlie.

Charlie just chuckled, “come on!” He picked up his pace to catch up to Sarah and Nick surely followed.

“Anyone would think this is mum’s graduation that we’re going to!” Nick walked side by side with Charlie.

He smiled at Nick, “and she’s so proud of you.”

Nick wanted to take Charlie’s hand at that exact moment, the way he felt for him overcame any emotion that he had ever felt for anyone before. But even he didn’t know if Charlie liked him back.

They shortly arrived at the theatre where Charlie met Nick’s nan and grandad for the first time who were just as lovely as Sarah was. A buzz of electric filled the air as graduates walked around the theatre with their families as they were all taking their seats ready for the event; Sarah and Nick’s grandparents had already gone to take their seats whilst Charlie waited behind to give him a final word of encouragement.

“The next time I’ll see you, you will officially be a graduate.” Charlie smiled at Nick who was looking down at him, staring at the different areas of his face.

Nick chucked, “Officially Mr Nelson, the best Primary School Teacher.”

“Don’t big yourself up too much,” Charlie eye rolled as he giggled at him, a little giggle which he tried to hide.

“In all seriousness, thank you for being here.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Charlie spoke softly and their pairs hands grazed against each other as they both felt the same bolt of electricity pang through their hearts.

They quickly moved their hands away from eachother  before anyone could notice, before the pair could notice. Both boys were equally as flustered but couldn’t pluck up the courage to say anything.

“Go and find my mum and grandparents seats, cause I need to get my grad on.” Nick flicked the back of his gown as if he was on a catwalk.

Charlie just laughed once again, “you’re so cringe.”

“See you in a bit!” Nick said nothing else as he walked down towards his seat and Charlie walked up towards his and found Sarah and Nick’s grandparents next to him.

Names of graduates with Education degrees were called up and they walked across the stage to get their scroll as if they were some form of celebrity for all of 30 seconds. The realisation hit Charlie that this would be him in a few months time becoming a graduate but would Nick be watching him like Charlie is currently doing for him?

“Post Graduate Certificate in Education, Nicholas Nelson.” The very important person from the university spoke through the microphone and Nick walked across the stage to get his certificate.

Sarah jumped to her feet and gave Nick and little cheer whilst Charlie stood on his feet and clapped and smiled at him. As Nick shook hand with the lead professor at the university, he look up into the grand circle and sent a small smile to Charlie which Charlie knew exactly what it meant. He immediately felt a sense of pride for Nick, although he had not been there throughout his degree, Charlie felt as if he was and in the short time that they knew each other, being invited to one of the most important days in Nick’s life was so special to him.

“NICKY! I am so proud of you!!” Sarah threw her arms around Nick the moment he found them in the crowd.

“Thank you, mum!” He replied back hugging Sarah.

She pulled away and wiped her eyes, “I couldn’t stop crying the whole way through! Nan was blubbering like a baby!”

Nick let out a small chuckle, “I’m glad to know I’ve made you cry….in a good way.”

“In a very good way, come here!” She threw her arms around Nick again to which Nick sent Charlie a startled look.

“I’m just so proud of you! So so proud!” Sarah blubbered again with pride in her voice.

Nick pulled away from the hug, “I couldn’t have got through it all without you mum.”

Sarah smiled at Nick before crying again into her tissue.

“Congratulations Mr Graduate.” Charlie smiled at Nick.

Nick took a step closer to Charlie, “thank you for coming! Did you enjoy it?”

Charlie nodded, “I did. Other than the part when someone called Nick Nelson came up, he looks suspiciously like that boring old fart that I once spent a weekend with.”

Nick looked a mix between shocked whilst trying to hold in his laughter, “boring I might be but an old fart! That’s where I am offended.”

“The wrinkle on your forehead isn’t doing you any favours.” Charlie pointed to a line on Nick’s forehead.

Nick batted his hand out of the way, “that’s not a wrinkle it’s just a line where my skin folds.

“Hmmm…” Charlie raised his eyebrows, “you keep telling yourself that.”

“Shhh, it’s my day of celebration.” Nick put his finger over Charlie’s lips.

“Speaking of celebration, we need to get going.”

Nick let a puzzled look reside on his face, “get going for what?”

“I might have booked a meal for us in London for later this afternoon which means we need to get going now if we want to get the train on time.” Charlie smiled at him.

“Wait what? A meal in London? Why?” Nick spoke confused, of course he was grateful but slightly confused as to why Charlie went to such lengths.

“Because it’s your graduation and you deserve it.”

A smile appeared on his face before concern overtook it, “are you sure? What about the food? Are you feeling ok today? I don’t want to go if you’re not feeling ok?”

Charlie shook his head and smiled, feeling happy that Nick cared about him, “I’m feeling ok today, I’ve already gone through the menu and chosen what I want so I’ve prepared myself.”

“I don’t deserve you…” Nick whispered to Charlie.

The smile grew a bit more on Charlie’s face, “I don’t feel like I deserve you…”

A little thing happened between them again where they both gazed at each other, completely oblivious to the commotion that was happening around them. It’s something they did so often that they were so used to it. Before they stood there too long, Sarah broke up their gazing by embracing Nick in a final hug before the pair dashed off so they didn’t miss their train.

The journey of an hour seemed to go by so quickly as the country side views of Kent morphed into the bustling streets of London, even for a late to early evening on a Saturday the streets were still busy with lines of shoppers, excited tourists, bar and pub crawlers, fans of the west end and other people continuing with their daily commute. Charlie had the route from the tube station where they got onto from the train to the restaurant mapped out in his head like he had rehearsed it a million times. Nick followed swiftly behind him as they turned corners of the streets, being guided by signs of lit up bars and restaurants until Charlie stopped outside one of them.

“Italian?” Nick looked at the sigh in the restaurant.

Charlie nodded enthusiastically, “yeah!”

Nick let a smile rest on his face, “how did you know Italian is my favourite type of food?”

“Lucky guess.”

Charlie led them both into the restaurant where they were taken to a table slightly away from the business which had a glowing candle burning right in the centre of it. They were both handed menus when they were sat down and Charlie laughed at the expression in Nick’s face when he saw the incredibly expensive price list.

“Why is it so expensive?” Nick looked in shock with his jaw hanging down as he skimmed over the prices.

“It’s one of the top rated Michelin restaurants in London, choose what ever you want because I am paying.”

Nick shook his head, “Charlie, I can’t expect you to pay for this.”

“I want to. To celebrate your graduation.” Charlie smiled at Nick from over the menu.

“Thank you.” Nick spoke as he put it down.

Charlie raised his eyebrows, “any ideas on what you’re having.”

Nick sat back in his chair, “Calzone, obviously.”

“Spicy or not spicy?”

“Oh definitely spicy.” Nick nodded, “what are you having?”

“Carbonara.” Charlie answered his question.

The pair put in their orders to the waiter and even though it was busy, their food got delivered in a swift time. Charlie was feeling more comfortable eating around Nick, and Nick was always there to reassure him if he needed it which Charlie appreciated greatly. He never would expect to feel comfortable around anyone, but Nick…Nick was something else that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Nick shared a slight disagreement when the bill came and pleaded with Charlie to pay for his share of the food, but Charlie ,being stubborn, put his foot down and ignored any defences that Nick was trying to say. He had it in his head that he was going to treat Nick for his graduation and everything he had done for him, a way of saying thank you.

“Where to next?” Nick held the door open for Charlie as the exited out of the restaurant.

“We need to head back to the tube station so we can get to the train station on time for the train home.” Charlie told Nick with a twang of disappointment in his voice as he wanted this day to continue forever.

A thought popped into Nick’s head, “we don’t have to go back.”

Charlie frowned in confusion, “huh? How?”

“Well…” Nick pondered for a second, “we could always stay here..in London.”

An extensive puzzled look sat on Charlie’s face, “but we don’t have anywhere to stay.”

“We could book a hotel, there’s a Premier Inn across the road…”

“And we don’t have any spare clothes…”

Nick shrugged, “so? That’s never stopped party-goers before..” He suggested. “And if you want the hotel, I’ll make sure there’s separate beds if that is ok with you?”

Charlie sighed, not a bad sigh, just a sigh of relief that the night wasn’t going to end just yet, “go on then.”

Nick quickly booked a room for the Premier Inn across the road so the pair could continue their celebrations without having a time constraint bearing on their shoulders. From then, the pair walked up and down streets of bars and restaurants until Nick led Charlie into a Gin bar that seemed to have a 1920s aesthetic to it.

“I never thought you would be the type to like gin.” Charlie said to Nick has he sat down with his drink.

“What did you have me down for?” Nick sat down with his too as he took a small sip of the gin.

Charlie shrugged, “probably vodka or whiskey. Gin never crossed my mind.”

“I guess you’ve learnt something new about me then.” Nick sipped his drink again.”

“I guess I have.” Charlie smiled at him as he also took a sip of his drink, “how come you like it anyway?”

“My mum. She’s always been a gin lover, we went to a gin distillery in Spain last year when we were on holiday and it made me appreciate the taste of gin even more.”

Charlie nodded, satisfied with Nick’s answer but something still bugged him in the background of his mind.

“Why did you say that you don’t deserve me? When we were outside of the theatre..”. Charlie spoke as the sound of the rain that had started hit against the windows.

“Because I don’t.”  Nick replied, honestly.

“But there must be a reason.”

Nick shuffled closer to the table, “ever since we’ve started talking more and hanging out outside of work, I’ve felt different. Happier. And sometimes you’re just sitting there just looking so angelic and I’m like I don’t know what I did to deserve someone like you entering my life..”

Charlie raised his eyebrows, he never expected Nick to say that. He didn’t know what to expect, but it was definitely not that. “Wow…”

“I could say the same about you though, why did you say that you didn’t deserve me either..”

“Because you’re kind, funny and understanding. I don’t think I’ve had anyone properly understand me or my eating or my head space, other than my sister really. But you do. You get me. The only thing I’ve ever felt when I got outed to everyone was that I’m not good enough and not deserving, but with you…it’s so much different.” The words spilled out of Charlie’s mouth once again.

“I’m sorry about you being outed…I didn’t know…I couldn’t even begin to understand how that would feel,” Nick told Charlie with an expression of sadness but also anger on his face to anyone who ever said anything about his sexuality.

“It’s not your fault, you weren’t to know…I guess I never told you..”

Nick clasped Charlie’s hand over the table and the same sparks were created by their touch sending a soft warm heat through their bodies.

“I wish I had the opportunity to come out in my own time…” Charlie spoke sadly whilst the memories flashed back through his mind.

Nick squeezed Charlie’s hands again, “I’ve had some disgusting comments thrown towards me..”

Charlie raised his eyebrows, “oh…?”

“I came out as bisexual at University and as a whole, people were accepting and understanding but there were some awful people who were telling me that I need to make a choice and that I can’t have both. I already had thoughts of confusion when I was first realising that I am bisexual and I thought everyone would be accepting, but apparently not.” Nick sighed, recalling his memories.

“Well those people are dicks”. Charlie responded which Nick nodded his head to.

The pair sat in silence for awhile, no longer sitting with their hands clasping together, just sipping their drinks and appreciating the vintage aesthetic of the restaurant.

“I do have a question for you.” Nick spoke after he sipped his drink.

“Go on..”

“How come, whenever I’m with you or see you, that you’re always reading different versions of Romeo and Juliet?” Nick asked Charlie, who sat with a melted smile on the face at the question.

He already had a pre-made answer in his head for anyone that asked, “the idea of love. Romeo is so devoted to Juliet and does anything within his power to make sure that the both of them are together, their meeting was so coincidental as if it had been written in the stars for a long time, the two didn’t care that the odds were against them they just wanted each other.”

Nick nodded, satisfied with Charlie’s answer.

“It all changed that one night where they kissed on the balcony, so unexpected but felt perfect in each and every way.” Charlie finished as the words washed over Nick.

Nick shuffled closer to Charlie, “it seems as if you’re captivated by them.”

Charlie moved closer to Nick, “Completely.”

“What about unexpected things?” Nick asked him.

“What about them?” Charlie’s eyes traced over Nick’s face.

“Do you believe in them?”

The gap between the pair was near to nothing now, they could feel each others breath on their face, “Truthfully?” Charlie asked.

“Truthfully..” Nick agreed.

Charlie's gaze lingered on Nick, a silent invitation shimmering in his eyes whilst

his voice began to stutter, “I believe in this…”

With a subtle tilt, Charlie leaned in, his lips brushing Nick's in a tentative, electric kiss. Heart pounding with nerves and anticipation, Charlie felt Nick catch his breath before softening into the kiss. The room seemed to pause, the clinking of glasses and murmured conversations fading into the background as they shared their first, sweet moment of connection in the bar's intimate embrace.

Charlie pulled away from the kiss when the realisation hit him all at once…worry and stupidity.

“Oh my god—- I am so sorry..” Charlie spluttered as he quickly stood from his seat and ran towards the door of the bar exiting into the rain.

“Charlie! Wait!” Nick, who was still in complete shock over the events, swiftly followed Charlie into the damp London street where he found him crying beneath a lamppost.

Snuffles came from his mouth and he tried to hide them as Nick approached. The rain luckily was disguising to many that he was crying, but the only person who did know was stood right before him.

“Charlie—“ Nick began to talk before Charlie cut him off.

“Nick, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking—-“ Charlie began to splutter.

“Charlie—“

“It just happened, talking about Romeo and Juliet and this whole idea and perception on romance just led to it all—“

“Charlie—“

“And then you asked if I believed in unexpected things like the kiss Romeo and Juliet shared and for me the timing just felt right—“

“Charlie—“

“I didn’t even ask if you were ok with it, or even wanted it. I didn’t even know if you felt comfortable doing it. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done it.—“

“CHARLIE—“ Nick spoke again, but slightly louder which halted him from saying anymore.

Charlie said no more other than let the tears fall down his face whilst the downpour masked them.

Nick gently held Charlie's face, his thumb brushing away the rain and tears. "I asked you about those unexpected things because I wanted this," Nick whispered, his voice raw with sincerity. Charlie's breath hitched, and before he could respond, Nick leaned in, capturing his lips in a tender, reassuring kiss. The rain fell harder, but in that moment, it was only them, wrapped in a profound and comforting embrace, their second kiss sealing Nick's heartfelt confession.

Chapter Text

The rain had finally let up by the time Nick and Charlie made their way back to the hotel. Both were soaked to the skin, but they hardly noticed, the warmth of their shared moment still radiating between them. They entered their room, the door clicking shut behind them, muffling the city's distant hum.

Nick grabbed a couple of towels from the bathroom and handed one to Charlie.

“Here,” he said softly, his eyes never leaving Charlie’s.

“Thanks,” Charlie replied, a shy smile tugging at his lips.

They dried off in companionable silence, the tension from earlier replaced by a new, tentative intimacy. Nick approached Charlie, his fingers gently tilting Charlie's chin up.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Charlie nodded, his voice a whisper. “I am now.”

Nick smiled, and without another word, he leaned in, their lips meeting once more in a kiss that was both tender and filled with promise. It was slow and sweet, the kind of kiss that spoke of new beginnings and unspoken feelings.

When they finally pulled away, they stood there for a moment, foreheads touching, sharing a quiet breath. Nick took Charlie’s hand and led him to the two single beds, where they lay facing, fingers intertwined. They lay there for hours giggling, laughing and talking about anything that came across their minds- but neither did not once mention the kisses. Not that it was a bad thing, it was so pure and divine that words couldn’t describe the events of the past few hours. The exhaustion from the night’s emotional whirlwind quickly caught up with them, and before long, they drifted off to sleep, the comfort of each other’s presence lulling them into peaceful slumber.

The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. Charlie stirred first, blinking sleepily at the unfamiliar surroundings before the memories of the previous night came rushing back. He turned to find Nick already awake, watching him with a gentle smile.

“Morning,” Nick said, his voice still husky with sleep.

“Morning,” Charlie replied, feeling a blush creep up his cheeks.

The events of the previous night immediately ran through the minds of the two boys, the feeling of their lips against each others, the hitching from breath as they were both taken by surprise, and complete softness as they both melted into each other.

“About last night…”Charlie whispered in his morning voice.

Nick reached over his side of the bed and squeezed his hand. “I meant what I said, Charlie. I wanted that kiss. I’ve wanted it for a while now.”

“How long?” Charlie asked, being totally bemused by the length of time.

“Since the first time you came to my house.”

February half term. That was ages ago. A very long time ago. Charlie couldn’t believe it. He thought all this time perhaps this little crush was one sided but maybe it wasn’t.

Charlie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? I didn’t know you felt that way. I thought I was the only one that felt something…”

Nick chuckled softly. “I’ve been dropping hints, but maybe not very well. I’ve always admired your passion, the way you talk about things that matter to you. Last night, when you were talking about Romeo and Juliet, I just… it felt right.”

Charlie’s face softened at Nick’s comments. “And then when you leaned in first for the kiss I was completely taken back by it all because it was so perfect and so wanted…”

Charlie nodded, absorbing Nick’s words. “I’m glad. I was so worried I’d overstepped.”

“You didn’t,” Nick assured him, his thumb brushing over Charlie’s knuckles. “I’m glad you took that step.”

They spent the morning talking, sharing more about their feelings and how they’d both been dancing around this moment for weeks. It was a relief to finally lay everything out in the open, to know that their feelings were reciprocated.

Eventually, it was time to leave. They packed their things and checked out of the hotel, each heading back to their own homes.

Charlie walked into his house, the familiar surroundings grounding him after the whirlwind of emotions from the night before. He made his way to his room, closing the door softly behind him. Dropping his bag on the floor, he collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

The memories of the night replayed in his mind like a movie—Nick's tentative kiss in the bar, the way their lips had met again in the rain, and the tenderness of their conversation that morning. He could still feel the warmth of Nick’s hand in his, the reassurance in his voice.

Charlie sighed, a mix of emotions swirling inside him. He was excited and happy, but there was also a flicker of uncertainty. What did this mean for them now? Could they navigate this new dynamic without losing the friendship they cherished?

As he lay there, lost in thought, he didn't hear the soft knock on his door. The sound of it opening startled him, and he sat up quickly to see Tori standing in the doorway, her brow furrowed in concern.

“Charlie? You okay? You came in silently.” she asked, stepping into the room.

Charlie blinked, trying to gather his thoughts. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just… thinking.”

Tori walked over and sat down on the edge of his bed. “What’s going on? You seem a little out of it.”

Charlie took a deep breath, feeling the need to share his jumbled thoughts. “Last night… a lot happened. With Nick.”

Tori’s expression softened, her curiosity piqued. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Charlie nodded, feeling a small wave of relief wash over him. “Yeah, I think I do.”

Charlie took another deep breath, then began to recount the events of the previous night. "We were at the bar, just talking about Romeo and Juliet and romance and stuff. And then... I don't know, it just happened. I leaned in and kissed him."

Tori's eyes widened slightly, but she stayed silent, letting him continue.

"It was amazing at first," Charlie continued, "but then I panicked and ran out. Nick followed me, and we talked, and he told me he wanted the kiss too. We kissed again, right there in the rain. And then we went back to the hotel and we kissed again…it was just as amazing as the first time. Then, this morning, we talked about it more. It felt... right."

Tori smiled gently. "Wow, Charlie. Thats intense yet so beautiful.”

Charlie giggled a bit, “I’ve never heard you call a kiss beautiful.”

“Perhaps I haven’t but the way you’ve spoken about this and the way you speak about Nick, it makes everything seem beautiful.” Tori smiled at him.

He didn’t know what to do other than hug his sister which she reciprocated back.

“Where do you go from here?” Tori asked him.

Charlie frowned at her, “what do you mean?”

“When are you seeing him next?”

“Oh…erm…tomorrow after work.”

“Maybe you should talk to him more about what’s going to happen next?” Tori suggested.

He laughed a little and then paused, “you’re making it seem like we’re writing a story.”

Tori rolled her eyes, “I’m just looking out for you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Huh?”

“For your own sake, talk to him about what’s going to happen next. I know it’s playing on your mind, even though you won’t tell me, but talk to him about it. For you.” With that Tori left the room leaving Charlie to ponder over her words.

She was right, ever since he arrived home he was thinking about how this kiss would change their friendship and what would happen between them. He wouldn’t even know how to bring up the conversation to Nick. But Charlie did know who to ask to support him.

ELLE, ISAAC AND CHARLIE GROUP

CHARLIE: anyone free for an SOS call?

ISAAC: yeah! I’m free now! Is everything ok?

ELLE: I’m here! What’s up?

CHARLIE: Is Tao with you now, Elle?

ELLE: no why?

CHARLIE: ok…don’t want him to hear about this just yet…

Charlie dialled the groups FaceTime and within seconds Elle and Isaac picked up.

“Hey!! What’s up?” Elle asked with a concerned look on her face.

“How was Nick’s graduation?” Isaac asked.

“It was amazing! Kinda made me nervous for my own.” Charlie let out an awkward laugh.

“That’s good!! But is everything ok though?” Isaac asked again, growing concern for this friend.

Charlie hesitated for a moment, looking at the faces of his two best friends on the screen. He took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "It was... unexpected. We were at the bar talking about romance, and then Nick and I... we kissed. Three times."

Both Elle and Isaac's eyes widened in surprise, their mouths forming perfect 'O's.

"Oh my God, Charlie!" Elle exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. "That's amazing!"

Isaac nodded, smiling broadly. "Wow, that's huge. How do you feel about it?"

Charlie let out a small, nervous laugh. "It felt incredible, but I'm also really confused. I don't know what this means for us. I mean, I want to talk to Nick about what happens next, but I'm worried it'll make things weird or complicated."

Elle and Isaac exchanged a look before turning back to the screen.

"Honestly, Charlie," Elle began, "you should talk to him. It's clear that you both care about each other a lot, and communication is key. Besides, you're already thinking about it, so it's better to have that conversation sooner rather than later."

Isaac nodded in agreement. "Yeah, don't let the worry eat away at you. Just be honest with him about your feelings and concerns. Nick's your friend first and foremost; he'll understand."

“Now I understand why I couldn’t tell Tao.” Elle laughed.

“I wouldn’t even know what his reaction would be…” Charlie giggled along with her. “How did you have this conversation? With Tao I mean, about not wanting to ruin the friendship?”

Elle paused for a second to gather her thoughts, “it was a hard one to have, with a few arguements in the early days but we needed to have it. We both came to realise that our friendship is far more important than anything that might or might not happen between us and we’ve always communicated that between us from day one. It’s always something that’s been at the forefront of our minds.”

Charlie sighed, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. "You're right. I need to be honest with him, for both our sakes."

Elle grinned, her eyes twinkling. "And who knows? This could be the start of something really beautiful. Just take it one step at a time."

Charlie smiled, grateful for his friends' support. "Thanks, guys. I needed that. I'll talk to him tomorrow and see where we stand."

"Good luck," Isaac said, giving a thumbs-up. "And remember, we're here for you no matter what."

After saying their goodbyes, Charlie ended the call and lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He felt a little more prepared to face the conversation with Nick, thanks to Tori's and his friends' advice. As nervous as he was about the uncertainty of what lay ahead, he also felt a flicker of excitement. Whatever happened, he knew he had people who cared about him and would support him through it all.

Charlie passed Nick throughout the day the following Monday, both were busy teaching their classes and didn’t have a whole lot of time to discuss anything…or discuss their kiss. There was a tight tension in the air between them, nothing negative, but an underlying tension of a kiss that they knew about and only them. Charlie wanted to talk to Nick, he truly did but he couldn’t find the time nor courage to do it, he knew that he was going to Nick’s that evening as usual so perhaps the opportunity may arise then.

As the evening drew nearer, and the thought of the conversation brewing in the back of his mind, Charlie couldn’t bare the thought of having it yet and didn’t go to visit Nick. He felt awful not saying anything and not mentioning to Nick that he wasn’t coming but the fear of the ‘what happens next’ conversation was eating away at his mind. Just as he was about to lie down and zone out for awhile, Charlie heard the door bell ring; thinking nothing of it and that it might be a delivery, he shut his eyes and allowed his mind to rest. But then the sound of muffled voices emerged, the familiar sounds of his mum and Nick talking. Immediately, Charlie shot up from his bed and stood by his bedroom door listening into the conversation, not wanting to go down yet.

“Hello Nick, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Jane Spring spoke him as he entered the house.

“I’m sorry to turn up unannounced Jane, Charlie was meant to come over this evening and he hasn’t. I haven’t heard from him either so I got a bit worried. I want to check to see if everything is ok.” The sound of worry escaped Nick’s lips, Charlie felt immediately guilty as he was listening in.

Hearing the sound of Nick’s voice, Charlie’s younger brother ran into the hallway and swarmed him in a hug. “NICK YOU’RE HERE!! Do you want to play rugby in the garden?” Oliver asked him excitedly.

Nick was about to respond but Sarah bet him to it, “sorry Ollie but Nick is here to see Charlie. Maybe in a bit when he’s finished?”

Ollie looked at Nick who nodded at him as a promise to which he skipped merrily on his way back to the garden. Nick was secretly happy that Jane did thst as all that was on his mind was checking that Charlie is ok.

“Charlie! Nick’s here!” Jane called Charlie from upstairs.

Charlie's heart raced as he heard his mum call him. He knew he couldn't hide any longer. Taking a deep breath, he opened his bedroom door and walked downstairs, his steps feeling heavy with anticipation and guilt. He found Nick standing awkwardly in the hallway, a concerned expression on his face.

"Hey," Charlie greeted softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Nick turned towards him, relief washing over his features. "Hey. I was worried when you didn’t show up and I couldn’t reach you."

Jane, sensing the tension, gave them a small, encouraging smile. "I'll leave you boys to it. If you need anything, just shout." With that, she headed into the kitchen, leaving them alone.

Charlie and Nick stood in silence for a moment, the air thick with unspoken words. Finally, Nick broke the silence.

"Can we talk?" he asked gently, his eyes searching Charlie's for any sign of what was going on.

Charlie nodded, feeling a lump form in his throat. "Yeah, let's go to my room."

As they climbed the stairs, Charlie felt a mix of dread and relief. This conversation was inevitable, and while he feared what might come of it, he also knew it was necessary. Once they were inside his room, Charlie closed the door and sat down on the edge of his bed. Nick took a seat next to him, his expression serious but kind.

"Why didn't you come over?" Nick asked, his voice soft but direct.

Charlie sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know, I just... I got scared, I guess."

"Scared of what?" Nick's brow furrowed, clearly concerned.

Charlie looked down at his hands, trying to find the right words. "Of what comes next. Of how this changes things between us. I don't want to lose our friendship, Nick. It's too important to me."

Nick reached out, gently taking Charlie's hand. "I get that, Charlie. Believe me, I've been thinking about it too. But we can't ignore what happened. Those kisses... they felt right to me too."

Charlie looked up, meeting Nick's gaze. There was a sincerity in Nick's eyes that made his heart ache with hope and fear.

"But what if it doesn't work out? What if we ruin everything?" Charlie whispered, his voice trembling.

Nick squeezed his hand, a reassuring smile spreading across his face. "I can't promise everything will be perfect, but I can promise that I'll be honest with you, and we'll figure it out together. I don't want to lose our friendship either, but I also don't want to ignore what’s happened between us."

Charlie's eyes welled up with tears, and he felt a mixture of relief and gratitude. "I want that too. I just... needed to hear it from you."

Nick nodded, his expression softening. "Then let's take it slow, one step at a time. We don't have to rush anything. We'll talk, and we'll be honest with each other."

Charlie smiled through his tears, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. "Okay. One step at a time."

Nick smiled back, pulling Charlie into a hug. They held each other for a moment, both feeling the comfort and warmth of their connection, the same feeling they both always had whenever they hugged or were in a mile radius of each other.

As they pulled back from the hug, Nick looked into Charlie's eyes, his expression turning more serious. "Can I kiss you again?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Charlie nodded, a small smile playing on his lips as he felt his heart race with anticipation.

Nick leaned in first, capturing Charlie's lips in a soft, tender kiss. It was sweet and unhurried, both of them savoring the moment.

When they finally pulled apart, Nick couldn't help but grin. "How was that?" he asked, a playful glint in his eyes.

Charlie chuckled, his cheeks flushing. "Pretty good," he admitted, feeling a warmth spread through him. "You know, that's the fourth kiss in 24 hours," he added with a teasing smile.

Nick laughed softly, the sound filling the room with a lightness that dispelled any lingering tension. "Well, who's counting?" he joked, his eyes twinkling with affection.

Just as the pair were dreamily staring into each others eyes once again, the door suddenly burst open, and Ollie came barreling in, breaking the moment. "Nick! Can we play rugby now?"

Nick laughed, ruffling Ollie’s hair. "Sure, buddy. Just give us a minute, okay?"

Ollie grinned and ran back out, leaving the door ajar. Charlie and Nick exchanged a look, both smiling at the interruption.

"We should probably go," Charlie said, chuckling. "Before Ollie drags you outside himself."

“You sure you’re ok though?” Nick asked grabbing Charlie’s hand before he left the room.

“Definitely. How about you?” He asked the same question back.

“Never been happier.” He rubbed his thumb on the back of Charlie’s hand before they both left his room to play rugby in the garden with Ollie.

Chapter Text

April

After Nick's graduation, a new chapter began for him and Charlie. They weren't in an official relationship, but the lines between friendship and something more had definitely blurred. The kisses they'd shared had ignited a spark, one they both felt but were cautious about naming. Tori, Charlie’s sister, noticed the changes in him immediately and gently coaxed the truth out of him. Elle and Isaac, already attuned to Charlie's moods, picked up on his newfound glow during a group hangout. With a mix of teasing and genuine curiosity, they got Charlie to spill the details.

Nick and Charlie agreed to take things slow, focusing on their feelings without the pressure of labels. Tori, Elle, and Isaac offered unwavering support, reassuring them that whatever they decided, they had friends who cared deeply for them.

May

As May warmed the days, Nick and Charlie grew closer, often seeking each other out for the comfort of familiar company. They found themselves lingering over coffee, wandering through the city, and stealing moments away from prying eyes. It was during one such day, while lying in a quiet park, that Nick leaned in and kissed Charlie gently. The kiss was soft but meaningful, filled with the promise of possibilities yet to be explored.

Tara and Darcy, sensing the shift in their dynamic, invited them to a picnic, curious to see what was brewing. The couple couldn’t help but notice the lingering touches and shared smiles between Nick and Charlie. At one point, Tara caught Charlie's eye as he laughed at something Nick said, his face lighting up in a way she hadn't seen before. When the opportunity arose, she asked directly, "So, is there something we should know?"

Charlie, caught off guard, glanced at Nick before admitting, "We're not in a relationship, but... we're exploring our feelings."

Darcy, ever the romantic, clapped her hands together with glee. "Finally! We've been wondering when you'd realize you're perfect for each other."

They all laughed, and Tara and Darcy expressed their wholehearted support, promising to be there for whatever came next.

June

June brought long, sunny days and the perfect excuse for more outdoor adventures. Nick and Charlie found themselves drawn to quiet spots—hidden trails, empty beaches—where they could talk and enjoy each other's company without interruption.

One evening, as they sat by a bonfire with friends, Sahar noticed the way Nick's hand naturally found its place in Charlie's. The simple gesture spoke volumes, and during a break, she approached them with a knowing smile.

"You two look good together," she said, her tone warm. "Are you...?"

Nick squeezed Charlie's hand, drawing strength from the touch. "We're still figuring it out," he explained. "It's all pretty new."

Sahar nodded, her expression understanding. "Just keep communicating. It’s clear you both care a lot about each other." Her words lingered, offering comfort and validation.

That night, after the others had gone to sleep, Nick and Charlie found themselves sitting by the dying embers of the fire. Nick brushed a stray lock of hair from Charlie's face, his eyes soft with affection. Leaning in, he kissed Charlie again, this time with a slow, deliberate tenderness that left them both breathless. The night air was cool, but the warmth of their kiss lingered, a quiet affirmation of the connection they were nurturing.

July

By July, Nick and Charlie had settled into a rhythm of sorts, their days filled with shared jokes, quiet conversations, and stolen kisses. They had yet to define their relationship, preferring to enjoy the journey without rushing towards a destination. But there was still one person they needed to tell—Tao, who remained oblivious to the changes in their dynamic.

The situation came to a head during a casual get-together at Nick's house. Imogen, who had joined them, noticed the subtle but unmistakable affection between Nick and Charlie. During a break, she found them in the kitchen, sharing a quick kiss while they thought no one was watching.

With a grin, Imogen quipped, "So, you two have been holding out on us, huh?"

Charlie, startled, turned pink while Nick laughed. "We’ve been... figuring things out," Nick said, looking at Charlie with a soft smile. "It’s been good, but we’re taking it slow."

As the evening drew to a close, Charlie and Nick found themselves outside, away from the buzz of conversation. They sat close, their hands entwined. Nick looked at Charlie, his eyes filled with tenderness.

"You okay with everything?" he asked, his voice soft.

Charlie nodded, leaning in to rest his forehead against Nick’s. "Yeah," he whispered. "I’m glad we’re doing this together."

Nick smiled, his heart swelling with affection. He pulled Charlie in for a kiss, this one deeper and more confident than before. It was a kiss that spoke of promises and the courage to face the unknown together. As they pulled back, both boys were breathless, their eyes locked in a shared moment of understanding.

They knew the conversation with Tao was inevitable, and it weighed on them both. But for now, they savored the present, the warmth of the summer night wrapping around them as they took another step in their journey, hand in hand.

July 28th

“So tell me, what are you going to do with all of this time on your hands over the summer.” Nick asked Charlie as they both lay on the grass in Nick’s garden looking up at the cloudless sky, Nellie lying peacefully beside them.

“Well…spending time with you on the most part…then getting my classroom ready I suppose.”

Nick rolled onto his side to face Charlie, “you do remember I am away for 3 weeks in Majorca right?”

Charlie copied Nick’s action, the afternoon sun leaving a golden glaze across his face, “I remember…” he sighed. “When do you go again?”

“3rd August.” Nick responded, squinting his eyes from the sun.

“I guess we’ll have to make the most of the time we have together then…” Charlie sadly sighed.

“Hey..,” Nick put his hand on Charlie’s arm, “I’ll be back before you know it, besides, let’s not worry about it now. Let’s go and do something fun!”

Charlie laughed a little and frowned, “fun…like what?”

“Anything!”

Charlie pondered for a second, “there is the TruhamHiggs Summer Ball on Friday which they do every year for previous leavers.”

“Have you been to that before?” Nick asked.

“I have, me, Tao, Elle and Isaac went last year. We only stayed for half an hour as we had a flight to Italy early the next morning, but from what we experienced it was good!” Charlie smiled.

“Wait what?!” Nick sat up, “since when did you go to Italy? How? When! You’ve never said this before.”

Charlie laughed a little, “we went last summer for three weeks and toured the country. We saved up for two years and added in birthday and Christmas money. It was amazing! Seeing the sites of Turin, Venice, Rome, Sorrento and of course Verona, it felt like a dream.”

“Another little Romeo and Juliet experience?” Nick raised his eyebrows and smiled.

“Definitely. You’d love it.”

“I’d love to go one day.”

Charlie smiled at Nick, “perhaps we might go together.” Nick blushed, not being able to make eye contact with him.

“How do you fancy the summer ball?” Charlie suggested as he pulled the poster up on his phone of the advertisement.

Nick nodded, impressed at the event, “I’m down to go. Wouldn’t it be fun in a big group?”

“I suppose it would. I could ask the Paris Squad if they want to come, besides they all know you well from school anyway.” Charlie responded whilst opening the group chat to send them a message. “I’m surprised you haven’t been before.”

Nick pulled out a few strands of grass before throwing them, “the rugby lads mentioned it the summer before we went to uni but I never went. Kinda forgot about it until you mentioned it.”

“Well…” Charlie said with a smirk on his face, “you’ll be experiencing it with us now.” Nick smiled at Charlie, happy that he was finally being included in his friends events, but even more happier that he got to spend more time with Charlie before he went away…and so he could see what these feelings would turn into.

PARIS SQUAD

Charlie added Nick Nelson to PARIS SQUAD

Charlie: heyyy so I have an idea for us all!!

Darcy: NICHOLAS!!!! Glad you see you have joined the clan.

Darcy: Soz Spring but Nick is my new bestie now

Imogen: oh hey!! Idek why it’s taken this long for Nick to be added…finally Charlie!…

Isaac: Imogen…shhh

Imogen: what for??

Isaac:…

Tao: Oh hello, Nick.

Imogen: OHHHH I get it now.

Tao: Get what?

Sahar: She gets how to use the new air fryer we brought for the apartment

Tao: Right…

Nick: Hello!!!

Darcy: You’ve joined the dark side. Welcome.

Tara: I think Charlie has something he wants to ask?

Charlie: Haha, thanks Tara! Just wondering, do we want to go to the TruhamHiggs Summer Ball? I know me, Elle, Tao and Isaac went for a bit last year but it would be fun as a group!

Elle: Oooo yes!!! I really want to go again!

Sahar: I would love to go! Never been to it before!

Tao: Shame we don’t have a flight to Italy to catch after it…but yes I’d come.

Tara: What’s the theme this year?

Charlie: Bridgerton

Imogen: YES. MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE.

Darcy: Best believe I’m going go get the best costume!

Sahar: Shopping trip???

Nick: let’s learn the dances too

Isaac: I nominate you to be the dance teacher

Charlie: I agree

Elle: Me too

Darcy: I agree also

Nick: I never signed up to this….

Charlie: so what are we saying? Are we all in?

Tara: I’m in!

Tao: Same here!

Sahar: Absolutely!

Imogen: Count me in!

Isaac: Definitely. Looking forward to it!

With everyone on board, the anticipation for the Summer Ball grew. It promised to be a night of fun, laughter, and possibly a few surprises, as they all gathered for what could be their last big event together before Nick’s trip. The excitement of the upcoming night lingered in the air, mingling with the summer heat, as Charlie wondered how things would pan out between them after Nick’s trip.

July 31st

The day of the ball arrived, and the group gathered at their individual houses to get ready. Large ball gowns, top hats and tail coats and extravagant hairstyles were dawned upon each other, a feeling of excitement relishing through the air.

The Bridgerton theme had inspired a flurry of creativity, with everyone dressed in elegant period attire as they entered through the floral arch of the Nolden Hotel. Charlie looked especially striking in his ensemble, a tailored suit that highlighted his sharp features and lit up his expressive eyes.

As they walked into the hotel, Nick couldn't help but steal glances at Charlie, admiring how the outfit suited him perfectly as they walked into the ball together, not holdings hands quite yet. At one point, when Charlie caught him staring, he simply smiled and said, "You look amazing."

Charlie blushed, a shy smile playing on his lips. "You too," he replied, his voice soft.

They stood there for a moment, the bustle of their friends fading into the background as they shared a private smile.

“Charlie! Nick! You look amazing!!” Elle announced as she walked over to them, arm linked to Tao’s.

Elle was dressed in a long, purple dress with flowers embroidered onto it-setting the tone of a regal ball. Whilst Tao was dressed in a high neck-tailored suit with a long tail coat, taking the Bridgerton theme very seriously.

“Thank you!” Nick smiled at Elle, “and both of you look fab too!”

Elle thanked Nick whilst Tao just nodded his head, he had never been Nick’s biggest fan for one reason or another and still had no clue on the situationship that was happening between Nick and Charlie. Yet all he could do is suspect that something is going on, why else would someone be staring at another with love sick eyes if nothing was happening between them?

“Where is everyone?” Charlie asked Elle and Tao as he was trying to look for the rest of their friendship group.

“They’ve got a table at the back, come on!” Elle signalled towards the table before leading the three boys to it where they met everyone else who looked like they could have stepped through the screen of the Netflix tv show.

The ball itself was a whirlwind of music, dancing, and celebration. The venue was beautifully decorated, transforming the hotel’s bar area into a grand ballroom. The group stuck together, mingling with old friends and making new ones. Darcy, ever the life of the party, was in her element, dragging everyone onto the dance floor. Even Isaac, usually reserved, joined in, much to everyone's delight.

Nick got up on the dance floor more times than he would have liked to admit he did, he even made Tao laugh when he tried to cartwheel, of course Tao denied any sort of laughter when Elle questioned him about it. Charlie on the other hand stood on the sidelines observing Nick and being completely captivated by the way he acts and talks to all of his friends, he got involved with some of the dances but mainly just wanted to sit and enjoy the atmosphere; as well as spending a few short moments alone with Nick.

When Charlie was on the dance floor, is eye caught sight of someone that he didn’t wish to see. Someone that he erased from his memory. But unfortunately, he caught sight of Charlie too. Not wanting it to spoil the night, Charlie continued to focus on his friends and enjoying himself but with the slight feeling with eyes burning at the back of his head.

“Fancy a drink?” Charlie raised his voice into Nick’s ear as the music volume increased. 

“Yeah please!” Nick answered huffing out of breath from all of the dancing he was doing.

“Whiskey? Gin?”

“Whiskey please!” He went to hand his bank card to Charlie who batted it away immediately.

As Charlie made his way to the bar, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in his stomach. The sight of Ben Hope, his ex-boyfriend who had caused him so much pain, had momentarily soured the night. Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused on getting the drinks and returning to Nick, whose presence always seemed to calm him.

Reaching the bar, Charlie ordered two whiskeys, trying to keep his mind on the pleasant aspects of the evening. As he waited for the bartender to prepare the drinks, he felt a presence beside him. Turning slightly, his heart sank as he met the gaze of Ben, who wore a smug expression.

"Charlie," Ben greeted, his voice dripping with a false friendliness. "Long time no see. You look... different."

Charlie didn't respond, keeping his eyes forward and focusing on the bartender's movements.

Ben leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "I’ve been watching you, you know. With Nick. It’s obvious something’s going on there."

The insinuation in Ben's tone made Charlie's skin crawl. He clenched his fists, willing himself to stay calm. He didn't owe Ben any explanations, especially not about Nick. The bartender set the drinks down, and Charlie quickly handed over the cash, eager to leave.

Ben, however, wasn't finished. "Come on, Charlie. We had our problems, but you can’t just ignore me. I just want to talk."

Charlie picked up the drinks, turning to face Ben for the first time. His expression was cold and determined. "There's nothing to talk about, Ben. Just leave me alone."

Without waiting for a response, Charlie walked away, feeling Ben's eyes following him. As he approached the group, he plastered on a smile, trying to hide the turmoil churning inside him. He handed Nick his drink, forcing a casual tone. "Here you go."

Nick took the glass, his brow furrowing slightly at the look on Charlie's face. "Thanks. You okay?"

Charlie nodded, though the tightness in his chest told a different story. "Yeah, just... it's a bit warm in here. I need some air."

Nick's concern was evident, but he didn’t press. "Alright. Want me to come with you?"

Charlie shook his head, smiling reassuringly. "No, it's fine. You stay and have fun. I'll be back in a bit."

Nick gave him a small, understanding nod, and Charlie made his way towards the exit. As he stepped outside, the cool night air hit him, a welcome contrast to the heat inside. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. His encounter with Ben had stirred up old wounds, and he needed a moment to process.

Finding a quiet spot away from the main hall, Charlie leaned against the balcony, staring up at the stars. He felt a mixture of anger and frustration, not just at Ben's intrusion, but also at himself for letting it affect him. The evening had been perfect, and he hated that it had been tainted.

“Just wanted to check that you’re ok” A soft voice appeared from behind Charlie.

He turned, startled from his thoughts, “yeah…yeah..I’m fine. Just needed some air…I was getting a bit hot.”

Nick leaned against the balcony, his elbow touching Charlie’s, taking a sip of his whiskey, “it’s a beautiful night.” He spoke softly, gazing up at the stars.

Charlie followed his gaze, “it is.”

A soft silence settled between them, elbows still touching, breathing in time with each others as a warm breeze whipped its way around them both.

“It’s going to be weird…” Charlie started, “you know…not seeing you for 3 weeks after spending every day with you for months.”

Nick nodded, still keeping his focus on the stars, “I know…but it’s just a holiday for 3 weeks then I’ll be right back.”

Charlie said nothing. He knew what he wanted to say. He knew that he had to say it. But he didn’t know how to start.

“Will it be the same?”

Nick turned to Charlie furrowing his eyebrows, “Will what be the same?”

“Us. This. Whatever this is.” Charlie sighed, thinking that he sounded so stupid.

“Maybe. It might be the same. It might be different.” Nick turned to look back up at the stars, leaving the cryptic message settling in Charlie’s mind.

“..oh..” A sense of sadness echoed from Charlie’s voice, assuming that Nick didn’t want the same thing that he did.

Charlie leaned against the balcony, his eyes fixed on the stars above. The night was quiet, the kind of peacefulness that comes after a storm. He could still feel the remnants of his earlier frustration, but being here with Nick had a calming effect.

Nick joined him, their elbows brushing.

"The stars are so beautiful," he remarked, looking up at the sky.

"They are," Charlie agreed, though his mind was elsewhere. He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. He knew he had to say something. He couldn’t rely on maybe’s or might be’s he needed a definite answer. "Nick, I've been thinking... about us. About what we are."

Nick turned to look at him, curiosity and something else—something hopeful—in his eyes. "Yeah?"

Charlie nodded, feeling his heart beat faster. "We've been close for a while now, and I've realized that I want more than just wondering what this is. I want us to be something real. Something certain."

Nick’s expression softened, his lips curving into a small smile. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Charlie looked down for a moment, then met Nick's gaze. "Nick, will you be my boyfriend?"

The words hung in the air for a moment, and then Nick's smile widened, his eyes bright. He reached out, taking Charlie's hand in his. "I've wanted to ask you the same thing for so long," Nick admitted, his voice warm and sincere. "Yes, Charlie, I want that too."

A wave of relief washed over Charlie, and he couldn’t help but smile back. "Really?"

"Really," Nick confirmed, his thumb brushing gently over Charlie's knuckles. "I want to be with you, officially. No more questions, no more uncertainty. Just us."

They stood there, hand in hand, the world around them quiet and still. Charlie felt a sense of calm, a feeling that they were exactly where they were meant to be. The stars above seemed to shine a little brighter, as if celebrating this new beginning.

Charlie looked at Nick, feeling a warmth spread through him. "I guess we're not just friends anymore," he said with a smile.

Nick laughed softly. "No, we're not. We're besties for life.”

Charlie frowned at Nick, “I’ve already been friend zoned by my boyfriend and we’ve been together for less than a minute.” He laughed.

“You like it really.”

“Shush.” Charlie laughed at Nick.

Charlie felt a surge of affection and, on impulse, leaned in. Before Nick could react, their lips met in a soft, tentative kiss. It was gentle and unhurried, like a question and answer all at once. Nick's eyes widened in surprise, caught off guard, but then he relaxed into the kiss, closing his eyes.

The world around them seemed to fade, leaving only the two of them under the canopy of stars. The night was quiet, save for the faint rustle of leaves and their shared breaths. The kiss was sweet, a tender moment of connection that felt both new and familiar.

When they finally pulled back, both boys were smiling, a little breathless. Nick looked at Charlie, a soft laugh escaping him. "That was unexpected," he murmured, his voice full of warmth.

Charlie grinned, a blush creeping up his cheeks. "Yeah, I just... I couldn't help it."

Nick shook his head, still smiling. "I'm glad you did."

They stood there for a moment longer, their foreheads touching, savoring the closeness. Charlie felt a deep sense of contentment, knowing that they had finally taken this step together. The stars above seemed to twinkle with approval, bearing silent witness to their newfound commitment.

"Besties for life, huh?" Charlie teased softly.

Nick chuckled, brushing a stray lock of hair from Charlie's face. "And maybe something a little more," he replied, his voice tender.

Charlie laughed, feeling light and happy. "Definitely more," he agreed, and they both leaned in for another kiss, this one deeper and more certain, sealing the promise of many more moments like this to come.

Chapter Text

“You’re pining.”  Tori appeared out of no where and spoke to Charlie.

Charlie turned to look at her as his gaze from staring out of the window was broken, “I’m not pining. How am I?”

“Youve not stopped calling Nick for the past 3 weeks, every time you come off the phone you’re miserable and you won’t stop staring at pictures of him.”

“Oh…I didn’t think that I was miserable when I spoke to him.” Charlie sighed, feeling confused.

Tori plonked herself down next to him, “not miserable…but when you’re on the phone you seem to bubbly and happy but when you come off the phone you just seem so down and alone.”

Charlie never thought about that. The joy through his body that radiated when he saw Nick’s name pop up in his phone was like nothing he had ever felt before, having those 20 minutes to talk about each others days from across the world made him feel so at home…even if home was thousands of miles away. But when he came off the phone, a sense of sadness passed over him like a wave crashing aggressively over rocks, he wanted to speak to Nick 24/7 and give him the biggest hug possible, he wanted to tell Nick that he felt sad when he wasn’t around and that he did feel alone; but he didn’t want to spoil Nick’s holiday. He would never want to do that.

But tomorrow he would be able to see him again, be able to hold him, cuddle him, kiss him like they had been estranged for months on end. In reality, it was three weeks where Nick was on a family holiday in Majorca, but those three weeks felt like a lifetime to Charlie. A lifetime that was ending and he would be getting closer to Nick again.

The next day, Charlie woke up early, excitement and nervousness buzzing within him. Charlie knew that Nick had an early morning flight so he started clock watching from the moment he woke, anticipation running through his veins. He quickly checked his phone for any messages from Nick but found none. He tried to brush off his growing worry, telling himself that Nick was probably too tired to text him before he got on the plane.

As the hours ticked by with no word from Nick, Charlie's anxiety grew. He paced his room, occasionally glancing at his phone, hoping for a message or a call. The anticipation of seeing Nick again was overwhelming, but the silence was starting to gnaw at him.

Later that morning, Charlie met up with Isaac, Elle, Tara, and Darcy at their favorite coffee shop. Despite the lively chatter and laughter around him, Charlie couldn't shake the unease that had settled in his stomach.

Isaac noticed first. "Hey, Charlie, you okay? You seem a bit off."

Charlie forced a smile. "Yeah, just waiting to hear from Nick. His flight was supposed to land a while ago."

Elle leaned in, her brow furrowed with concern. "Have you tried texting him?"

Charlie nodded, his fingers drumming nervously on the table. "I have, but he hasn't replied yet. I don't want to seem too pushy, but..."

"But you're worried," Tara finished for him, giving him a sympathetic look.

Darcy put a reassuring hand on Charlie's shoulder. "He probably just got caught up with his family. You know how it is after a long flight."

“And you have every right to be worried. You are his boyfriend. It’s natural.” Elle reassured him as she knew that those thoughts would be playing on Charlie’s mind all day.

“I’m sure he is fine.” Tara held a friendly hand out to Charlie to calm him down.

Charlie nodded, appreciating their attempts to comfort him, but the worry persisted. He pulled out his phone and sent a message.

NICK NESLON

Charlie: Hey, did your plane land safely?
Let me know when you're home x

Minutes passed with no response. Surely he would have landed by now. He sent another message, his anxiety increasing.

NICK NELSON

Charlie: Are you okay? Just want to make sure everything's fine.
Please text me back when you can x

Still no reply. Charlie's friends exchanged worried glances as he sent another message, trying to keep his cool.

NICK NELSON

Charlie: I'm starting to worry a bit. Hope everything's alright.
Just let me know you're safe. Sorry to be a pain x

Hours passed, and the silence from Nick was becoming unbearable. Charlie's mind raced with worst-case scenarios. His friends tried to distract him with jokes and stories, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Nick.

As evening approached there was still no sight nor sound from Nick..that was until the doorbell rang which made Charlie's heart skipped a beat. He rushed to his bedroom  door staring through the gap, his mind racing with possibilities.

"Oh, Nick!" Jane exclaimed, as she opened the door

Charlie sprinted from his room and pushed past her, and there he was—Nick, standing on the doorstep, looking a bit tired but grinning from ear to ear.

"Surprise!" Nick said, his arms outstretched.

Charlie stood frozen for a moment, disbelief washing over him. Then, in an instant, he closed the gap between them, wrapping Nick in the tightest hug he could manage. The relief and joy he felt were overwhelming.

"You had me so worried!" Charlie muttered into Nick's shoulder, his voice shaky with emotion.

Nick hugged him back just as tightly. "Sorry, I wanted it to be a surprise. My phone died, and I thought showing up would be better than a text."

Charlie pulled back just enough to look at Nick, his eyes filled with a mixture of happiness and relief. "Well, you definitely surprised me."

Nick laughed, the sound like music to Charlie's ears. "Mission accomplished, then."

“Let’s go up stairs.” Charlie led Nick by the hand and up to his room.

The pair stood, frozen at each other, taking the sight of each other as if it had been years. Within seconds, the two boys crashed into theirs arms and folded themselves up into a tender hug, not sharing a single word: Nick pulled away from the hug and lifted Charlie’s chin up with his fingers, scanning his face and taking in the beauty of every single feature, ever single freckle before planting a soft kiss onto Charlie’s lips which he melted into.

“So tell me, what was Majorca like?” Charlie asked Nick and relaxed in his arms as they lay down on his bed.

“It was lovely. Nice to spend time with my younger cousins. And of course the weather was scorching.” Nick chuckled, reminding his holiday.

Charlie sighed, “I wish I could go abroad even if it was for a few days.”

“Why don’t we?”

“Huh?” Charlie turned to face Nick with a confused expression on his face, “what do you mean?”

“Why not book a 3 day trip to Italy? I’ve always wanted to go, you said how much you loved it the last time and you want a bit of heat. Why not book it now to go away on Friday?” Nick suggested.

Charlie hesitated, a frown tugging at his lips. “Italy sounds amazing, but I’m worried about the new school year. I still have so much to prepare, and I don’t want to let my parents down.”

Nick took Charlie’s hand gently, his eyes full of reassurance. “We’ll have plenty of time to get everything ready before school starts. And your parents will understand. You’ve been working so hard—you deserve a break. Besides, it’s just a few days.”

Tori, who had been listening from the doorway, chimed in with a warm smile. “Charlie, you’re 21. You don’t need to ask for permission to take a break. You’ve earned it. A quick getaway could be just what you need.”

Charlie glanced from Nick to Tori, feeling their support beginning to ease his worries. “You’re right,” he admitted, a smile breaking through. “A trip to Italy sounds perfect. Rome, Venice, and Verona would be incredible.”

Nick’s face lit up with excitement. “Exactly! And just think about Verona—walking through the same streets as Romeo and Juliet. It would be amazing to experience that with you.”

Tori nodded encouragingly. “It’s a great chance to make some memories. Sometimes you just need to take a step back and enjoy life.”

Charlie took a deep breath, the weight of his anxieties beginning to lift. “Okay, let’s do it. We’ll book the trip and make the most of it.”

Nick’s grin widened. “You won’t regret it. It’s going to be unforgettable.”

Nick pulled up the page of Jet2 on his phone and immediately booked a bed and breakfast, not too far from the centre of Rome, and flights to Italy for 3 days.

“There. It’s done.” Nick smiled at Charlie as he showed him the booking confirmation on his phone.

“Is this happening? Is it actually happening?” Charlie spoke excitedly, letting his anxieties of his parents thoughts immediately wash over him.

Nick nodded, “yup! Friday morning with a 7am flight!”

Charlie smiled at Nick, “thank you. Thank you so much for this.”

“You deserve it,” Nick squeezed Charlie’s hand, “it’s going to be me, you and Italy for three whole days.”

“It sounds perfect.” Charlie looked longingly into Nick’s eyes.

“Maybe we’ll see the balcony where Romeo and Juliet fell in love,” Nick suggested.

“Where star crossed lovers became real lovers.” Charlie added.

Nick laughed a little, “when did we become some cheesy?”

“When we both found out that we had a love for a soppy Shakespearean play.” Charlie giggled, blushing slightly.

“Good point. Shakespeare is our love language.” Charlie just rolled his eyes and smirked at Nick’s comment.

Charlie settled into Nick’s arms, a warmth spreading through him that had nothing to do with the idea of Italian sunshine. As they lay there, the room filled with the soft glow of the evening light, it was easy to imagine the cobbled streets of Rome beneath their feet, the taste of gelato on their tongues, and the sound of gondoliers singing as they drifted through Venice. It wasn’t just the trip—it was the promise of adventure, of moments shared and memories made, far from the pressures and expectations that weighed on them at home.

Nick brushed a lock of hair from Charlie’s forehead, his touch gentle and reassuring. “I can’t wait to experience it all with you,” he said softly, his thumb tracing idle patterns on Charlie’s hand.

Charlie turned his face into the crook of Nick’s neck, breathing in the familiar scent that had always brought him comfort. “I can’t wait either. And, you know what? I think this is exactly what I needed.”

Nick smiled, pulling Charlie closer. “Italy might be known for its romance, but I think we’ve already got that covered.”

Charlie chuckled softly, the sound like a melody in the quiet room. “Yeah, we do. But it’ll be nice to have the backdrop to match.”

They lay in a comfortable silence for a while, the anticipation of their upcoming adventure wrapping around them like a cozy blanket. With Nick by his side, the world felt a little less daunting, and the future a little brighter. For once, Charlie wasn’t worried about what lay ahead; he was just excited to see it unfold.

“Here’s to Friday,” Nick whispered, lifting his hand as if toasting with an invisible glass.

Charlie mirrored the gesture, his eyes sparkling with newfound excitement. “To Friday. And to us.”

With that, they drifted off into a peaceful sleep, dreams of Italy and endless possibilities playing behind their eyelids.

Chapter Text

“Charlie! Taxi is here!” Nick shouted from the bottom of his stairs checking the time on his phone.

Charlie jogged down the stairs in Nick’s house with his rucksack sat securely on his back, “I’m back…” he started panting, “I only went upstairs to find my sunglasses that I left in your room, couldn’t find them anywhere!”

“Did you get them?”

Charlie put his sunglasses on and did a peace and pout pose, “of course I did.”

Nick laughed a little and rolled his eyes, “come on you, we have a flight to catch.”

Sarah, who was stood by the door waiting to give the boys a send off, embraced them into a hug.

“Have the best time ever, Charlie!” Sarah spoke into the hug.

Charlie pulled away, “thank you Sarah!” He smiled at her before walking off to get in the taxi.

“Remember Nicky, do you have your euros, passports, flight tickets and accommodation information?” Sarah asked with a concerned tone in her voice.

“Yes, yes, yes and yes. We’ve got everything mum.” Nick smiled into the hug which reassured Sarah.

“Stay safe and have the best time. I love you Nicky.”

“We will. I love you too mum.” Nick responded back before hopping in the taxi on the way to the airport with Charlie by his side.

On the way to the airport, Nick did the airport dad approach of having a conversation with the taxi driver about holidays, the traffic on the motorway, the state of the economy and of course how expensive a loaf of bread is today in comparison to 5 years ago. On the other hand, Charlie sat gazing out of the window pretending as if he were in a music video before messaging Elle and Isaac to keep them updated.

ELLE AND ISAAC

CHARLIE: on my way to the airport!!!

ELLE: omg have the best time ever!! have some pizza lovin🍕

ISAAC: Elle dropped the L bomb…

ISAAC: but yes have the best time!!

ELLE: I mean…I didn’t mean that L bomb..or did I?🫣

CHARLIE: thank you both! and I have no idea on what you’re talking about Elle…

ISAAC: Playing it cool…

ISAAC: Are you going to mention it to him?

CHARLIE: idk? maybe? when the time is right? I don’t know. I just don’t want to put pressure on it.

ELLE: Wise decision, do it when it feels right

CHARLIE: I do want to say it but every time I stop myself.

ISAAC: one day you will be completely unaware of stopping yourself from saying it and it will just flow out. Don’t put pressure on yourself, take your time.

CHARLIE: true. thank you! I needed to hear that!

ELLE: No problem! Now less talking to us and more focusing on your amazing trip away!

ISAAC: Have a safe flight!!

Charlie smiled to himself as he read through Elle and Isaac’s messages, feeling a little lighter after their support. He pocketed his phone and glanced over at Nick, who was still chatting away with the taxi driver, hands moving animatedly as he talked about the best beaches in Italy.

Nick caught Charlie's eye and grinned, giving him a playful nudge. "What are you smiling at?"

Charlie shrugged, his smile growing wider. "Just thinking about how happy I am right now and how far we have come."

Nick’s face softened, and he reached over to squeeze Charlie’s hand. “Yeah. Feels kind of surreal, doesn’t it?” He glanced out of the window, his expression thoughtful for a moment before looking back at Charlie. “I wouldn’t want to be doing it with anyone else.”

Charlie’s heart gave a little flutter at that. He wanted to say it, the words were right there on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back. Now wasn’t the time—not yet. Instead, he just smiled and squeezed Nick’s hand back.

The rest of the ride passed in a comfortable silence, the two of them content just being next to each other as the city streets gave way to the countryside and then to the hustle and bustle of the airport.

Once inside, they breezed through check-in and security, Nick expertly leading the way, his airport-dad energy still in full swing. Charlie, on the other hand, felt more relaxed now that the trip was properly beginning. As they sat at the gate waiting for their flight to board, Nick was flipping through a guidebook about Italy, mumbling something about the best gelato spots in Rome.

Charlie leaned his head back against the seat, watching him, feeling the familiar warmth of affection spreading through his chest.

He loved Nick. He knew that now. It wasn’t just a fleeting feeling or an infatuation. It was deeper, something steady and certain. He loved the way Nick got passionate about the smallest things, the way he made everyone around him feel safe and cared for. He loved the way Nick looked at him, like he was the most important person in the world.

Charlie sighed quietly to himself. Maybe he didn’t have to find the perfect moment. Maybe the perfect moment would just happen when it was supposed to.

Nick glanced up from the guidebook, catching Charlie’s gaze. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Charlie said softly, his heart pounding a little harder. “Just thinking.”

Nick smiled, his eyes warm and understanding. “About?”

Charlie hesitated for a second before shaking his head. “About how lucky I am.”

Nick blinked, then chuckled. “Well, if anyone’s lucky, it’s me.” He leaned in a little closer, dropping his voice. “I mean, I get to have the best trip ever with you.”

Charlie felt his face warm, but before he could respond, the boarding announcement crackled through the speakers.

Nick shot up from his seat, excitement flashing across his face. “That’s us! Ready, Charlie?” Nick started rushing around getting all of the passports and tickets in check.

Charlie stood up, grabbing his rucksack and following Nick to the boarding line. His heart still raced, but the nervousness had turned into something more, something hopeful.

As they stood in line to board, Charlie nudged Nick’s side playfully. "I can't believe you're actually being airport dad right now."

Nick groaned but laughed. "I’m not being airport dad! I’m just… prepared.”

"Right. So, you don’t have like, five backup alarms set on your phone?"

Nick smirked. “Four, actually. And one on my watch, just in case.”

Charlie snorted, covering his mouth. "You are such a dork."

"And yet, you're still here," Nick teased back, nudging him with his shoulder.

Charlie grinned, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well, someone’s gotta make sure you don’t lose your mind over the flight gate changing or something."

Nick gasped dramatically. "Don’t even joke about that! Gate changes are serious business."

"Sure they are, Mr. Organised," Charlie shot back with a grin.

As they moved forward in line, Nick suddenly looked at Charlie with a cheeky glint in his eye. “Okay, but at least I’m not the one who almost left his sunglasses upstairs after saying he’d packed everything.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped. "Oh, come on! I didn’t ‘almost’ leave them! I just… temporarily misplaced them."

Nick shook his head, trying to suppress a smile. "Temporarily misplaced? That’s what we’re calling it now?"

Charlie raised his sunglasses and waggled them in front of Nick’s face. “See? Found them. Who’s laughing now?”

Nick bit his lip, clearly trying to hold back a laugh. "Okay, fine. You win. But just for today. Tomorrow, if you lose anything, I’m officially in charge of keeping track of all your stuff."

Charlie pulled a face. "Ugh, please don’t turn into my mum."

Nick laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets as they made their way toward the gate. “I wouldn’t dare.”

As they settled into their seats on the plane, Charlie leaned over, glancing at Nick who was now flipping through the in-flight magazine, pretending to be fascinated by duty-free perfume ads.

“Hey, airport dad?”

Nick looked up with a raised eyebrow, trying not to laugh. “Yes, Charlie?”

“Are we there yet?”

Nick let out an exaggerated groan, shaking his head while Charlie laughed. “I swear, this is going to be a long flight with you.”

Charlie smiled, feeling warm inside, like he could stay in this moment forever. The nerves about saying ‘I love you’ started to melt away, replaced by the ease and happiness he felt just being around Nick. Maybe the right moment wasn’t something he needed to stress over.

He leaned back in his seat, watching Nick flip to yet another random page in the magazine.

As the plane began its ascent, Charlie gazed out of the window, watching the ground shrink beneath them as the clouds blurred into view. Excitement bubbled up in his chest—not just for the trip to Italy, but for the time he’d get to spend with Nick. No distractions, no everyday routines. Just the two of them, together, in a place far away from home.

Nick shifted beside him, stretching out in his seat. “You good with flying?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Charlie replied, eyes still focused on the clouds.

Flying didn’t bother him, but the energy humming through him wasn’t from the plane. It was from being here, next to Nick, with this unspoken thing between them. Every so often, he’d steal glances at Nick, wondering if now was the time to finally say what had been sitting on his heart.

Nick raised an eyebrow, noticing Charlie’s silence. “You’re a bit quiet.”

Charlie shrugged, trying to play it off. “Just thinking.”

“You’ve been thinking a lot lately,” Nick teased with a smile, leaning back in his seat.

Charlie chuckled softly. “I guess I have.”

Nick’s smile lingered as he closed his eyes, stretching his arms over his head. “Don’t overthink it, alright? We’ve got a few days to just enjoy ourselves. No stress, no pressure.”

No pressure. Charlie wanted to believe that. But it wasn’t so easy when you were in love with someone and didn’t know how to say it. Every moment felt like it could be the one where you took the leap—or the one where you held back, afraid of changing everything.

The flight attendant came by with drinks, and Nick handed him an orange Fanta. “To our big adventure,” he said, raising his cup.

Charlie clinked his cup against Nick’s, smiling. “To our big adventure.”

They fell into a comfortable rhythm after that. Nick got absorbed in a movie on the in-flight screen, laughing and whispering the occasional comment to Charlie.

Meanwhile, Charlie tried to distract himself with a book but found his mind wandering, always coming back to the same thought.

After a while, Nick shifted again, this time leaning his head on Charlie’s shoulder. “I’m gonna nap. Wake me up when we’re landing, okay?”

Charlie’s heart melted a little at the gesture. “Yeah, sure.”

As Nick’s breathing evened out, Charlie looked down at him, feeling an overwhelming rush of affection. He loved him. He really, truly did. The words were right there, just waiting to be said.

“I love you,” Charlie whispered under his breath, his voice barely audible over the hum of the plane. He knew Nick couldn’t hear him, but it still felt like a small victory—like he was one step closer to actually saying it out loud when the time was right.

He leaned his head gently against Nick’s, letting himself relax. For now, it was enough to just be here, to feel the warmth of Nick next to him, and to know that whatever happened, they had time. There was no need to rush. The words would come when they were ready.

And as the plane flew steadily through the sky, Charlie let his thoughts drift to the week ahead—long walks through Italian streets, endless gelato, and stolen moments just like this one.

As the plane touched down in Rome with a smooth jolt, Charlie felt a rush of excitement that sent a warm buzz through his chest. They were finally here. Next to him, Nick stretched dramatically, letting out a long yawn before flashing Charlie a grin.

“We survived Jet2 and the irritating sound of Jess Glynn’s Hold My Hand song,” he quipped, rubbing his neck. “And without you losing your sunglasses—miracle of miracles.”

Charlie rolled his eyes, laughing as they unbuckled their seatbelts and gathered their things. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

Nick shook his head with a grin. “Not a chance.”

They joined the slow shuffle of passengers filing off the plane, and as they made their way through the airport, Nick’s "airport dad" energy finally started to fade. His organized, checklist-driven approach gave way to something softer, more relaxed.

“Alright,” Nick said as they collected their luggage, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “I think I can officially retire from airport dad mode. At least for now.”

Charlie smirked, feeling a surge of affection at how effortlessly Nick could shift between playful and responsible. “Are you sure? No backup alarms, no triple-checking our tickets?”

Nick leaned in close, his voice low and teasing. “Don’t tempt me, Charlie. I could easily start re-checking everything just for fun.”

Charlie laughed, his heart swelling as they made their way outside to catch a taxi. Nick was already talking animatedly to the driver in his best attempt at Italian, and Charlie couldn't help but smile at how fully Nick threw himself into everything.

The streets of Rome whizzed by as they drove to their Airbnb, the golden evening light casting a magical glow over the ancient city. Charlie pressed his face to the window, taking in the cobblestone streets, the centuries-old buildings, the hustle and bustle of life flowing effortlessly around them. It was like something out of a dream.

They arrived at their Airbnb, a charming old building with ivy crawling up the walls and a small balcony overlooking the quiet street. As they climbed the narrow staircase, Charlie couldn’t stop glancing at Nick, completely smitten by him—by his easygoing nature, his excitement, the way he made everything feel like an adventure.

After dropping their bags inside, they barely had time to catch their breath before Nick declared, “Alright, time for the main event. Pizza.”

Charlie laughed, shaking his head. “You and pizza. You’ve been talking about it since we booked this trip.”

Nick flashed him a grin, eyes sparkling. “It’s a core part of the experience, Charlie. We’re in Italy—it’s practically a crime if we don’t eat pizza immediately.”

They ventured out into the evening, wandering the winding streets until they found a small, authentic pizzeria tucked between two ancient buildings. The smell of freshly baked dough and bubbling cheese hit them the moment they walked in. Nick’s eyes lit up like he’d found a hidden treasure.

“Do you smell that?” he whispered dramatically. “That’s the smell of my dreams coming true.”

Charlie snorted, leaning against the counter as Nick ordered. “You’re ridiculous.”

Nick flashed him a cheeky grin. “Ridiculously charming, you mean.”

Soon, they were seated at a small outdoor table, the warm Italian evening settling over them like a soft blanket. Charlie took a bite of his margherita pizza and closed his eyes, savoring the rich flavors. It was incredible—simple yet perfect.

Nick’s reaction was no less enthusiastic. He took one bite and let out a satisfied groan. “This is it. This is what I’ve been waiting for. All those takeout pizzas back home? Forget them. This… this is the real deal.”

Charlie laughed, watching him with pure affection. Nick’s joy was contagious, his energy so genuine that it made everything feel lighter, easier.

After dinner, they strolled through the streets, the sky overhead darkening into a canvas of deep blues and purples. Stars began to twinkle above them, and the city buzzed softly around them, alive but peaceful at the same time. It felt like they had all the time in the world, just the two of them.

They reached a quiet piazza, the soft sound of a nearby fountain trickling in the background. Nick slowed down, glancing up at the stars before looking back at Charlie, his expression soft and thoughtful.

“Pretty magical, huh?” Nick said, his voice low.

Charlie nodded, feeling his heart race as he looked at Nick. The moment felt perfect—like the kind of scene you only see in movies. The warmth of the night, the glow of the stars, the soft breeze carrying the scent of pizza and flowers… everything felt right.

Nick took a step closer, his eyes locked on Charlie’s. There was something tender and unspoken between them, a connection that felt deeper than anything Charlie had ever experienced.

“I’m glad we’re here together,” Nick said quietly, his voice carrying a hint of vulnerability.

Charlie swallowed, his chest tight with emotion. “Me too.”

For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, with a soft smile, Nick closed the gap between them and gently cupped Charlie’s face. The world seemed to slow down as Nick leaned in, and before Charlie knew it, their lips met in a soft, lingering kiss under the Italian stars.

It was sweet, tender, and perfect in every way. Charlie’s heart swelled as he kissed Nick back, feeling like everything he’d been holding onto—the nerves, the unspoken words—finally melted away. All that mattered was this moment, this feeling.

When they finally pulled away, Nick rested his forehead against Charlie’s, a small, contented smile on his lips.

“Was that okay?” Nick whispered, his breath warm against Charlie’s skin.

Charlie smiled, his heart full. “More than okay.”

They stood there for a while, under the stars, wrapped in each other’s arms, the city of Rome buzzing softly around them. And for the first time, Charlie felt no pressure to say the words that had been on the tip of his tongue for so long. They didn’t need to be said—not yet. He had time.

Chapter Text

8am. An alarm rang. The weight from the bed got lighter and shuffles were heard creeping into the bathroom, trying not to make any sound. Click. The sound of a click then a rising bubble sound echoed from the distance in the room, Charlie’s eyes lightly opened before closing them again-too tired to open them. Clink. A few seconds of a click hitting the side creating the sound of a whirlpool in his ears. Shuffling. Shuffling Shuffling. A golden, glowing light cascaded from the window and trickled itself onto Charlie’s face, dancing gently against his cheeks. Once again, his eyes fluttered open and took in the Italian glow as it fell from the window.

His eyes shut again, wanting to continue his peaceful sleep. Then, the dip in the bed appeared again. Next, the smell of tea  was wafted straight towards Charlie’s nose.

“Morning, Charlie.” The raspy morning voice of Nick appeared by the side of him.

Charlie groaned softly, pulling the duvet up over his head in protest. The familiar warmth of Nick’s presence so close made him want to sink even deeper into the bed, to pretend it was still nighttime and they had hours to sleep.

“C’mon, don’t hide,” Nick chuckled, his voice still rough but filled with amusement. He shifted closer, and Charlie could feel the heat of his body even through the blankets. “I brought you tea.”

Charlie peeked out from beneath the duvet, one eye barely open. “What time is it?”

“Eight,” Nick replied, gently nudging Charlie’s shoulder. “We’ve got that tour in an hour, remember? We’re gonna be late if you don’t get up.”

Charlie made a face. He had completely forgotten about the tour. He hadn’t forgotten that they were in Italy—how could he?—but he had hoped maybe Nick would forget the itinerary and let him sleep in. They’d spent the last two days walking everywhere, exploring Venice until their feet ached, and he was still feeling the tiredness settle deep in his bones.

Nick held the tea mug closer to Charlie’s nose, the smell more enticing now that he was starting to wake up. “I even made it exactly how you like it.”

Charlie smiled, despite his grogginess. He pushed himself up slowly, his hair a mess of curls sticking in every direction. He accepted the mug from Nick and took a tentative sip, the warmth spreading through him. “Okay, okay. I’m up.”

Nick grinned, looking proud of himself as he sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, his own tea cradled in his hands. The soft morning light streamed in, catching the golden highlights in his hair and making him look almost like he belonged in one of those old Italian paintings they’d seen yesterday.

“Come on sleepy head,” Nick called as Charlie let out a yawn, “places to go and things to explore! If you’re lucky…I might have booked a Gondola ride for us..” he teased.

Charlie nearly choked on his tea, “WHAT? YOU’RE KIDDING?”

Nick stood away from the bed and smirked towards Charlie, shaking his head.

As quick as he could, Charlie put his mug of tea down on the bedside table so none of it would spill, “You’re being serious?!”

Nick nodded, still with the same smirk on his face.

Charlie’s face dropped with excitement and he felt an electric buzz run right through him. He jumped from the bed and leapt his way into Nick’s arms, squeezing him tightly.

“Nick, this is a dream!! You promise you’re not lying?” Charlie spoke into the crook of Nick’s neck.

“Nope, it’s all real.” Nick smiled into Charlie’s hair.

“I…lo..” Charlie stopped it from slipping out. It wasn’t the time just yet.

“I can’t believe it! Thank you?”

Charlie's heart raced as he pulled back from the embrace, grinning wide. Nick chuckled, ruffling Charlie's already messy curls. "No need to thank me. I just thought it’d be nice for us to do something a little romantic… you know, while we’re here."

Charlie was about to respond, but the sudden buzz of his phone on the bedside table caught his attention. His stomach dropped. It was happening again.

Nick didn’t notice Charlie’s shift in mood, too busy teasing him about how they were going to miss the boat if he didn’t hurry. Charlie reached for his phone, trying to act casual as he glanced at the screen.

UNKNOWN

Unknown: I’m sorry, Charlie. Please just talk to me?

Charlie’s fingers froze. It had been like this for days now. The messages would come at random, always starting the same way—Ben apologizing, saying he had changed, asking for another chance. He hadn’t told Nick about it yet. Every time he thought about it, his chest tightened, and the words got stuck in his throat.

Nick noticed him staring at his phone. “Everything okay?”

Charlie blinked, quickly locking the screen and stuffing the phone under his pillow. “Yeah, yeah. Just… Tori sent me something funny.” He hated lying to Nick, but he didn’t want to ruin their trip. Not yet.

Nick raised an eyebrow but let it slide. “Alright, just make sure she’s not distracting you too much. We’ve got a gondola to catch!”

Charlie forced a smile. “Right. I’ll be quick, promise.” He grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom, but the moment the door clicked shut behind him, he leaned against the sink, heart pounding. He took a deep breath and opened his phone again.

UNKNOWN

Unknown: I know I messed up, but I’m really trying to be better now. I need you, Charlie.

Charlie’s hands shook as he tapped out a message to his sister.

TORI

Charlie: Tori, he’s still texting me. I don’t know what to do.

It didn’t take long for her to reply.

Tori: Block him.

Charlie stared at the message, his fingers hovering over the screen.

Charlie: What if he keeps going? He’s saying all this stuff about being sorry and wanting me back…

Tori didn’t hold back.

Tori: Who cares? He’s a loser. Block him and move on.

Charlie winced at her bluntness, but she was right. She always was.

Charlie: But what if he—

Tori: Nope. Block him. Enjoy your trip. Stop letting him ruin stuff.

Charlie sighed, feeling the weight of her words hit him. She was right, but ignoring Ben wasn’t as easy as just pressing a button.

He tucked his phone away and splashed cold water on his face. Tori's voice still rang in his head: Block him. Move on. Stop letting him ruin stuff.

When he walked out of the bathroom, Nick was standing by the door, beaming and ready for their day.

Charlie forced a smile. "Ready," he said, but deep down, he knew this wouldn’t be the last time he had to deal with Ben.

. But every time he felt his chest tighten, he looked at Nick—the man sitting across from him, the man who cared, who made him laugh, who had surprised him with this romantic ride through Venice. The man he wanted to say I love you to but couldn’t find the right moment or words.

Nick caught him staring and tilted his head slightly. “You alright? You’ve been a little quiet.”

Charlie blinked, snapping back to the present. “Yeah, just… taking it all in.”

Nick grinned and leaned back, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “You sure? You look like you’re thinking hard about something. Or maybe about someone…”

Charlie laughed nervously, trying to brush it off. “Just… how lucky I am to be here with you.”

Nick’s smile softened, his teasing tone fading into something more sincere. He reached out, his fingers brushing against Charlie’s knee. “I’m the lucky one.”

The touch sent a jolt of warmth through Charlie, and for a moment, he forgot about everything else. It was just the two of them, the soft sway of the gondola, the distant sounds of the city. He felt the words rising in his throat again, the ones he’d been holding back for days, maybe even weeks.

But before he could say anything, Nick’s fingers traced up his thigh, his hand lingering there in a way that made Charlie’s breath catch. Nick’s gaze darkened, a knowing look passing between them, and suddenly the air felt charged.

“I’ve been thinking,” Nick said, his voice low, “about all the places we haven’t explored yet…”

Charlie swallowed hard, his pulse quickening as Nick leaned closer, his lips just inches from his ear. “We’ve got a beautiful room waiting for us. No tour guides. No distractions…”

Charlie felt the heat rising in his face, his heart racing. The gondola rocked gently beneath them, but all he could focus on was Nick, on the way his voice sent shivers down his spine, the way his fingers pressed just a little harder against his thigh.

“Nick…” Charlie’s voice came out breathless, his mind spinning.

Nick’s lips brushed against Charlie’s ear as he spoke, sending another ripple of warmth through Charlie’s body. His fingers on Charlie’s thigh made his heart race, each touch more electrifying than the last. The gondola swayed gently, but Charlie’s world was spinning for entirely different reasons. He could feel the words—the I love you he’d been holding onto—caught in his throat, but something kept him from saying it. It wasn’t fear, exactly. More like the weight of the moment. The perfect moment hadn’t quite materialized.

Nick, oblivious to the struggle bubbling beneath Charlie’s surface, leaned in even closer, his breath warm against Charlie’s neck. “You’re thinking too much again,” Nick teased, his lips brushing Charlie’s ear.

Charlie swallowed, the sensation of Nick’s breath and the press of his body overwhelming him. “I’m not…” He managed a weak laugh, but his voice betrayed the tension inside him. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions—love, desire, the past creeping up in the form of Ben’s messages, and the fear of not knowing how to express what he felt.

Nick pulled back just enough to look into Charlie’s eyes, a soft smile playing on his lips. His hand slid up to cup Charlie’s face, his thumb brushing gently across his cheek. “You’re beautiful, you know that?” Nick’s voice was low, intimate, the kind of tone that made Charlie’s heart skip several beats.

Charlie’s throat tightened again. Say it, he urged himself. Tell him you love him. You feel it every time he looks at you like that, every time he touches you. But the words just wouldn’t come. Instead, Charlie leaned in, capturing Nick’s lips in a kiss that was more desperate than tender, hoping the kiss would say what he couldn’t.

Nick responded immediately, his arms wrapping around Charlie’s waist, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them. The kiss deepened, and the gondola rocked slightly from the movement, but neither of them cared. It was just them—Nick’s lips on his, Nick’s hands on his body, and the heat between them that was quickly becoming unbearable.

Charlie’s heart raced faster as Nick’s hand slid under his shirt, his fingers grazing the warm skin of Charlie’s back. Every touch sent another jolt of desire through him, but at the same time, it felt like something more. It wasn’t just passion. It was love, real and strong, and Charlie wanted to scream it. But the words stayed trapped inside him, as if they were waiting for something he couldn’t quite figure out.

When they finally pulled apart, both of them breathless, Nick rested his forehead against Charlie’s, his fingers still tangled in Charlie’s curls. “We should get back to the hotel,” Nick murmured, his voice rough, his eyes dark with desire.

Charlie nodded, unable to trust his voice. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest, he was sure Nick could hear it. As the gondolier steered them toward the dock, the world around them began to filter back in—the distant sounds of the city, the lapping of the water, the warmth of the evening air. But it all felt secondary to the way Nick was looking at him, like Charlie was the only thing in the world that mattered.

Once they docked, Nick helped Charlie out of the gondola, keeping his hand firmly in his as they made their way through the winding streets back to their hotel. It was quieter now, the tourists thinning out as the night deepened, and every step they took felt more charged than the last.

When they reached the door to their room, Nick paused, turning to Charlie with a smile that sent another wave of warmth through him. “I think you know what’s coming next,” Nick teased, his fingers trailing lightly over Charlie’s hand.

Charlie’s stomach flipped, both from anticipation and the feeling of wanting to finally tell Nick what he couldn’t say before. But still, the words didn’t come. Instead, he pulled Nick inside, their hands still entwined, the door closing softly behind them.

The moment they were alone, Nick’s lips were on his again, more insistent this time, his hands roaming over Charlie’s body with an urgency that made Charlie’s knees weak. They stumbled toward the bed, Nick guiding him back until they collapsed onto it, a tangle of limbs and soft laughter.

Charlie’s mind spun as Nick kissed him, every touch sending sparks of electricity through him. He could feel the weight of the moment, the intensity of what they were about to share, but more than that, he felt the love he had for Nick swelling inside him, threatening to burst.

As Nick’s kisses trailed down his neck, Charlie closed his eyes, trying to steady himself. Say it, he told himself again. Now’s the time. Just say it.

But when Nick’s lips found his again, all Charlie could do was kiss him back, his hands fisting in Nick’s shirt as if holding onto him would somehow say everything his voice couldn’t.

Nick pulled back slightly, his breath coming in soft pants as he smiled down at Charlie. “You okay?” he asked gently, brushing a stray curl from Charlie’s forehead.

Charlie nodded, biting his lip. “I’m more than okay,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

Nick kissed him again, slower this time, his hands cradling Charlie’s face as if he were something precious. “Good,” Nick murmured against his lips. “Because I’ve wanted this for a long time.”

Charlie’s heart swelled again, the words hovering on the tip of his tongue. I love you, he thought, his chest aching with how much he meant it. But instead of saying it, he kissed Nick harder, pulling him close, letting the moment and the passion between them speak for him.

And maybe, for now, that was enough.

Chapter Text

Moonlight spilled across the room in a soft, silver glow, casting long shadows over the sheets as Charlie lay beside Nick, heart thudding quietly in his chest. The night had settled around them like a secret—quiet, intimate, and slow-burning. Their breaths had evened out, bodies curled together under the thin linen sheets, skin still warm from the closeness they’d shared.

But Charlie couldn’t sleep. Not yet.

He turned slightly, his bare leg brushing against Nick’s, who shifted in response with a soft, sleepy murmur.

“You awake?” Charlie whispered into the silence, unsure if he wanted an answer or just the permission to keep watching the gentle rise and fall of Nick’s chest.

“Mmhm,” Nick hummed, his voice low and groggy but still laced with affection. He turned his head slightly on the pillow, eyes half-lidded, glowing in the dim light. “Couldn’t sleep either.”

Charlie swallowed. “You okay?”

Nick reached over, brushing his knuckles against Charlie’s cheek, his touch feather-light. “Yeah. More than okay. That was… incredible.”

Charlie blushed, but the smile tugging at his lips was shy and genuine. “Yeah. It was.”

Silence fell again, not awkward—never awkward—but full of something unsaid, like they were both standing on the edge of something far bigger than they knew how to name. The intimacy still lingered in the air like perfume: heady, warm, and dizzying.

Charlie propped himself up slightly, resting on his elbow, eyes scanning Nick’s face. “I keep thinking I’m gonna wake up and this’ll all be a dream.”

Nick grinned, sleep still tugging at the corners of his mouth. “If it is, I don’t wanna wake up either.”

Charlie hesitated, his fingers grazing the sheet, tracing invisible lines between them.

There it was again—that push in his chest. Say it. The words hovered on his tongue, begging to be released. But fear always found its way in—the fear of saying too much, of ruining something perfect with one wrong sentence.

Nick sat up slightly, leaning on one hand. “Charlie…” His voice dropped an octave, serious now, but soft. “What’s going on? You’ve had that look in your eyes since the gondola.”

Charlie’s stomach twisted. He hated how well Nick could read him, how he always knew when something was hiding behind his smile.

“It’s nothing bad,” Charlie said quickly, reaching out to take Nick’s hand. “I promise. It’s just…” He let out a slow breath, eyes darting to their interlocked fingers. “It’s something I’ve wanted to say for a while, but I’ve been too scared.”

Nick’s thumb brushed over his knuckles, calming. “You don’t have to be scared with me.”

Charlie met his gaze, the words trembling now, pressing hard against his lips. “I love you.”

Silence. But not empty. It was filled with breathlessness, with the weight of the truth finally spoken aloud.

Nick’s eyes widened, his mouth parting slightly like the words had knocked the air from his lungs. For a moment, Charlie panicked—had he said it too soon? Was this the wrong time?

Then Nick let out a breath that sounded like relief, like joy, and he surged forward, cupping Charlie’s face in both hands and kissing him, deeply, thoroughly, until the last of Charlie’s fears melted into the heat of Nick’s mouth.

“I love you too,” Nick said when they finally broke apart, their foreheads resting against one another. “God, Charlie, I’ve been wanting to say that for so long.”

Charlie laughed, a little shakily, his heart pounding in his chest. “Then why didn’t you?”

“Because I didn’t want to mess anything up. But tonight… you just… everything felt right. ”

Charlie’s response was to pull him close again, this time with purpose. Their lips met hungrily, bodies re-aligning with a new kind of urgency—love burning behind every touch now, every sigh, every gasp.

Nick rolled over on top of him, hands trailing down Charlie’s sides, slow and reverent. “Can I…?” he asked softly against Charlie’s lips.

Charlie nodded, already breathless. “Yes. God, yes.”

The room faded around them. It was just their skin and their whispers, the heat building again, but this time it was different. This time it wasn’t just desire—it was love, raw and honest and consuming.

Nick kissed down Charlie’s neck, his name a whispered prayer on Nick’s lips, and Charlie arched beneath him, hands running through golden hair, anchoring himself to the boy he loved.

Everything was tender—slow where it mattered, passionate where it didn’t. Fingers entwined, lips never far apart, and hearts beating in sync. Every inch of Charlie’s body hummed with feeling—no longer just electricity, but something deeper, heavier, and infinitely warmer.

They moved together like they’d done this a hundred times, but each touch still felt new, like they were writing something sacred into each other’s skin.

And later, when they lay tangled in each other’s arms, the window open to the warm Italian air, Nick whispered into Charlie’s curls, “I’m so glad you said it.”

Charlie smiled, eyes closed, body sore in the best way possible. “I am too.”

The morning sun shimmered on the rooftops of Verona, casting a golden hue over the cobblestone streets as Charlie and Nick strolled hand-in-hand, still a little breathless from the night before. Their bags were packed. Their flight back to England was only a few hours away. But Nick had insisted— “We’re not leaving Italy without seeing Juliet’s balcony.”

Charlie had rolled his eyes at first, but deep down, the idea made his chest ache in a good way. A romantic ache. A Nick Nelson kind of ache.

They rounded a quiet corner just as the crowds were thinning out, and there it was—tucked away like something out of a dream: a small stone courtyard, vines climbing the walls, love letters wedged between the bricks, and a balcony that looked exactly as Charlie had imagined it all those years ago when he read Romeo and Juliet in bed.

“Nick,” Charlie breathed. “It’s actually beautiful.”

Nick squeezed his hand. “Told you.”

They stood there in silence for a moment, just taking it in. The worn stones. The rustling ivy. The gentle hum of tourists elsewhere, giving them a rare moment of near-solitude. Then Nick pulled something from his jacket pocket and held it out to Charlie.

A tiny, folded piece of paper. Handwritten. Familiar handwriting.

Charlie took it, brow furrowed. As he unfolded it, his heart stuttered when he read the lines scribbled across the page.

“You sure you want to post it?” Charlie asked, even as a warm flutter stirred in his chest. He already knew the answer. The photo Nick had just taken—Nick’s arms wrapped around Charlie from behind, both of them still in their morning shirts, eyes sleepy but full of light—was the photo. The one that said everything they’d finally said out loud last night. Love, truth, and belonging.

“With love’s light wings did I o’er-perch these walls;

For stony limits cannot hold love out…”

Charlie looked up slowly, and Nick was grinning.

“You brought this?” Charlie asked, completely caught off-guard.

Nick shrugged. “I thought… maybe we’d read it here. Like we said we would.”

Charlie smiled. “You’re such a sap.”

“And you love it,” Nick said without missing a beat.

Charlie snorted softly, cheeks pink, but he nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

They stood under the balcony, passing the book between them, trading lines like an old ritual. Tourists passed by, most not paying them any mind. But to Charlie, the moment was almost unreal—like something out of a book itself. Like love made real.

When they finished, Nick stepped forward and whispered just loud enough for Charlie to hear: “Not exactly star-crossed, are we?”

Charlie hesitated. The irony of the word star-crossed wasn’t lost on him. It had been buzzing in the back of his mind since the trip began—especially now, with Ben’s messages still coming in every few hours. He hadn’t blocked him yet. The weight of it sat heavily in his pocket. But looking at Nick right now, sun-kissed and grinning, holding his hand like it was the most normal thing in the world…?

Charlie wanted to believe that fate wasn’t working against them. Not this time.

He smiled, just barely. “No. I think we rewrote the ending.”

Nick leaned in and kissed him, soft and sweet. It was a kiss that didn’t ask for more, didn’t push—just was . It grounded Charlie in a way nothing else could.

Their final hours in Italy passed in a blur. Packing. Airport queues. That one overpriced airport sandwich Charlie immediately regretted. But somehow, it was all okay—because Nick was there. Always was.

As they sat at their gate, waiting to board, Nick nudged Charlie’s shoulder.

Nick looked down at him, phone still in hand. “Yeah. We said it. I want to share it. If that’s okay with you?”

Charlie hesitated only a second, then nodded. “Okay. Yeah. Post it.”

Nick grinned and tapped the button, adding a caption that made Charlie’s heart flip:

Te amo 🖤🇮🇹

He tagged Charlie. Within seconds, hearts and comments were rolling in. Friends back home. Supportive emojis. Tara and Darcy immediately blowing up the comments with “YESSSSSS” and “finally 🥺💕.” Tori simply sent a DM that read: About time.

But behind Charlie’s soft smile and fluttering heart, there was a cold thread wrapping tightly around his ribs.

He hadn’t blocked Ben.

And the messages hadn’t stopped.

He hadn’t dared check his phone that morning while Nick was awake. He told himself he didn’t want to ruin the moment, but really, it was fear. Guilt. The kind of guilt that slithers in slowly, whispering that silence is easier than honesty.

Unknown Number.

Ben: So this is what it takes to get you to block me? A gondola and a boyfriend?

Charlie’s stomach dropped.

The world dimmed for a second. His fingers hovered over the screen, the message glaring back at him like a shadow over everything good.

He turned the phone face-down.

Nick glanced over. “Everything alright?”

Charlie forced a nod, heart pounding. “Yeah. Just… Tori again.”

Nick leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Tell her she has five minutes to stop texting or I’m confiscating your phone.”

Charlie laughed softly, but the weight hadn’t lifted.

He stole one last glance at the message. Then, with shaking fingers, he opened his contacts, hovered, and finally hit:

Block.

The screen faded to calm. The tension in his chest slowly began to loosen.

Nick turned back toward the gate, not noticing what had just happened behind him.

Charlie looked at him—his golden boy, his Romeo, his ridiculous, sweet, chaotic Nick Nelson—and smiled for real this time.

Maybe it hadn’t been the perfect moment to say I love you back.

But now, at least, it was finally possible.