Work Text:
CHARLIE POV
“Get up, Charlie”.
“Mmmmph”.
Whap!
A pillow slams into Charlie’s head, jolting him uncomfortably out of sleep.
“What the hell, Tao?” Charlie sits up, glaring at his flat mate and flattening out his mussed-up hair. “It’s Saturday. I deserve to sleep in.”
“We’re going to the rugby match today, remember?” Tao says. “Elle’s new friends are going and she wants us to meet them there.”
Charlie rubs the sleep out of his eyes. “Oh, right,” he mumbles. “Rugby. Lovely.”
“We’re leaving in ten minutes,” Tao says. “Elle wants to stop and get some coffee.”
Tao leaves the room with Charlie still glaring at his retreating back. Checking his phone, he sees the time is 8:27. Too fucking early for a Saturday. He loves Elle, but waking up on a weekend before ten is crime. Especially to go watch a bunch of moronic, burly uni students chucking a ball around and shoving each other.
Charlie begrudgingly drags himself out of bed, running a hand through his dark curls and pulling on a faded Durham jumper. At least he doesn’t actually have to look put together for rugby. And at least they’re getting coffee. Charlie doesn’t think he could handle watching sports at this ungodly hour without fueling his caffeine addiction.
He pads into the flat’s shared kitchen, greeting Elle and Isaac, his other flat mates, with a sleepy “G‘morning.” Elle looks lovely as always, wearing an oversized jean jacket over a pale pink jumper and brown corduroy pants. Her dark, coiling hair is piled into a knot on the top of her head. “I must really love you, Elle,” Charlie says, grinning at her affectionately. “Can’t believe I’m spending my Saturday at a rugby match.”
Elle grins back. “Don’t worry, we can just spend most of the time talking on the sidelines,” she says. “You’ll love Tara and Darcy. They’re really nice and really want to meet you, since I talk about you lot way too much.” Tara and Darcy are Elle’s friends from her art history module. Elle has been talking about how cute they are together for weeks now, but Charlie hasn’t gotten a chance to meet them yet.
“Ready to go?” Tao asks, pulling on a green beanie. “We should probably head out now if we want enough time to pick up coffees.”
Isaac looks up from his book, Carry On, and nods. “I need a latte.”
They all head out the door of their flat, heading in the direction of the Costa on the way to the Durham rugby pitch. “I’ll cover the drinks,” Elle says as they file into the café. “It’s only fair since I’m forcing all of you to come with me to the game.”
Tao slings his arm around Elle’s shoulders, smiling broadly. “That’s why we love you.”
Elle gasps in mock offense. “I see, you’re only friends with me for the free coffee. I’m so hurt.”
Laughing, Charlie puts in his order for a cold brew and takes a seat with Isaac at a table by the window. Tao and Elle are waiting by the counter for their drinks. Isaac turns to Charlie conspiratorially. “So, Tao and Elle clearly like each other, right?”
“Obviously,” Charlie agrees. “But you know Tao. I’d be surprised if he’d made a move by this time next year.” Isaac nods in agreement, and they both quickly shut up as Elle and Tao walk over their their table with the coffees.
By the time they reach the rugby pitch, Charlie’s already downed half his coffee. Maybe he can walk back to Costa and get another as an excuse to leave the match. And maybe he can make sure Tara and Darcy like him by getting them hot chocolates.
He spots two girls waving at Elle, and the group of four head over in that direction. One of the girls is blonde, sporting a bright tie-dye sweatshirt and jeans. She has her arm around a pretty girl with chocolate-colored curly hair and a bright smile.
“Tara! Darcy!” Elle runs over and gives them both a hug. “This is everyone.”
Charlie waves. He’s not especially great with meeting new people. He constantly worries about tripping over his words or doing something to embarrass himself. He thought his awkward stage would end when he got to university, but it seems to be spilling into his first year at Durham. But Tara and Darcy seem like cool people, so he tries not to let his social anxiety spoil the day.
“You’re Charlie, right?” the girl in the tie-die asks him. He nods, smiling. “Brilliant. I’m Darcy. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
“You have?” Charlie suddenly feels self-conscious. What has Elle told them about him?
The other girl, who Charlie assumes must be Tara, looks over and laughs. “Don’t mind Darcy. She just has a goal of befriending every gay person on campus by the end of our second year.”
“Good to know,” Charlie says, smiling. “I was worried Elle might have told you some embarrassing story about me or something. I’ve got plenty of those.”
Darcy grins mischievously. “I bet I could top you there. I may or may not have eaten a dozen Jaffa cakes on a dare before a secondary school dance and then thrown them all up right in the middle of the gymnasium.”
“Alright, Darcy, that’s enough sharing for today,” Tara says, linking hands with Darcy and smiling broadly at her before gesturing for the group to follow her over to the bleachers. Darcy sticks her tongue out at Tara. Elle is right - they are really cute together.
“So, who’s your friend on the team?” Tao asks the girls as they walk over. “You both seem a little too cool to have friends on the rugby team.”
“Don’t worry,” Tara replies. “We’re just friends with one of the lads. Nick Nelson. The rest of the lot are a bunch of half-brained jocks, but he’s really nice.” She gestures to one of the players warming up on the field, who waves back to her. He’s tall and strongly built with floppy blondish hair. Charlie doesn’t want to admit to himself that he’d find a rugby player cute, but he can’t deny that the boy on the field is cute. In a golden retriever sort of way. Not that he’s into that, of course.
He tears his eyes away from the field and sits down on the bleachers next to Tao, who glances at him suspiciously. “What?”
“You think he’s cute, don’t you?” Tao smirks.
“No I don’t!” Charlie protests, but he’s smiling. Suddenly he doesn’t feel the need to escape from the match to Costa anymore. He takes another sip of his cold brew to hide his face from Tao.
Charlie remembers absolutely none of the rules of rugby, but as they watch the match, even he can tell that Nick is good. Like, really good. He’s probably the best player on the team. And it’s definitely not bad watching those very strong arms carrying the rugby ball across the pitch…
No. Charlie shakes his head, reminding himself where he is. He is watching a rugby match. Nick plays rugby. Just based on that alone, Charlie is almost positive that Nick is straight. He will not be going through the embarrassing ordeal of having a crush on a straight guy.
He turns his attention to Tara and Darcy. “You guys are super cute. How did you two meet?”
“We met in a music club during our first year here,” Tara replies. “Darcy plays trumpet and I play clarinet. After about 2 months of Darcy annoying the shit out of me, I finally realized that she was flirting. And that she was kind of cute.”
“Nah, you thought I was cute the whole time,” Darcy says confidently.
“Maybe. But it was hard to care when you kept trying to scare me by honking your trumpet like a goose every time I came near you.”
A whistle blows, signaling the end of the match, and Nick jogs over to the group sitting on the bleachers. Fuck, Charlie thinks. He looks cuter up close.
“Hey, guys!” Nick says, a little out of breath. He stops in front of Tara and Darcy. “Thanks so much for coming!”
“You did so well!” Tara says, beaming. “Well, at least I think. None of us really know the rules of rugby. Did you win?”
Nick laughs. “Yeah, we did.” He turns to look at the rest of the group. “I’m Nick! It’s nice to meet you guys.” He makes eye contact with Charlie, and Charlie turns away shyly. Fuck, fuck, fuck. His eyes are a lovely light shade of brown. Charlie just met this guy and already he’s got big cartoon heart eyes for him. How pathetic.
“I’m just going to go for a quick shower and change. Would everyone want to go grab lunch after that at the pub?” Nick asks the group. “I’d love to get to know you all, but I’ve definitely got to wash this mud off before I can go anywhere.”
“Sure!” Tara replies. Charlie’s heart skips a beat. He was definitely not expecting to spend more time with Nick. He’s not mad about it, but it’s certainly much easier to admire Nick from a distance rather than actually try and make conversation. His cold brew churns in his stomach. He watches Nick walk away through a mix of excitement and nerves.
NICK POV
Nick is exhausted. That was an intense match, and he’s desperate to wash off the mud and change into some clean clothes.
Nick feels an arm sling chummily around his shoulder. “Nice game, mate. You really came through for us out there!” says Harry Greene, one of his teammates.
“Really, mate. All those Southampton f**s must be crying on the bus home right now,” says another one of his teammates, Ben Hope.
Nick forces a grin. “Right. Well, I told some friends I would meet them for lunch, so I better go shower. Good game, lads.” He shrugs off Harry’s arm and makes sure he has enough distance between himself, Harry, and Ben before letting his expression turn sour. Ben and Harry have been his teammates for a while, and while they’re not exactly his best friends, he does spend a lot of his time with them. They consider themselves friends with Nick because he’s good at rugby, and that’s all they need to know. There’s a lot of things they don’t know about Nick. He doesn’t exactly feel comfortable being his real self around his teammates.
For example, he would never feel comfortable sharing the thoughts running through his mind now.
Nick had noticed him right away. After waving to Tara from the field, he immediately caught sight of a cute face hiding behind dark curls and an iced coffee. When Nick came over after the game, he had made brief eye contact with the boy, long enough to notice his clear blue eyes. His Durham jumper was slightly oversized on his tall, lanky frame.
Nick thinks the guy is extremely cute. Which, after hearing Ben’s fucking disgusting comment, is exactly why he can’t be himself around the rugby team.
Nick heads to the locker room, taking a quick shower and changing into a clean jumper and joggers. Despite his best efforts, he can’t seem to get those blue eyes out of his head. He pulls out his phone to text Tara.
Nick: Hey! Can you let me know everyone’s names so I don’t make an idiot of myself at lunch?
Tara: Of course! Elle’s the one in the pink jumper, Tao’s wearing a green beanie, Isaac’s the one with the book, and Charlie’s wearing a Durham jumper.
Nick: Thanks so much! Be back in a few.
Charlie, Nick thinks, smiling to himself.
CHARLIE POV
Charlie’s friends continue to talk to Tara and Darcy while they wait outside, but Charlie is only half-listening to their conversation. He wishes he was contributing more to the group, but he’s relatively quiet on a regular day, let alone when his thoughts are completely occupied by something. Or someone. Normally Charlie wouldn’t give a shit about a sporty guy, but Nick seems different. He’s friend with Tara and Darcy, for one, which means that he can’t be all that bad. And he seemed so sweet and down-to-earth when he came up to their group earlier.
Charlie remembers looking away from Nick when they made eye contact and sighs. Nick probably already thinks he’s a little odd. No point in getting his hopes up.
“You guys ready to go?” a voice asks from behind Charlie. He just barely keeps himself from spinning around at the sound of Nick’s voice. He’s got a very pleasant, sweet voice. Not at all what you’d expect out of a rugby player.
“Took you long enough, Nick. I’m starved,” Darcy says, poking Nick in the arm. “What were you doing in there? Daydreaming or something?”
Nick’s cheeks redden slightly, but he laughs at Darcy. “Nah, just wanted to keep you waiting as long as possible.” Darcy gives him the finger.
The group heads toward the pub, and Charlie follows. His thoughts are racing. He knows it’s a bad idea to have a crush on a straight guy, but he can’t exactly get rid of these feelings now. Not when his brain won’t stop telling him how cute Nick just looked when he blushed. Maybe he can say something to Nick at the pub to try and at least become friends with him-
Charlie’s converse catches on the end of the curb and he loses his balance. Shit, he thinks, and tries in vain to stay on his feet. He’s falling, about to crash into the sidewalk when a solid pair of arms wraps around his chest and saves him from chipping a tooth on the concrete.
Charlie looks up to see Nick’s concerned face staring back at him. “Woah, you all right?” he asks worriedly. He’s still got his arms around Charlie, and he gently pulls him up and helps him regain his footing. Charlie is about to start hyperventilating.
“Yeah. Sorry, guess I spaced out.” Nick seems to realize he’s still holding onto Charlie and lets him go awkwardly. A few moments go by. Charlie doesn’t know how to fill the uncomfortable silence. “Hi,” he says finally, looking at Nick, and cringes internally. Hi? They’ve already been walking together in the group for the past five minutes. Nick must think he’s an idiot.
NICK POV
His eyes are so fucking blue.
CHARLIE POV
Nick smiles back. “Hi. You’re Charlie, right?”
He nods. Tara must have told Nick his name. “Thanks for catching me. Don’t know where my head’s at, but I don’t think a collision with the concrete would have helped it.”
Nick giggles. It’s fucking adorable. “Happy to help,” he says. “You sure you’re all right?” Charlie nods again. “We should probably catch up with the group, then. I don’t think they realized you fell. Well, almost fell.”
Nick and Charlie start walking side by side, the group a little ways ahead of them. Charlie glances at him out of the corner of his eye. He’s wearing a blue jumper with the Adidas logo and gray joggers. His hair still is a little bit damp, a few strands clinging to his temples. It’s an effort for Charlie not to stare.
Nick looks over at Charlie. “So, is it your first year at Durham?” he asks. Charlie nods. He seems to be incapable of using his actual words. “What are you studying?”
“I’m studying literature,” Charlie replies.
“Wow! That’s really cool. Got a favorite book?”
“Um, I would probably have to pick the Odyssey. I like reading the classics.”
Nick looks impressed. Charlie hopes Nick doesn’t think he’s a complete nerd. “I see, so you’re like, really smart then,” Nick says. “I wish I was studying something cool. I just picked business because I thought it wouldn’t been too hard. I don’t have a lot of time to study, since I have rugby practice every day.”
“Every day? That honestly sounds horrible,” Charlie says.
“It’s not so bad,” Nick reassures him. “Do you play at all?”
Charlie snorts. “Um, have you seen me? I’m much too small and weak to even think about playing rugby.” Nick laughs. “But it must be fun for you. You look much stronger than me,” he adds without thinking.
Nick blushes again. Shit. Charlie probably just made him uncomfortable. Nick probably thinks he’s trying to flirt or something.
They’ve finally caught up to the group, so Charlie at least doesn’t have to try and continue the conversation after accidentally possibly flirting with Nick. They all enter the pub, filing into a corner booth. Nick ends up sitting next to Charlie, their knees touching slightly as they both sit down. Charlie’s heart does a somersault in his chest. It’s probably just the coffee.
The pub is cozy, the lights dim and music playing softly in the background. Charlie thinks it would be a cute place to go for a date.
“Hey, Charlie,” says Darcy. “Tao tells me you play the drums? My friend James from music club is in a band, and I’m pretty sure they’re looking for a drummer for their next gig. Any chance you’d be interested?”
“I’m not sure,” Charlie replies, a little anxious. “I dunno if i’m good enough to actually play a gig.”
Elle rolls her eyes at him. “He’s just being modest,” she says. “Charlie is an incredible drummer.”
“So, you’ll think about it then? I’ll give you James’ number before we go so you can text him if you decide you want to,” Darcy says. “I bet you’d be great.”
NICK POV
He plays the drums!?
CHARLIE POV
“Okay, maybe,” Charlie says. It would be kind of cool to play with a band, even though the thought of an actual audience makes him nauseous.
It’s surprisingly easy for Charlie to contribute to the group’s conversation as they wait for their food. Tara and Darcy are extremely funny, and he feels completely comfortable joking around with them and the rest of his friends.
Every time he thinks about the boy sitting next to him, though, he gets nervous again. He can’t believe how badly he’s crushing already. Usually he’s a bit more sensible about guys. Usually he can immediately stop a potential crush on a straight boy. There’s something about Nick, though. Despite the butterflies in his stomach, Charlie feels almost content sitting so close to Nick. He keeps having to fight the urge to rest his head on Nick’s sturdy shoulder.
“We are all definitely hanging out again,” Darcy says as they are getting ready to leave. “Can everyone put their number’s in my phone? I’m making a group chat.”
Darcy passes her phone around. Nick takes it, types in his number, and hands the phone to Charlie. Their fingers brush slightly as Charlie takes it, and Charlie’s breath catches in his throat. His fingers are shaking slightly as he types his number into Darcy’s phone. He hopes nobody notices.
——
Charlie is laying on his bed later that day. He’s been staring at his laptop for the past four hours, trying to write an essay for his Shakespeare class, but he can’t keep his thoughts on Othello when the morning’s events are playing on repeat in his mind. He puts in his headphones and turns up The Strokes as loud as he can, attempting to drown out his thoughts.
He’s just starting to make some progress when his phone chimes.
DARCY: hey guys! can everyone say their names in the chat?
ELLE: hi it’s elle!! 💜
TARA: I’m Tara!
NICK: Hey it’s Nick!
Charlie knows he’ll probably never work up the nerve to text him individually, but it’s at least a little exciting to now have Nick’s phone number in his own phone.
DARCY: that was super fun today i’m for sure forcing you all to hang out with me again 🥳
CHARLIE: yes for sure! i’d much rather hang out than write this horrible Shakespeare essay 😑
TAO: charlie come take a break and watch a movie with me, you’ve been in your room doing work for hours
CHARLIE: can’t 😭
DARCY: lame
TAO: ^^
ISAAC: i’ll watch a movie with you tao!! TAO: any suggestions? NICK: I love marvel, always have to recommend the avengers
ELLE: oh nick no
TAO: 🤢🤢🤢 alright we can’t be friends
NICK: What?? Marvel is so good
TAO: 🤮🤮🤮
NICK: Ok, nevermind I guess
DARCY: lmao
TARA: Do you guys want to do a movie night tomorrow? Not marvel of course
CHARLIE: yeah that sounds like fun!
TAO: i’m down
Of course Nick likes Marvel. Charlie can just imagine Nick’s sad puppy-dog expression when he realized Tao was not a fan of his Avengers suggestion. It’s adorable, and it’s making it very difficult for Charlie to try and refocus his attention on his essay.
NICK POV
Nick sighs in frustration at his phone. He’s been trying to figure out how to text Charlie for the past twenty minutes but hasn’t been able to come up with the right words.
CHARLIE POV
Ping! Charlie turns away from his laptop and glances at his screen. He stares at the name with a mixture of shock and happiness. Nick Nelson. He picks up the phone eagerly.
NICK: Hey, Charlie! How’s your essay going?
CHARLIE: okay, thanks for asking!
NICK: I’m sure it’s great, you seem really smart :)
CHARLIE: aw thank you! what are you up to? NICK: Not much, just staring sadly at pictures of my dog and wishing uni allowed you to bring pets to the dorms
CHARLIE: you’re required to send me a pic of your dog since you’ve mentioned her
NICK: *PICTURE*
CHARLIE: OMG😭😭😭 SO CUTE
NICK: Her name’s Nellie and I miss her so much
CHARLIE: as you should
NICK: Do you have any pets?
CHARLIE: no 🥲 my parents don’t really like animals
NICK: Aw that sucks, maybe I can introduce you to Nellie sometime
CHARLIE: i would love that sm
NICK: Are you planning on going to the movie night tomorrow?
CHARLIE: i think so! you?
NICK: Yeah, sounds like a good time! It’ll be nice to see you again
CHARLIE: ☺️ you too!
He’s probably just being nice, Charlie thinks, but he still can’t stop smiling at the words It’ll be nice to see you again.
Charlie finally leaves his room late in the evening to grab some food. Tao and Elle are sitting at their shared kitchen table, watching a video on Elle’s phone. As Charlie opens the pantry and looks around for some biscuits, he asks as casually as possible, “Hey, did either of you two get a text from Nick tonight?”
“Yeah,” Elle responds. “I thought you saw his texts in the group chat.”
Charlie puts the kettle on for tea. “I meant like, did he text either of you individually.”
Both Elle and Tao shake their heads. Tao narrows his eyes. “Why, did he text you?”
Charlie nods, not meeting Tao’s eyes. “ I guess he just wanted to check in and see how my essay was going.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet!” Elle says, but Tao frowns.
“Charlie, that seems kind of weird. I don’t trust any of those rugby guys. He might be trying to mess with you.”
Elle rolls her eyes at Tao. “Oh my god, you’re so cynical. He’s probably just a nice guy who wants to make some new friends. He’s friends with Tara and Darcy, and I trust their judgment.”
Heading back to his room with a mug of tea and biscuits, Charlie wonders if Tao is right. Maybe Nick is just messing with him? It’d probably be quite a laugh for him and his rugby friends, making a scrawny little gay guy fall for the star player on the team.
NICK POV
Nick drags himself out of bed the next morning to get ready for rugby practice. It’s not that he doesn’t want to play - he loves the sport - but he’s not sure how many idiotic comments he can tolerate before finally snapping at one of his teammates. It’s much easier to be on a team with people you’re at least somewhat friendly with, and he’s pretty certain calling Ben a homophobic arse like he wanted to yesterday would make friendship a little bit difficult.
When he arrives to the rugby pitch, Harry glances at him and smirks. “So, I saw you talking to Tara Jones after the match yesterday. Anything happening there?”
“We’re just friends,” Nick replies quickly.
“You sure, mate? Didn’t you fancy her last year?” That is actually true. Nick met Tara in one of his first year classes and had a small crush on her for the first month of uni. When he finally started talking to her, though, he realized that he really liked her just a friend. Tara was actually the first person he came out to at Durham. Once he learned about her and Darcy, he felt pretty comfortable telling her that he was bi.
“She’s got a girlfriend,” Nick says. Harry snorts but doesn’t respond. Nick’s hands curl into fists. He’s not an aggressive person by nature, but sometimes he really thinks Harry could use a proper punch in the face.
“Are you coming on Friday, mate?” Ben asks Nick, walking up to where he and Harry are standing.
“To what?” Nick asks.
“Me and some of the lads are throwing a house party on Friday night. It’s gonna be a good time. You should bring a few people, we want it to be packed.”
“Maybe.” Parties are fine, but they’ve never really been Nick’s thing. He likes chatting with new people and having a few drinks as much as anyone else, but he’s never been that fond of getting completely pissed with his rugby mates.
“C’mon mate, it’ll be fun,” Harry says, clapping Nick on the shoulder.
“Okay, I’ll be there,” Nick finally agrees. He’ll just bring Tara and Darcy. And maybe he could bring Charlie…
He hopes he wasn’t too obvious with his text yesterday, but he’s really excited to see Charlie again tonight. Hopefully Nick can talk to him a little more, see if he’d be up for going on Friday. He’d certainly be a lot more willing to go Ben’s party if Charlie could come with.
CHARLIE POV
Charlie is lying in a pile of clothes on his bedroom floor. It’s just a movie night with friends. He knows that. But Nick is coming to his flat, and suddenly none of his clothes seem adequate.
Finally, Charlie settles on an oversized patterned sweater and black skinny jeans with rips at the knee. He looks nice, but not like he’s trying too hard. Or at least that’s the look he’s going for. And it’ll have to do. He can hear Tara and Darcy coming into flat through his closed bedroom door.
He exits his room quietly, making sure no one sees the complete mess on his floor. He immediately gets tunnel vision when he catches sight of Nick. His jeans and rugby jumper are nothing out of the ordinary. His hair and eyes look exactly the same as the first time Charlie saw him. But Charlie’s heart is still beating too fast, and when Nick smiles at him, he thinks he might pass out.
“Charlie! Hi!” Tara says, running over to give him a hug. “So good to see you again!”
“Good to see you too! I’m going to apologize in advance for whatever weird movie Tao ends up subjecting you guys to,” Charlie says.
“Hey! I have good taste!” Tao cries indignantly.
“Well, maybe you could pick something this time that won’t horribly depress us all,” Charlie replies.
“It’s not my fault you don’t appreciate art,” Tao mutters under his breath, walking over to the couch to turn on the TV.
Elle and Isaac are making popcorn and grabbing sodas for everyone, while Tao, Darcy and Tara look through Netflix for a movie. Nick takes a few steps closer to where Charlie is standing.
“Glad you had time for us today! That paper you were working on seemed like a lot of work,” he says.
“It’s not too bad. I’m almost done,” Charlie replies. “How was rugby today?”
An expression flashes across Nick’s face, so fast that Charlie almost misses it. He looks upset about something. Then he’s smiling again. “It was all right. Easy practice, since we had a match yesterday. It’s much more fun to be here you all, though. Even if we can’t watch a Marvel movie.”
Charlie laughs. “Sorry about Tao. He’s a bit of a film snob, but we love him. I’m the same way with music, so I can’t be too hard on him about it.” “Oh really? What sort of music do you listen to?” Nick asks.
“Mostly indie rock and alternative. My favorites are The Strokes and Muse. What about you?”
“Usually I tell people my favorite artist is Queen. But if I’m being honest, it’s probably Taylor Swift.” Nick blushes again. He keeps doing that. Charlie keeps finding it extremely cute.
“Valid. 1989 is a masterpiece,” Charlie replies.
Nick smiles at him and then opens his mouth, about to speak, when he’s cut off by Darcy. “Is everyone cool with The Conjuring?”
“Oh god,” Nick mutters. “I hate scary movies.”
Charlie heads over to the sofa, taking a seat at the end, and Nick sits down next to him. Tao and Elle settle on an oversized chair together, squabbling over who gets the softest blanket. Isaac smirks at Charlie as he sits down, looking knowingly over at Tao and Elle.
“Hey, budge up, guys. There’s room for two more,” Darcy says, and she and Tara squeeze onto the sofa beside Nick and Charlie. There’s barely enough room for all of them, and Nick and Charlie’s legs are now pressed together. Charlie feels like all his nerves end right where his leg touches Nick’s.
NICK POV
Alright. He can do this. He can sit through a horror movie. It means he has an excuse to sit close to Charlie for two hours.
Tao presses play, and everyone sits back to watch. Nick tries to relax, but the ominous music playing in the background is making it difficult. Maybe a blanket will help. He reaches for a fluffy white blanket hanging off the back of the couch.
“Want any of the blanket?” he whispers to Charlie. Charlie nods, eyes still on the screen. Nick pulls the blanket over them. He wants to put his arm around Charlie. But that would probably be weird.
Trying to distract himself from the movie, Nick looks at Charlie out of the corner of his eye. He’s completely absorbed in the movie, the light of the screen reflected in his cerulean eyes. His hair is a little unruly, black locks hanging down in front of his face. Nick wonders what it would be like to run his fingers through it.
Nick glances over at the rest of the group. For some reason, Tao is staring at him, with a look Nick can’t quite place. It doesn’t seem friendly, though. He looks quickly back at the screen.
Just as Nick is starting to think maybe the movie isn’t so bad, he’s caught completely off-guard by a jump scare. Without thinking about what he’s doing, he grabs Charlie’s hand under the blanket. He holds on tightly for a second, then comes to his senses and lets go. Fuck. He shouldn’t have done that.
CHARLIE POV
Holy shit. Did that actually just happen!?
——
There’s no way Charlie is going to be able to sleep tonight. All he can think about is Nick holding his hand. Not just brushing against it. Properly holding it.
It probably doesn’t mean anything. Nick was just scared of the movie, that’s all. Charlie just happened to be the person next to him with a hand to hold. Nothing romantic about it.
But that doesn’t mean Charlie can stop thinking about it.
He reaches for his phone, opening up Instagram. He searches and after a few minutes he finally finds Nick’s account. His profile picture is of him and Nellie in the snow. His account is private, so unfortunately Charlie won’t be able to stalk his account tonight. He requests to follow Nick and puts his phone down again. He should at least try to get some sleep.
NICK POV
Nick is freaking out. He’s only known Charlie for two days. He definitely shouldn’t have grabbed his hand during the movie. Charlie’s probably creeped out by him now.
Maybe he’ll just text Charlie and pretend like nothing happened. It’s probably too late for that, but he at least has to try and smooth things over.
NICK: Hey Charlie! What’d you think of the movie?
CHARLIE: not too bad. horror’s not my favorite though. wbu?
NICK: I was way too scared haha. I hate horror so much
CHARLIE: you’re a big tough rugby lad, can’t believe a little scary movie freaks you out
NICK: Are you making fun of me🥲
CHARLIE: maybe
CHARLIE: what’s your favorite taylor swift song?
NICK: Oh shit that’s such a hard question
NICK: but if I had to choose, probably enchanted
CHARLIE: nice, a classic
CHARLIE: i’m more of a folklore guy myself
NICK: That seems like more your vibe
NICK: Got any music recommendations for me?
CHARLIE: hmmm there’s so many
CHARLIE: i could make you a playlist if you want
NICK: I’d love that
CHARLIE: link: charlie’s songs for nick
NICK: Thank you so much! I’m gonna listen right now
NICK: Are you busy tomorrow?
CHARLIE: i just have class in the morning, why do you ask?
NICK: I was thinking maybe we could get coffee tomorrow afternoon? I can tell you what I think of your songs there
CHARLIE: yeah sounds great! i’m free after one
NICK: Ok great! I’ll stop by your flat and we can walk over together
CHARLIE: sounds good :)
CHARLIE POV
Charlie’s classes that Monday seem to last for ages. Normally he finds his literature classes interesting, but today he can’t wait for them to be over so he can hang out with Nick.
He’s a little anxious about it, though. It was easier to talk to him in a group setting. What if he’s awkward around Nick when it’s just the two of them?
Charlie stops by his flat after class and drops off his backpack, then sits at the kitchen table, his leg bouncing up and down nervously. Tao walks into the kitchen and looks him up and down suspiciously. “What’s up with you?”
Charlie looks down. “Just waiting to meet a friend for coffee.”
“Nick?”
“How’d you know?” Charlie asks, surprised.
Tao frowns. “I had a feeling. Just be careful, Charlie. I don’t want to see you hurt.” He looks genuinely concerned, and Charlie feels a sudden rush of love for his best friend. Tao’s just looking out for Charlie, even if he may be wrong about Nick. “Have you had anything to eat today?”
“Not yet.” Charlie’s nerves have made it difficult for him to stomach anything. Charlie struggled in the past with an eating disorder, and although he went through treatment and is doing much better now, his anxiety can occasionally make eating difficult.
“Well, you should probably have something before you go,” Tao says. “Or at least get something more than coffee with Nick. Do you want me to make a sandwich or something?”
Charlie shakes his head. “I’ll just get something to eat when I’m out.”
His phone dings.
NICK: Outside your flat!
CHARLIE: ok, be there in a sec!
Charlie steps outside, and Nick immediately turns to look at him, smiling. He radiates warm, friendly, golden retriever energy. All his worries from the conversation with Tao slip to the back of Charlie’s mind.
“All right, Charlie? How were your classes today?” Nick asks, walking over to meet Charlie by the door.
“Pretty boring today, actually. I’m glad I could do something fun after.” He looks down, trying to figure out how to keep the conversation going. “So, what’d you think of the songs I sent you?”
The two of them start walking in the direction of a local coffee shop. “I really liked it!” Nick says. “You’ve got really good music taste. I especially liked that chloe moriondo song. What’s it called again?”
“Um, ‘I Want To Be With You’,” Charlie answers, blushing slightly. He had thought that one might make his crush a little too obvious. But it was a good song, and he wanted to put it on the playlist. “That’s one of my favorites.”
They continue to talk about the songs on the playlist until they arrive at the coffee shop. It’s quiet, only a few tables occupied by uni students working on homework.
“What do you normally get? I like the mocha here,” Nick says.
“I always get a cold brew,” Charlie replies.
“Sounds good! I’ll go order for us.”
Charlie sits down at an empty table and watches Nick talk to the barista. He’s laughing at something she just said. Possibly they’re flirting. The thought makes his stomach churn.
Nick sits down a few minutes later with the coffees and pastry for each of them. Charlie tries to pay Nick back, but he just waves him away. “I’ve got it covered.”
“So, what’s it like being on the rugby team? It must be nice to have a team like that, where you get to hang out with each other every day and become good friends.”
Nick frowns slightly. “It’s all right, I guess.”
“All right?” Charlie asks, a little confused. “Do you not like it?”
Nick sighs. “It’s not that I don’t like rugby,” he says. “It’s just - I don’t really feel that comfortable around my mates on the team.” He stares down at his pastry. “I guess I feel like I can’t be myself around them.”
“I’m really sorry, Nick,” Charlie says sincerely. “That must suck. For the record, you can always be yourself around me and my friends.” Nick looks up and him and smiles warmly. “Except you can’t like Marvel. Tao won’t allow it.”
“I expected that,” Nick says, laughing.
Nick and Charlie talk for a while, about school and life at home and their friends. Nick tells Charlie how he met Tara and Darcy last year at Durham, how they were his only two friends he felt like he could be himself around for a while. Charlie talks about going to secondary school with Tao, Elle and Isaac. He finds himself telling Nick things he normally doesn’t talk about, like how he was bullied after being outed in year nine, and how some of their teachers refused to call Elle by her name after she transitioned. Nick is a really good listener, and seems to genuinely care about what Charlie tells him.
“So,” Nick says as they’re finishing up their drinks and getting ready to leave, “some of my mates from rugby are throwing a party this Friday. They told me to invite some friends, so I was wondering if you wanted to come? I think Tara and Darcy are going, and Tao, Elle and Isaac are welcome too.”
A party? With Nick? “Are you sure you want me to come? I feel like I wouldn’t really fit in with the guys on the team. I don’t want it be less fun for you.”
“Trust me, it’ll be much more fun if you’re there,” Nick says. “And there will be plenty of other people, not just rugby guys.”
“Okay, I’ll go. As long as you actually want me to.”
Nick looks at him seriously. “I do.”
CHARLIE POV
“A party? With rugby lads? Sorry, Charlie, but no.” “C’mon, Tao! Nick said there’ll be a ton of people there. Not just rugby players,” Charlie says, but Tao shakes his head. They’re sitting in the kitchen later that night with Isaac and Elle, empty Chinese takeout boxes scattered on the table.
“Charlie, there is nothing you can say that will make me want to go to that party.”
Charlie turns and looks imploringly at Elle. “Sorry,” she says apologetically. “I would come, but I agreed to go to an art showing with some friends from class.”
“Isaac?”
Isaac looks up from his book and shakes his head. “I don’t think that’s really my vibe. Besides,” he adds, grinning, “if we don’t go you’ll get to spend some more time with your crush.”
Charlie opens his mouth to protest, but Elle puts a hand up. “We all know. You clearly like him. It’s very cute.”
“It’s not like anything would happen. He’s straight,” Charlie mutters. Is he really that obvious?
“Did he actually tell you that?” Isaac asks.
“No, but he didn’t have to. It’s pretty clear that he’s straight.”
“I’d have to agree with Charlie there,” Tao says. “He’s friends with people like Harry Greene and Ben Hope. They’re in a few of my classes and trust me, they’re the straightest people I’ve ever met.”
“Well, you never know. We probably shouldn’t be sitting here assuming his sexuality,” Elle says. “But anyway, Charlie, you should still go to the party. It sounds like it could be fun, and I’m glad you’re making a new friend.”
NICK POV
Nick is so excited for Friday. He’s been to plenty of parties, but the idea of going with Charlie makes him a bit giddy. He’s so glad they went for coffee today. After getting to know Charlie a little bit better, he just likes him even more.
One thing won’t stop nagging at him, though. Charlie had talked a little bit about his experience in high school, how he was outed and then bullied constantly during his first few years of secondary school. The thought makes Nick feel ill. He wishes he could have been there, to protect Charlie and tell those homophobic bastards to fuck off. He hates thinking about Charlie suffering though all that, even with friends like Tao, Elle, and Isaac.
CHARLIE: hey nick! thanks again for paying for the coffee and pastries, i owe u
NICK: No you don’t!! You are not allowed to pay me back
CHARLIE: fine, if you insist
NICK: So, what are you up to tonight?
CHARLIE: reading for class, jane austen
NICK: I haven’t read any Jane Austen books, but I secretly love the Pride and Prejudice movie
NICK: 2005 of course, with Keira Knightley
CHARLIE: that’s the only correct opinion
CHARLIE: i bet you loved pirates of the caribbean as a kid
NICK: …maybe.
NICK: Keira Knightley is just so good in everything!!
CHARLIE: i’m more of an Orlando Bloom guy, obviously
NICK: Valid. Orlando Bloom is hot
If Charlie didn’t know Nick was bisexual before, he should definitely know now.
NICK: Hey Charlie, I know we didn’t talk about it a ton but I just wanted to say I’m so sorry about what you had to go through in high school
NICK: People can so cruel, and I wish I could have been there to give all those arses a good punch in the face
CHARLIE: thanks Nick, its okay though. it was a while ago and i’m over it now
NICK: Still, no one should have to go through anything like that. If you ever need to talk about it, just know that I’m always here to listen
CHARLIE: thanks nick <3
Nick’s face lights up when he sees the heart on his screen. It probably doesn’t mean anything. Charlie probably sends hearts to all his friends. But still.
CHARLIE POV
Friday Evening
NICK: Hey, I’ll head to your flat around 8ish with Tara and Darcy and we can all walk over to the party together!
CHARLIE: sounds good, see you then :)
Feeling somewhat nauseous, Charlie shrugs on a jean jacket and looks himself over one more time in the mirror. He’s excited to spend more time with Nick, but he’s anxious about meeting all of Nick’s rugby friends. They don’t seem quite as nice as him, and Charlie knows he’s going to look out of place and awkward at the party. At least Tara and Darcy will be there.
“Good luck,” Tao says as Charlie is heading out the door. “Be careful.” It doesn’t exactly help to settle Charlie’s nerves.
But Nick greats Charlie with a hug when he walks outside. He smells like rainwater, fresh and clean. Charlie hugs Tara and Darcy too. “It’s good to see you guys!”
“I’m glad you’re coming with us, Charlie,” Darcy says as they start walking. “No offense, Nick, but the rugby guys kind of suck. I’m glad there’s gonna be another cool person there to talk to.” “None taken,” Nick says, laughing. “I can’t say I totally disagree with you. But I told Harry and Ben I’d go.”
They arrive at a two-story house a little while later. Charlie can hear rap music playing inside, and several groups of people are standing chatting on the front lawn, drinks in hand.
“Let’s head inside,” Nick says. They walk through the front door, the music playing much louder now. Most people are just standing or sitting in groups, chatting. A few people are dancing by the speakers. There’s a lot of people, and while normally that makes Charlie anxious, he’s actually glad for it tonight. Easier to blend into a crowd.
He follows Nick toward the kitchen. There’s a fridge stocked with beer and seltzers, and a couple of bottle of vodka and shot glasses on the kitchen table. Nick grabs a beer and offers one to Charlie. “I’m good for now,” Charlie replies. It’ll be easier to get through the night if he’s sober. Tara and Darcy grab seltzers, and they’re all about to leave the kitchen when two tall guys come in.
“Nick! You made it! Good to see you, mate,” says one of them.
“Hey, Ben,” Nick says. Charlie notices him tense a little. “Hi, Harry. These are my friends, Charlie, Tara and Darcy.”
Ben and Harry say a quick, lukewarm hello and then start talking to Nick about something rugby related. Charlie half-listens, but mostly he just watches Nick. He doesn’t realize he’s been staring for a while until he looks away and catching sight of Ben. He’s smirking at Charlie, and the glint in his eyes is less than friendly. Charlie looks away quickly.
“Nick, I have a friend I want you to meet,” Harry says, grinning broadly. “Her name’s Imogen. She’s proper fit.”
“Um-“ Nick starts, but Harry cuts him off.
“She’s just in the other room. C’mon,” he says, grabbing Nick’s arm and pulling him away towards the door.
“Uh, I guess I’ll see you guys in bit?” Nick says to Charlie, Tara and Darcy. Charlie feels a little numb. Of course Nick would come to a party to meet girls. When Nick had invited him to the party, Charlie had thought that there was the tiniest possibility that Nick actually liked him back. But obviously that wasn’t true. Nick likes girls. Charlie feels like an idiot.
Suddenly, alcohol seems like a really good idea. He turns to Darcy. “Wanna get pissed?”
“God, yes,” Darcy replies. At the counter, she pours a shot of vodka for herself, Charlie and Tara. Charlie downs his quickly, the alcohol burning his throat.
“Tara, do you want yours?” Charlie asks. She shakes her head. Charlie downs that one too.
NICK POV
Harry drags him over to the living room, and waves to a girl standing by the sofa. “Imogen! This is Nick.”
Imogen smiles at him. She’s quite pretty, but Nick doesn’t really have eyes for anyone besides Charlie at this point. Hopefully Harry didn’t tell her Nick fancied her or something.
“Hi, Imogen. Nice to meet you!” Nick says. He doesn’t want to be rude, but he really wants to get back to Charlie and the girls.
“Nice to meet you, too!” Imogen replies. Nick looks down, not sure what else to say. “Don’t worry. I know how Harry is. He’s always trying to set me up with some guy from the rugby team.”
Nick sighs in relief. “Okay, that’s good. Not that like- it’s not that you’re not- um, I just, uh, like someone else.”
“Ooooh, really! Who is she?” She covers her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to pry. I just really like hearing about people’s crushes. It’s so cute.”
Nick laughs. “It’s okay. It’s a he, actually.”
Did he really just say that out loud?
Imogen smiles at him again. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume. I’m guessing you don’t want me to mention that to Harry.”
“I would appreciate that,” Nick replies gratefully. Hopefully he can trust her. Imogen just seemed so nice, and it actually felt pretty good to tell someone about his crush. He’s been having to bottle up his feelings for Charlie for the past week, which has been pretty difficult. He has a lot of them. “I’m going to go find him, actually.” “Good luck!” Imogen replies as he walks back toward the kitchen.
CHARLIE POV Charlie has no idea how many shot’s he’s had this point. He’s left the kitchen and is now watching some of the people dancing by the speakers. It’s kind of funny. Everything seems kind of funny at this point.
He thinks Tara and Darcy left, but he can’t quite remember. Possibly Darcy threw up? He giggles to himself. That’s pretty funny too.
“So,” says someone behind him, throwing a heavy arm around his shoulders. Charlie’s already off balance, and he almost falls over. He turns to see Ben, the guy from earlier, grinning at him. For some reason, Charlie feels like he should be worried. But he can’t remember why. It’s probable fine. “You’ve got it pretty bad for Nick, huh?”
“What?” He’s slurring his words at this point.
“You’ve got a crush on Nick. It’s a little pathetic, honestly. I could tell within the first thirty seconds we met.” Ben claps him hard on the shoulder again. Charlie stumbles. “I bet you actually think he likes you back. I almost feel sorry for you.” He laughs. “Pathetic little f**.”
Charlie frowns. That definitely wasn’t funny. Ben claps him even harder on the shoulder, and this time Charlie fully loses his balance. His arm scrapes the corner of a table as he goes down.
Ben looks down at Charlie on the floor, smirking. “Give it up. He’ll never like someone like you.” He turns away, leaving Charlie to stare at the long cut on his arm. It’s starting to bleed. Charlie can’t feel it.
NICK POV
It’s getting pretty late, and Nick still hasn’t been able to find Charlie, Tara or Darcy anywhere. A few of his teammates dragged him into long conversations, and it’s been a few hours since he talked to Imogen. Nick wonders if they left.
Nick walks into the next room where some of the party-goers are still dancing and feels his stomach drop. He rushes over to the figure sprawled on the floor. “Charlie, oh my god, are you okay? What happened?” He spots Charlie’s arm, and panic sets in. “Oh, fuck. You’re bleeding.”
Charlie looks up at him. His faced is tear-stained, but he’s smiling. Nick’s heart breaks into a million pieces. “Nick! Hi!” he says, clearly drunk.
“What happened, Charlie? You’re bleeding,” Nick repeats.
“S’okay, I can’t even feel it,” Charlie mumbles.
“Where are Tara and Darcy?”
“They left, I think. Darcy was puking.” Charlie giggles. “We did a loooot of shots together.”
Oh god. He’s not sure how much alcohol Charlie can handle. “Did you eat something before you came here?”
“Nope.” Charlie giggles again. “Whoops.”
Ok. He needs to get Charlie out of here as soon as possible. “Uh, can you walk?” he asks Charlie tentatively.
“Course I can,” Charlie replies. He pushes himself up off the floor, and promptly slumps over. Nick frantically grabs Charlie and pulls him against his chest so that he doesn’t hit the ground.
“All right, guess that’s out of the question.” Nick sighs, and completely picks Charlie up. “We’ve gotta get you back home.”
He carries Charlie, who’s still giggling, through the house and out the front door. It’s quiet now. Charlie looks up at Nick’s face and stops giggling. “I love you eyes,” he says, suddenly serious. Nick’s heart skips a beat. He doesn’t know if it’s just the alcohol talking. “They’re such a lovely shade of brown. Like caramel.”
Nick smiles, a little sadly. “I love your eyes, too, Charlie,” he says. It’s fine. Charlie isn’t going to remember any of this in the morning.
CHARLIE POV
Charlie wakes up with a pounding headache the next morning. God, what even happened last night? He’s never drinking again.
Charlie opens his eyes, squinting against the light coming into his room. Wait. This isn’t his room. The navy comforter on the bed is completely foreign to him. Looking around the room, he realizes that he’s in one of the dorm rooms on campus. How did he get here?
As if in answer to his question, the door opens and Nick enters the room, holding two coffees. He stops in his track when he sees Charlie is awake. Oh. So he’s in Nick’s room.
Lying in Nick’s bed.
“Charlie! How are you feeling?” Nick says somewhat anxiously.
“Honestly? Like shit.” He looks around. “I don’t even remember how I got here.”
Nick looks down. “I hope it’s okay that I brought you here. It was a lot closer than your flat and you were, y’know.”
Embarrassed, Charlie stares down at the comforter. “I’m so sorry, Nick.”
“Don’t worry about it! It happens to the best of us,” Nick replies. “So, you don’t remember…anything from last night?”
Oh god. What did he say to Nick? “Um, not really. I remember, uh, talking to Ben and then-“
“Ben?” Nick looks panicked. “Was he a dick to you?” His eyes go wide. “Is that how you got the cut on your arm? God, fuck that guy. What did he say to you?”
Charlie looks down at his arm. Someone’s cleaned the cut and bandaged it up for him. “Um. He was talking to me about you.”
“Me? Why?”
“He, uh, seems to think I have a crush on you.”
Nick’s eyes widen again. “Oh. Well, I’m sorry he gave you shit. He’s a homophobic dick.”
Charlie forces himself to laugh. “Yeah, I kind of picked up on that.”
“I’m gonna tell him off at practice today. He is not allowed to treat you like that,” Nick says angrily.
Charlie shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it,” he says. “I don’t need to make any trouble for you.”
“No, I need to say something to him,” Nick replies. “If he thought we were friends before, he needs to know we’re not now.”
Charlie pushes himself out of bed. “Thanks for taking care of me, Nick. I should probably get back to my flat before my roommates freak out.”
“Ok.” Nick looks almost sad. On impulse, Charlie reaches out and gives Nick a hug. Nick’s arms automatically wrap around him. Charlie’s got his face buried in Nick’s chest. He holds on tightly for a few more seconds, then reluctantly lets go.
“Bye, Nick.”
“Bye, Charlie.”
———
“Charlie??? Where were you?” Elle cries as soon as he walks through the door. “We were all so worried about you.”
“Um, I got a little too drunk last night,” Charlie replies sheepishly. “It’s okay, though. A friend took care of me.”
“You could have at least responded to our texts this morning!” Tao says.
“I’m sorry, my phone was dead.”
“Where were you, anyway?” Elle asks.
“Um, Nick took my back to his dorm.” Elle and Tao both stare at him. “I was really drunk, and it was a lot shorter of a walk,” he adds quickly. “It’s no big deal, he was just being nice.”
Charlie walks back to his room before Tao and Elle can say anything else on subject. He plugs in his phone and as soon it starts back up, he opens his messages to text Nick.
CHARLIE: Thanks for being there last night xx
He knows Nick is at practice and won’t respond right away, but he at least had to say something.
NICK POV
Nick arrives at practice a few minutes early. He walks over to where Ben and Harry are talking. “Hey, Ben,” he says, his voice already shaking slightly with anger. “Did you mess with Charlie last night?”
Ben laughs. “Oh, yeah. That nerdy little first year, right? I think he’s got a crush on you. How sad.”
Harry laughs, but stops when he sees the look on Nick’s face. “You can’t treat him like that. He’s my friend, and he’s a much better person than you’ll ever be.”
“Wow,” Ben says, smirking at Nick. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a crush on him.”
Nick loses it. “And if I did? Would that just blow your stupid little homophobic mind? Fuck you.” He storms off angrily. He can’t believe he ever considered himself friends with that arse.
Nick picks up his bag and walks away from the rugby field. There’s no way he can make it through practice without losing it at Ben or Harry again. Looking at his phone, he smiles when he sees his most recent text is from Charlie.
He’s going to tell Charlie about his feelings for him. He basically just outed himself to his teammates, and it feels wrong that they know about his crush before Charlie does.
Opening his group chat with Tara and Darcy, he writes:
NICK: How did you guys tell each other you liked each other?
TARA: Well, we didn’t exactly say it, but sharing a kiss in the music room kind of gave it away.
TARA: Why? Do you like someone?? DARCY: omg. i bet i know who it is
NICK: You do?? DARCY: well you were cuddling with him under a blanket last weekend
NICK: We weren’t cuddling!! TARA: Oh my god, you like Charlie??
TARA: You guys would be so cute together I’m so happy
NICK: Aw thanks Tara. I don’t know if he feels the same way. But I wanted to tell him the next time I see him
DARCY: We should all hang out tonight! That way you have an excuse to see him again
TARA: Yeah! Let’s get ice cream tonight with everyone and you can talk to him there
NICK: Thanks guys, love you :)
CHARLIE POV
Charlie is reading for class, trying to ignore the headache from his hangover and the memories popping up from last night. He wants to let Ben’s words roll off him. He’s used to pricks like him by now.
But what if he tells Nick that Charlie has a crush on him? He hasn’t even been friends with Nick for that long, and that would completely ruin their friendship. Maybe he should just tell him himself. That way, he can make sure Nick knows that he is completely okay just being friends, and that it’s a stupid little crush that he’ll get over.
His phone pings next to him, and he looks over.
TARA: Anyone up for ice cream tonight?
ELLE: that sounds great!
NICK: I’m in!
ISAAC: me too!
CHARLIE: sounds fun!
Ok. He’ll see Nick tonight and he can tell him then.
———
Charlie, Elle, Tao, and Isaac walk together that evening to an ice cream shop in Durham. Feeling nauseous, Charlie barely says a word on the way there. Elle looks at him after a little while. “Charlie, you feeling okay?”
He nods. He’s afraid he might throw up if he actually opens his mouth.
NICK POV
“I’m so excited,” Darcy says happily, as she, Tara and Nick wait outside the ice cream place they’re all meeting at. “I love matchmaking.”
“Darcy, shut it,” Tara says quietly. “You’re making Nick nervous.” She gestures to Nick’s face, which seems to be drained of all color. Darcy wasn’t making Nick nervous. He’d been nervous for the entire day, trying to figure out how best to tell Charlie he had an enormous crush on him without their friendship going to shit. “It’s okay, Darce, I’m happy you’re excited. But I don’t even know if he likes me back. Probably nothing’s going to happen. I’ll just tell him, and then we’ll move on with our lives.
Darcy snorts. “If you say so, Nick.”
CHARLIE POV
When they arrive at the front of the shop and Charlie sees Nick, his stomach lurches. He still looks adorable, of course, laughing at something Tara just said. He knows that Nick is going to tell him that they should just be friends, of course, but that’s not going to stop it from hurting like hell.
“Hey guys!” Darcy says when she sees the four of them approaching. “We should get in line now before it gets even longer. This place is really popular, and I’m really hungry.”
“As always,” Tara says, putting her arm around Darcy’s shoulders. “I’ve got you covered.”
They all enter the shop, and Charlie is acutely aware of Nick’s presence right behind him in the line. He turns to face him and tries to shove down his nerves. “What flavor are you gonna get?”
“I always just get cookie dough,” Nick replies, not meeting Charlie’s eyes completely. Oh god. Has Ben already said something to him? “What about you?”
“Mint chocolate chip,” Charlie replies.
“Ooh good choice.” Nick walks up to the counter to order before Charlie can tell him he just took his spot in line. “Hi, I’d like to order one cookie dough cone and one mint chocolate chip cone,” he says to person at the register.
“You didn’t have to do that!” Charlie exclaims as Nick returns from the counter with both cones. “I can pay for myself, you know.” Nick looks at the black and white tiled floor. “But I wanted to,” he says.
NICK POV
Okay. He was at least able to fit in a little romantic gesture before telling Charlie. Now he just has to figure out the right time to tell him.
CHARLIE POV
After they’ve all been sitting and eating for a while, Nick leans over to Charlie. “Hey, um, want to go for a walk? I need a bit of fresh air.”
“Okay,” Charlie says, fighting to keep the nerves out of his voice. He’s got to tell him now.
“We’ll see you guys in a bit,” Nick says to everyone, and he and Charlie head out the door to walk around the streets of Durham for a bit.
“So,” Nick starts after about thirty seconds of silence. “I wanted to apologize again for Ben being a complete dick yesterday.”
“It’s completely not your fault,” replies Charlie. “And anyways, I’m used to people like him.”
Nick’s expression looks pained as he turns to Charlie. “You shouldn’t have to be.”
NICK POV
Thinking about all the shit Charlie’s had to go through, all the bullying and torment is going to make Nick start crying right in the middle of the street.
CHARLIE POV
“I actually wanted to ask you,” Charlie starts, “Has Ben said anything to you?”
“I told him off at practice today,” Nick replies.
“Did he mention anything about what we talked about?”
Nick looks confused. “I don’t think so. Anyways, there was something I wanted to tell you. I don’t want it to mess up our friendship, though.”
Charlie’s heart skips a beat. “There was something I wanted to talk to you about, too.”
They stop on a bridge near the river. The sky’s getting dark, a rich navy blue, and the street lamps are casting a soft glow on the street.
Charlie starts first. “I didn’t want you to hear this from anyone else but me. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you recently.”
“Me too, Nick says quickly.
“But, I think…I might like you a little more than normal friendship. I think some other people have guessed, and I wanted you to hear it from me because I know you probably don’t feel the same way and I wanted to let you know that I’m completely fine with being friends and I don’t want you to feel completely awkward with me-”
Charlie is cut off by Nick placing his lips on his. It’s a very soft kiss. Nick is holding Charlie’s face gently in his hands, and Charlie reaches up and winds his arms behind Nick’s neck.
After a few seconds, Charlie breaks away, resting his forehead on Nick’s. Nick smiles softly. “That was what I wanted to tell you,” he says.
“Oh,” Charlie replies. He and Nick both laugh a little. “Guess we’re on the same page, then.”
NICK POV
Nick hadn’t planned on doing that. But he had needed Charlie to shut up about being just friends.
He smiles at Charlie, their foreheads still pressed together. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while now.”
“So do it again.”
CHARLIE POV
After a few minutes, the two of them figure they should probably head back to the group before their friends start asking questions.
“I didn’t think you were into guys,” Charlie says as they walk back side by side. He can’t get rid of the huge smile on his face.
“I’m actually bisexual,” Nick says, twining his fingers with Charlie’s. “I’m not out to many people yet, but Tara and Darcy know. They know I like you, too.”
Charlie blushes. “Do you want to tell them about us? Because that’s completely okay with me. I might not tell my friends right away, just because they can be a bit overprotective about stuff like that. Not that we’re like, an us,” he adds quickly. “I mean, if you want- but we don’t have to-“
Nick cuts him off. “Charlie, I think that we might be an “us’” he says, bumping Charlie’s shoulder gently. “And it’s okay if you don’t want to mention it yet. We’ll have to not be weird about it when we get back to the group, though.”
“That might be kind of hard,” Charlie says, grinning at Nick. “I don’t want to let go of your hand.”
Nick giggles. “We can say they got glued together.”
“I think that might be a bit difficult to explain.”
Just before they arrive back at the ice cream shop, Charlie pulls Nick aside and presses their lips together. “Just wanted to do that one more time,” he says quietly.
They walk through the door, both doing their best not to smile too much. “Hey, what took you guys so long?” Tao asks as they approach the table.
“Just took a wrong turn,” says Charlie, not meeting Tao’s eyes. “Longer walk than expected.”
“Anyway, you guys ready to head back? I’ve got a load of homework I’ve been neglecting,” Tara says before Tao can question Charlie or Nick further.
Charlie talks to Darcy and Elle as they walk back to campus, but keeps stealing glances at Nick behind him. Whenever Nick notices, he gives Charlie a shy smile.
As they head in separate directions, Nick walks by Charlie and brushes Charlie’s hand with his own. “Bye, Charlie,” he says softly.
“Bye, Nick.”