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As Nick lies there in the sun, Charlie in his arms, he thinks about how this is probably the happiest he’s ever felt in his life. The smitten little smile forming on his face that just screams ‘I am so happy and so in love’ won’t go away- not that he wanted it to though. After years of hiding his true self, stuck in a friend group who didn’t care about him, he doesn’t have to pretend anymore. Now, he feels free, like he can finally breathe and and just be completely, happily, and comfortably himself. He’s finally, finally, home, he feels. This is what home feels like. Charlie is home.
Charlie feels a similar way as he lies there with his head resting on Nick’s chest. Just like his boyfriend, who’s leaning his head down to kiss Charlie’s hair every now and again, he too can’t stop smiling. He just feels so safe and so…cherished, with Nick holding him like he’s the most precious thing he’s ever held. He’d spent so long thinking nothing like this would ever happen to him, believing that no one would ever want him. Yet here he is, laying in the arms of someone who’s been proving those thoughts to be so wrong. Charlie never wants to move. He just wants to stay like this forever.
It’s not too long until both boys fall asleep, laying there in each other’s arms, listening to the ocean waves and Charlie listening to his boyfriend’s fast beating heart. The two of them feeling so carefree, just enjoying being alone together.
🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂
Slowly waking up and rubbing his eyes, Nick moves his arm and stretches it out to reach his phone, checking the time. 17:48 the digits read.
“Uh oh,” Nick says under his breath, turning his head back to look at Charlie, who is still asleep. He moves his hand and strokes his cheek softly, trying to gently wake him up, “Charlie.”
“Mmm” Charlie mumbles quietly, seemingly not wanting to wake up, making Nick chuckle.
The sound of Nick’s laugh makes Charlie open his eyes and look up at him, looking slightly confused, “yeah?”
“Not to ruin the moment or anything” he picks up his phone again, showing Charlie the screen, “but our train leaves in ten minutes.”
“Oh! Oops.” Charlie laughs as the two of them sit back up again, “did we fall asleep?”
“Seems like it,” Nick answers, smiling and looking back at Charlie, making eye contact with him and causing them to both blush and giggle.
They pack their things up quickly and then make their way away from the beach and towards the train station, hand in hand.
“We’re gonna have to run if we want to make this train.” Nick says once they’re back on the street.
“Oh? Race ya?” Charlie laughs, stepping in front of Nick.
“Noo!” Nick tries to protest, but Charlie is already ahead of him by now.
“Race ya!” He says again, and starts to run down the street with Nick following, not too far, behind.
Once they reach the train station entrance, Charlie stops and looks over his shoulder to wait for Nick, holding a hand out to him. Nick, slightly out of breath, catches up to him and takes his hand.
“Did we make it on time, old man?” Charlie asks with a cheeky grin on his face.
Rolling his eyes affectionately, Nick takes his phone out his pocket to check the time, “yeah. We just made it.”
“Cool,” Charlie laughs, and they walk through the gate and towards the platform, where the train has already arrived to.
After they board, they take their seats next to each other and Nick takes Charlie’s hand, lacing their fingers together and resting their joined hands on his leg. They turn their heads to look at each other as the train starts to move, and smile at each other for the billionth time that day. Charlie moves his head to rest it on Nick’s shoulder, and Nick leans his head on top of Charlie’s.
“I like being your boyfriend.” Charlie says after a short while.
“Yeah?” Nick responds quietly, moving his head a little to look down at him.
“Yeah.” Charlie confirms, looking back up at him.
They bring their faces closer together, their lips meeting in a quick kiss.
“I like being your boyfriend too,” Nick says, their faces still close together and that Nick smirk on his face. Charlie just smiles widely at him, leaning his head into Nicks chest and putting an arm around his waist as Nick wraps both arms around him.
For most of the train journey, the boys stay in a comfortable silence, watching the world go by out the window and enjoying just being there with each other as one of the best days of their lives comes to an end. Every now and again they would look at each other, their lips meeting in a quick kiss. Or Nick would tighten his arms around Charlie a little, holding him closer. It’s so simple; it’s just a train journey. But to them it means more than that. It’s being here with each other, enjoying the company, safety, and comfort of their favourite person. Feeling the happiest they’ve ever been.
The feeling isn’t that familiar to either of them, but it still feels so…right. Like they were always supposed to find each other. This is happiness. This is what home feels like.
Is this what…love feels like?
🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂
After getting off the train back at Truham Station, they start to make their ways home, holding hands again as they walk.
“So I uh… I’ll see you tomorrow then!” Charlie says when they get the the spot where they would go in separate directions to get to their houses.
Nick looks at him, slightly confused. “Hm? I’m gonna walk you home, silly!”
“Y-you are?”
“Of course I am! That’s what boyfriends do isn’t it?” Charlie giggles, getting shivers and his heart beating faster after hearing Nick calling them boyfriends again.
“Yeah. Ok” he breathes, and Nick smiles at him, taking his hand as they start to walk down the path. “Trying to get rid of me already?” He Jokes.
“Maybe I am!”
“Rude!” Nick says, pulling Charlie a little closer and kissing his cheek, causing Charlie to blush and giggle again.
When they reach Charlie’s house, they stop outside and pull each other into a hug.
“I had the best day,” Charlie whispers into Nick’s shoulder.
“Me too.”
“Thank you, Nick.”
“Of course, Char!”
Charlie leans his head back to look at Nick, and they both lean in for a kiss.
“So, now I’ll see you tomorrow?” Charlie says after they pull apart.
Nick laughs, “Yeah.”
As Charlie starts to move away from Nick and towards his front gate, Nick interrupts him suddenly. “Oh! Wait a second!” Nick says, taking his backpack off one shoulder and opening it up to take something out.
“What are you doing?” Charlie asks once he realises it was their photo booth pictures from earlier that he’d taken out of his bag.
“I have half, you have half!,” Nick replies as he starts to carefully tare the polaroid in two. “Here!” he hands one of the halves to Charlie.
Charlie smiles, looking down at the picture in his hand, “Thanks!”
He smiles up at Nick again, who holds his arms out to him for another hug. After one more kiss, they step away from each other and Charlie makes his way towards his front door.
“Ok, bye!” He says, waving.
“Bye!
After waving goodbye to each other, Nick walks away from his boyfriend’s house and towards his own, the smitten little Nick smile staying plastered on his face the entire way. As he gets closer to his house, despite his nerves, he feels more and more ready to come out to his Mum. He wants her to know who he really is, and how much Charlie really means to him.
Walking through the door and dropping his bag in the entrance, he calls out the two words that have never felt truer in his life,
“I’m home!”