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Nick is really glad Tara and Darcy encouraged him to go out with them. They’re at a place called Tilly’s, where there’s a rainbow flag hanging in the window and a large projector playing music videos along the back wall. The three of them haven’t ventured too far away from the bar yet, each pleasantly settled with some sort of lemonade cocktail Tara ordered. (Darcy had tried to convince them to do shots as soon as they arrived, but Tara quickly shut down that idea. Nick is, as always, grateful for her.)
Tara is in the middle of telling them a story from her family holiday when Nick sees him at the end of the bar.
He’s mid-laugh, holding some girl’s hands and swaying them to the beat of the song playing, trying to get her to dance. Beneath her dark fringe, her eyes shoot unenthused daggers at him. There’s a tall guy with glasses behind her trying to hold back a smile, clearly enjoying her reaction. The cute guy with curly hair eventually relents, playfully huffing and giving her hands one more quick squeeze before releasing them and turning to the other couple beside him. Nick watches as he points to each of them and starts ticking items off on his fingers, nodding along as he goes.
His attention is intercepted when Tara says, “You should go talk to him.”
Nick quickly turns back to her, realizing he’s been caught, and shakes his head. “He’s with his mates. I don’t want to interrupt.”
“What if we all go over and say hi?” Darcy suggests, raising her drink in their direction. “We can make friends.”
“No, that’s even worse!” Nick says, blocking her way.
“How?!”
Nick laughs and sighs. While he certainly considers himself a friendly person and appreciates Tara and Darcy’s support, he still finds it a little nerve-wracking to introduce himself to strangers in queer spaces. He’s been out for almost a year, but hasn’t quite worked out yet where he fits in the community. It’s a process, he’s come to understand.
He takes another quick look at the cute guy and sees him break apart from the rest of his group and head toward the bar. He manages to squeeze between the crowded stools, landing just a few feet away from Nick. He can’t help the way his pulse starts to quicken at just the possibility of being closer to him.
“There’s your chance,” Tara says. “Go!”
“I can’t ambush him!”
“Sure you can,” Darcy says, nudging him a little too forcefully. Nick stumbles, careful to hold his drink steady so it doesn’t spill everywhere, and is unable to stop himself before knocking into this guy’s shoulder.
He regains his footing and quickly says, “I’m so sorry.” He unintentionally holds the guy’s arm to find his balance, and manages to pull away right as he’s turning around, trying his best to seem normal and controlled and not at all like he just rudely barreled into him after secretly wishing for an excuse to talk to him.
When their eyes meet, Nick notices how gentle the ones looking back at him are. For an encounter that was already off to a shaky start, those eyes were kind and inviting. There’s even a slight chuckle in the guy’s voice when he says, “That’s okay.” He gives Nick a quick once over. “You alright?”
“Yeah,” Nick assures. His hand rubs at the back of his neck and gestures to Darcy, who’s giggling with Tara. He quickly comes up with a dubious excuse. “I think my friend’s had a bit too much to drink. I’m here with her and her girlfriend.”
“Are you all celebrating the end of exams as well?”
Nick nods. “So you’re in university then, too?”
“Yeah. First year. You?”
“Second.” Gaining a bit of confidence to keep the conversation going, he quickly adds, “I’m Nick, by the way.”
“Charlie,” he replies, dropping a couple of bills on the bar as his drinks are delivered. He looks back and forth between the collection of glasses and bottles and where his friends are standing. “I guess I didn’t think about how I’d carry all of these back to them.”
“Let me help,” Nick insists.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
“Okay,” Charlie says. “Tell your friend and her girlfriend to join us, too.” He nods his head in the direction of his group, grabs a few glasses, and walks off with the confidence that Nick is going to follow him. Obviously, he does.
Nick grabs the remaining drinks and shuffles back over to Tara and Darcy. “Come on,” he instructs. He looks pointedly at Darcy and says, “We’re making friends.”
“I told you so!” she exclaims.
“Shut up.”
They all introduce themselves, and Nick learns that the girl Charlie had been trying to get to dance is actually his sister Tori, and the guy beside her is her boyfriend Michael. The other two are Charlie’s friends from school, Elle and Tao. They’re all quick to start chatting, bonding over the end of term and why Tilly’s is such a better option than most other bars near campus. Though it’s his first time there, Nick is quick to agree.
It wasn’t until university that Nick really began questioning his sexuality. Being away from home and the life he’d grown so familiar and comfortable with was a bit of a wake up call, to say the least. He’d met Tara during their first year and was quickly introduced to Darcy, who she’d been dating since Year 9. Something about being around the two of them gradually gave Nick the freedom to let down a guard he genuinely had no idea he’d had up for most of his life.
Sometime during half term their first year, he and Tara were having one of those nights that in some ways felt liminal; the kind that can only happen when you’re sitting on the floor of your room with a brand new friend you feel like you’ve known for years, the conversation flowing effortlessly until well after midnight before either of you even realize any time had passed. His feelings for Tara were unfamiliar to him. He’d never been so close to someone before, but for obvious reasons, their relationship never ventured toward anything romantic. But there’s always been something between them he couldn’t quite place. Something that just seemed to click.
It wouldn’t be until months later that he finally started to understand. Why he felt profoundly protective of Darcy whenever she mentioned her parents. Why it had taken him days to forget about the wave of shyness that came over him when the guy working at the cafe wrote his phone number on Nick’s takeaway cup. Why Tara’s coming out story planted a seed in his mind that he couldn’t ignore, especially not after it had eventually blossomed into a clear image of him sitting with Sarah Nelson in the kitchen over a tearful, bonding cup of tea.
While Nick has still only ever dated girls, the way he’s drawn to Charlie is more than enough to validate his confidence in being bisexual. The more he talks to him, the more he wants to listen, to learn about when he met Tao and Elle, and if he likes his sister’s boyfriend, and what it would be like to hold his hand or kiss him.
There are far too many moments over the next hour or so that captivate him even further. When he shares he’s on the rugby team, while Darcy insists it’s homophobic that Tara drags her to matches (he very much appreciates his best friend’s support), he notices Charlie’s eyes on him. More specifically, on his chest and arms, that are more or less on display, as he’s wearing a short sleeve button down left open over a fitted t-shirt. If anyone tried to accuse him of having strategically picked out his outfit for the night, he’d deny it, but he certainly can’t deny the twinge of satisfaction he feels while Charlie is essentially checking him out. Nick casually waits, a gentle smile on his face as he enjoys Charlie looking at him. When Charlie eventually looks up and sees he’s been caught, the flustered look on his face just makes Nick smile wider. He makes sure to give Charlie a once-over as well, to assure him that the feeling is mutual.
Then, when Charlie finishes his first drink, Elle convinces Tori to tell them the story about the first time the Spring siblings - Charlie Spring, he thinks, enjoying how pleasant his name sounds - got drunk together, which ended in a drunk driving Mario Kart match-up that he still managed to win.
Elle tells Nick, “Charlie never misses an opportunity to remind us that he remains undefeated.”
While the conversation continues from there, Nick leans closer to Charlie and says to him, “That sounds like a challenge.”
Charlie just sighs and shakes his head. “I hate to say it, but I’m fairly confident you’re just setting yourself up for failure.”
Nick shrugs. “I bet I could hold my own.”
With a concerned expression, Charlie replies, “You do know video games are far different than rugby, yeah? I’m afraid you won’t have any other lads to help you out.”
“So, just you and me then, hm?” His cheeks are seriously starting to hurt from how much he’s smiling. “Sounds alright to me.”
He can’t tell for sure because the lights in the pub are pretty dim, but Nick swears he can see the slightest blush on Charlie’s cheeks. The thought thrills him. Talking with Charlie is fun. Flirting with Charlie is fun. He doesn’t want to stop.
When they check back into the group’s conversation, Michael and Tao are discussing a professor they had in common, while Tara and Darcy are chatting away with Tori and Elle about where they all live in relation to one another. Seeing that his glass is empty, Nick asks if anyone wants another round, and they all politely turn down the offer, except for Charlie.
“What did you have?” Nick asks when they reach the bar, gesturing to Charlie’s glass. “Or do you want something else?”
“I can get it,” Charlie replies, shaking his head. “You don’t have to.”
Before he can reach for his wallet, Nick stops him with a hand on his arm. It’s a gentle alternative to the last time he’d touched him, which was more to catch his balance than anything else. This time it’s intentional. “I want to,” Nick says.
They share another silent moment of eye contact before Charlie drops his gaze. “Okay.” Nick can tell there’s still a smile gracing his face. “Thanks.”
They each gather their drinks, but instead of heading directly back to the group, they linger near the wall just opposite the bar, beside a jukebox machine that people intermittently visit to pick a song. They start talking about what kind of music they like and Charlie mentions his drum kit.
“You play the drums?” Nick asks, visibly impressed.
“Yup.”
He scoffs at Charlie’s nonchalance. “God, that’s -” He catches himself, running a nervous hand through his hair and managing to stop talking just before he embarrasses himself.
But apparently he’s more obvious than he thought. “What?” Charlie asks with a laugh in his voice. “What were you going to say?”
“No, nothing.”
“C’mon,” Charlie prods, tugging playfully at the front of Nick’s open button down. “You have to tell me now.”
“I…” Nick hesitates, trying to decide if he should be honest or not. There’s something in the way Charlie’s face invites him in, melts away the uncertainty, that makes the decision fairly easy. He lets out a rush of breath and before he can talk himself out of it, admits, “I was gonna say…that’s hot.” He anxiously rubs at his neck. “But I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
Charlie’s eyebrows raise in surprise and his eyes widen, just for the quickest moment before he gets his face back under control. Nick finds it way too adorable to see all the emotions flash across his face. He watches as Charlie takes a sip of his drink and nods the slightest bit, his eyes not leaving Nick’s. Finally, he just says, “I’ll allow it.” Then he smirks and says, “Rugby’s pretty hot, too, I guess.”
Nick raises an eyebrow. “You guess?”
Charlie laughs and Nick wants to hear it over and over again.
They talk a while longer, just the two of them. Nick doesn’t want Tara and Darcy to feel like he’s ditched them, but whenever he looks over in their direction, one of them sends an encouraging smile or thumbs up. If there’s one thing he can count on in their friendship, it’s having someone - two someones, no matter how much Darcy will deny it - to hype him up, push him in the right direction. (Apparently, sometimes literally.) He doesn’t take that for granted. They’ve told him before, in a very thoughtful way, that when it comes to dating, he has some trouble taking things to the next step. He really, really doesn’t want to make that mistake with Charlie.
Not when he’s spent the better half of the night needing to stop himself from looking too obviously at Charlie’s lips.
When they’ve both finished with their drinks, Nick moves the empty glasses to the table beside them and decides to go for it. He looks at Charlie and says, “I’m glad I got to talk to you.”
A subtle smile tugs at the corner of Charlie’s mouth. “Yeah?”
Nick nods. “I saw you when you came in. You looked all bright and happy.” He pauses, and then somehow finds the confidence to add, “And quite handsome, as well. Your eyes, your smile, your hair…”
“Shut up,” Charlie says, but it’s with a full smile, which loosens the tension in Nick’s chest. “Actually, I thought the same when you bumped into me.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Nick replies. “Probably not the best first impression.”
“It does make me question your rugby skills.”
Nick notices his voice is pitched a touch higher when he adamantly replies, “I’m starting to think you’ve no idea how rugby works! Running into people is sort of a big part of it.”
Charlie rolls his eyes. “Yes, I know that much, thank you.”
“I’m not convinced,” Nick says. He offers another challenging smile. “I think this means you’ll just have to come to a match, then.”
For a moment, Charlie’s expression goes soft, like he’s touched by the invitation. But, as has been routine all night, he’s quick to regain composure. He clears his throat and then says, “Bit homophobic, don’t you think?”
That shocks a laugh out of Nick, causing them both to fall into a fit of laughter. Something about Charlie making a call back to what Darcy had said earlier in the night makes him feel…warm. He thinks about how much he enjoys the idea of Charlie spending more time with his friends, him spending more time with Charlie’s friends, all of them meshing together into a new, effortless friendship. He knows he’s getting ahead of himself, but Charlie makes him feel hopeful. He decides to let himself run with it.
This time, Nick does let his eyes flick down a bit more intentionally at Charlie’s lips. He reaches for his hand and laces their fingers together. He takes it as a good sign when Charlie grips back.
Nick steels himself and says, “Can I…um.” He clears his throat and tries again. “Would it be alright if I…kissed you?”
“Really?”
The grin that takes over Nick’s face is instant. “Yeah. If that’s okay? Only if you want to.”
“I want to,” Charlie is quick to reply.
Nick leans in, and when their lips meet, it’s better than he imagined. His eyes close as he fully settles into the moment, reaching up to cup Charlie’s face with a surprisingly steady hand. It’s so nice. But then, something shifts. Well, Charlie shifts, actually. He becomes a little more rigid, and while his fingers remain intertwined with Nick’s, there’s a slight flinch that gives him pause.
Nick pulls away, concerned, and whispers, “Hey…you sure this is okay?”
Charlie nods curtly and averts his eyes. “Yeah, sorry.”
He knits his eyebrows together. “I wouldn’t be…upset, or anything, if you don’t-”
“No, it’s not that, I promise,” Charlie says, cutting him off and reaching up to hold Nick’s hand that had slid down to his neck. “It’s just.” His eyes travel over Nick’s shoulder. There’s some sort of worry in his eyes that has replaced the light Nick has been seeing in them all night. “I think I just got self conscious. In a room full of people.”
Nick looks around and says, “Oh, yeah.” He steps back a touch, managing a little more distance between them. He lets out a small sigh of relief, glad it wasn’t something he did to make Charlie uncomfortable.
“Sorry,” they both say at the same time, then laugh.
“Don’t be sorry,” Nick insists, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. “We can go back to the group. I don’t want to keep you from them. I can tell Tara and Darcy-”
“It’s okay, Nick, really. Just-” Charlie takes his phone out of his pocket, hands it over, and says, “I could…message you? Maybe we could do something just us, sometime?”
Nick can’t help but instantly smile at that. He takes out his phone and holds it out for Charlie as well. “Yeah, definitely.”
They make their way back to the group and are quick to spot Tara and Darcy a short distance away, dancing together in a space they made just for themselves. Tori gives Charlie a subtle but suggestive look, to which he simply replies, “Shut up.” Elle just chuckles as she leans into Tao’s side, his arm coming up to wrap around her shoulders.
“So, Nick,” Tao says. “Very important question for you-”
Elle’s eyes close as she chimes in with a tired, “Please don’t do this-”
“-what’s your favorite film genre?”
Nick puts his hands in his pockets and takes a moment to think. “I dunno.” He isn’t sure what type of response Tao is hoping for, so he figures it’s best to just give an honest answer. “I guess I like Marvel movies.”
Before he can even process the judging look Tao is giving him in return, Charlie points a finger at his friend. “Be nice!”
“Oh,” Nick says, flinching. “Wrong answer?”
While Charlie and Elle both reply, “No,” Tao seriously declares, “Yes,” at the same time.
Elle gives Tao’s chest a half-hearted slap with the back of her hand, rolling her eyes. “Sorry about him,” she says to Nick. “It will happen again.”
“Hey!” Tao exclaims, but they all are quick to laugh it off.
As the night goes on, Nick learns that while Charlie may be hesitant about kissing in a crowded place, he seems plenty comfortable showing his affection in other ways. Charlie will catch his eye and they’ll share a private laugh. He pokes Nick’s side when he catches him staring. Nick’s hand finds the small of his back when someone tries to shuffle behind them, taking his time to let it drop. With each new touch or look they share, he feels a rush of excitement, instantly eager to learn what the next one will be. It drives him mad, in the best way.
Things start to wind down and eventually Tori asks Charlie, “You alright to head out?”
He nods. “Sure.”
“Us too,” Tara says, returning to the group a little out of breath. “I need my bed. And a shower. And to take my shoes off.”
To which Darcy adds, “Hopefully not in the order.”
When their group spills out onto the street, before they can get far, Nick reaches for Charlie’s hand. “Hang on,” he says to him quietly. Then to the rest of the group he says, “Back in a second.”
Tara raises her eyebrows and gives him a look like, okay mate, I see you. He just smiles and leads Charlie around to the side of the building.
He lets go of Charlie’s hand in favor of resting his hands on his waist, guiding him along as he leans back against the brick building. Nick slyly looks left and right, noting the considerably fewer people around them, and asks, “Is this better?”
Charlie seems to catch on quickly and giggles. He begins to lean in and whispers, “Yeah,” before fully closing the distance between them.
If Nick thought their first kiss was nice, this one was on another level completely. Nice didn’t even begin to cover it. He’d kissed people before, but none of them left him feeling so…weightless. Their lips meet over and over again, neither of them willing to completely pull away. Charlie’s hands reach for the openings of Nick’s button down, while Nick moves his hands from Charlie’s waist around to his back, holding him close, their chests pressed together. Nick isn’t sure how long they spend there in that perfect, private moment. It doesn’t matter. It’s not long enough.
Finally, they both pull away, needing to catch their breath. Nick takes a few moments to compose himself. He reaches up to brush a stray curl away from Charlie’s forehead, then says, “I just…wanted to kiss you one more time before you left.”
“Well, that was a bit more than one more time.”
Nick ducks his head and laughs. He doesn’t respond, since it’s true. Instead, he says, “C’mon, before any of them come looking for us.” He reaches for Charlie’s hand and walks them to the front of the building, noting that there’s something about being part of an “us” with Charlie that sets off a spark in his chest.
He wants to chase it.