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Charlie woke up to his phone pinging with notifications. He blearily opened his eyes, wondering what time he had slept until. He tapped on his phone to see what was making his phone buzz repeatedly.
Summer squad camping partayyyy 😎🌞 (15 new messages)
Darcy: So what time are we getting to yours, Tao?
Elle: I think he said around 6pm I'll double check
Isaac: Is there anything we need to bring?
Elle: If you want any alcohol you'll have to bring it yourself, we're skint as fuck
Tao: My mum bought us some disposable BBQ’s so that's dinner sorted!
Tara: Can I bring my big fluffy blanket for the tent?
Darcy: Only if we can snuggle under it
Nick: Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
Darcy: NICK!!!! We're so excited to see you later! It's been too long.
Nick: I can't wait either Darce, I will likely not drink much tonight, I'm hungover as fuck
Darcy: meangirlsbooyouwhore.gif
Tara: Darcy!!
Elle: Okay meet at Tao’s at 6 and we'll carry all the stuff down to the forest clearing behind his house.
Tao: Thank god we'll have Nelson’s strong rugby arms to help us
Nick: I missed you too, Tao 😘
A growing sense of dread fills Charlie’s stomach as he read through the messages. He wasn't sure why he was nervous. Him and Nick were really good friends, they texted constantly and always had a bit of flirty banter going, as all best friends do. But Charlie kept having to remind himself that's all it was……Banter.
He had to stop living in this fantasyland where Nick could actually see him as anything more than a friend. That's why he was nervous. He would be sharing a tent with 5 other people, one of which he'd had an undeniable crush on for years. Sure, they had both been at plenty of sleepovers with the group, but nothing that would make them sleep in this close proximity. Charlie tried to push all these thoughts out of his mind as he swung his legs out from his duvet, grabbing a T-shirt from the floor so he could make his way downstairs to grab a bowl of cereal. His phone buzzed as he picked it up off his bedside table.
nnelzzoonn: you’re still coming tonight right?
cfspring: of course, I can't wait!
nnelzzonn: looking forward to seeing your stupid face in person rather than over video chat
cfspring: I think you'll find your face is far stupider.
nnelzzonn: we’ll defer to the judges this evening, springtime
Charlie couldn't help it, every time Nick used that silly nickname for him, his heart fluttered.
Unbeknownst to Nick and Charlie, another group chat was fervently messaging each other:
the meddling gays 🏳️🌈
Tara: Elle, did your dad find that two-man tent he thought he might have in the loft?
Elle: Yeah!! It's already over at Tao’s house.
Tao: my mum thankfully still had the two three-man tents from when me and my cousins used to sleep in the garden when they visited!
Imogen: so what are the sleeping arrangements?? 😊
Darcy: Tao, elle, isaac in tent 1.
Me, Tara and imogen in tent 2.
Nick and charlie in tent 3 🤭🤭
Isaac: and Nick and Charlie still think we're staying in one big tent right?
Tara: Yeeeessssss
Tao: I don't know if I can take anymore of the pining, this better work 🙄
Imogen: They just need to bang it out, get it all out in the open
Darcy: That's what he said
Isaac: 🙄😂🙄😂
///
Charlie threw a couple of things into his backpack in preparation for later. A pair of trackies to change into from his jeans, some deodorant for the morning, a few cans of fruity cider, and his headphones to drown out Tao’s god awful snoring. His mum had found him a sleeping bag in the back of a storage cupboard. Lord knows when it was last used or the condition it was in but it would do for one night. His group of friends always had a laugh when they were together, but he was especially excited to see Nick. Despite knowing he had resigned himself to never being able to act on his crush on Nick, they were still really close friends and hadn't seen each other in months. It was going to be a great evening.
Charlie swung his backpack over his shoulder and ran down the stairs as he heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door to see Nick standing there, throwing himself into a hug, wrapping his arms around his neck as he felt Nicks wrap around his back, swinging him round. They eventually let go, finally greeting each other.
“Hi.” Charlie said
“Hi.” Nick replied
They looked at each other for a brief moment when Tori appeared at the end of the hallway.
“Charlie,” she said.
“Jesus, Tori!” Charlie exclaimed.
“Don't forget the cupcakes you made for tonight,” she said in her usual dry tone.
“Oh yeah, thanks.” Charlie rushed back into the kitchen to grab them off the central counter. He walked back out to see Nick leaning against the door frame, managing to look effortlessly cool.
“You ready?” He asked.
“Let's go!” Charlie said, tucking the box of cupcakes under his arm. He looked back at Tori to say a goodbye, but all she gave him was a subtle wink that he desperately hoped Nick hadn't seen.
They strode along the pavement in the direction of Tao’s house, a walk they had taken many times before, catching up on just every tiny detail of the other's life. In what felt like no time at all, they were standing outside Tao’s front door, one of Nick's fingers reaching up to press the doorbell. Part of Charlie resisted the urge to slap his hand away so they could continue with their alone time together. Charlie was snapped out of his thoughts by Elle opening the door and squealing in excitement.
“You’re here! I missed you both so much!” she exclaimed, throwing one arm around Nick and the other around Charlie, pulling them into a hug.
“All good Elle?” Nick asked in a friendly casual tone.
“Come in! We're just packing up all our snacks before we head down to the forest.”
“Charlie made some cupcakes!” Nick said excitedly, knowing that Charlie didn't like to mention things like that, worrying someone might think he was bragging.
“Spring’s famous baking? We have been blessed.” Tao said, flashing a cheeky grin at Charlie.
They stood around making idle chatter as the rest of the group finished putting various items such as food, drinks, and blankets into a big Ikea bag to make it easier to carry down to the forest clearing.
“Okay, have we got everything?” Elle asked, scanning the room.
“I mean it's not like we're going to deepest, darkest Peru if we haven't,” Darcy said, making Elle snort.
“True, true” she said.
Tao shouted goodbye to his mum, who was watching TV in the lounge, and then both he and Elle picked up a handle of the ikea bag and they started the trek to the clearing. The idle chatter resumed as they walked down to where the actual party would begin. As the clearing moved into sight, Charlie’s heart dropped through his chest and he swallowed so harshly, he was sure everyone must have heard it.
There wasn't one big tent. There were three smaller tents. What if I don’t get to sleep in the same tent as Nick ?
He had dreamed about being squashed in a tent next to Nick, so close it almost felt like they were cuddling. “I thought we were staying in one big tent?” Imogen asked almost with a slightly scripted lilt to it, like she had been practicing saying it the whole way down.
“Well, it turns out 7 person tents are horrifically expensive, so this various selection of tents have been sourced from a few of our parents’ lofts,” Elle said, again with oddly scripted lilt to her voice. Charlie brushed it off though, he was definitely imagining things.
“No expense spared for you lot,” Tao said sarcastically.
“Clearly,” Tara laughed. “So which one should I put my bag in?”
“Imogen and I figured it out this morning!” Tara exclaimed. “So Tao, Elle, and Isaac will be staying in the first tent. Immy, me, and Darcy will be staying in the second tent, and then Nick and Charlie in the third,” Tara said, pointing at the different tents like a flight attendant pointing out where the emergency exits were.
Charlie had to stop his jaw from physically dropping to the ground when he heard the sleeping arrangements. Not only would they be sleeping in close proximity but there would be the only two people in the tent?? Charlie might not survive the night, he might combust.
“Sounds great!” Nick piped up, bringing Charlie back down into reality. The reality that he would be squished in a tent with Nicholas fucking Nelson.
Nick walked over to their tent and threw his bag into it for later, and then took a moment to take in the beautiful surroundings of the forest. They all followed suit, placing their bags in their respective tents. Elle and Tao had set up some camping chairs in a circle around the two disposable BBQ’s. Tao was kneeling on the ground next to them trying to read the instructions on how to set them alight.
“Okay, so it says we have to light them and then leave for half an hour to get to temperature. Anyone got the time?” Tao asked, looking up at his friends.
Elle pulled out her phone and showed the lock screen to Tao.
“Okay, so at about 7:15pm these should be ready for us to cook on.'' Tao said, while concentrating on lighting a match and holding it to lighter paper on the BBQ’s.
They all watched as the flames slowly began to lick at dusky light that flickered through the branches of the trees that surrounded them. The gentle silence was broken by Imogen rooting through the Ikea bag, clearly looking for something.
“Tao, did you already bring the bottles of water down?” She asked.
“No? Are they not in there?” Tao asked, walking over to Imogen to help her look. “I must have left them back at the house” He said in an exasperated tone.
“Right, we’ll just have to walk back and go get them” Elle said, taking charge of the situation. “But there’s no point in all of us going. Me, Immy and Tao will go grab them.”
“Well, I'm going to go read a bit of my book in our tent then,” Isaac said, already pushing himself up from the camping chair.
“Yes…Tara and I are also going to…. read …in our tent while we wait for you to get back.” Darcy said, earning a playful smack from Tara on her shoulder before they walked off over to their tent for the night.
“I’m going to find an unfortunate tree to take a leak on” Charlie said, also getting up from his chair.
“You know I love being informed of your toileting habits, Charlie” Tao said dryly, but only got a raised eyebrow from Charlie in response.
“I guess I’ll sit here and keep an eye on the BBQ then?” Nick said, as if everyone had suddenly forgotten about this literal fire they had just made while in a forest.
“Taking one for the team, Nelson, you’re doing the lord’s work” Imogen said, flashing a cheeky wink at him.
“Team work makes the dream work” Nick replied sarcastically.
They all started took off in their respective directions. Nick watched Charlie as he walked off into the distance, far enough away that no one could accidentally catch a glimpse of him. Nick refocused his attention on the fire watching as the flames disappeared into the night sky and the coals crackled. He had managed to secure the chair directly in front of the BBQs, so the heat was warming his hungover self. The flames almost took on a hypnotic property as he watched and it gently pulled his tired brain into sleep.
Charlie started walking back to their campsite for the night after relieving his bladder. A slight panic rose in his brain that he might not be able to find his way back, but then after a few more steps he saw the flames from the BBQs and Nick sitting in his chair, head slumped forward. Surely he hadn’t fallen asleep that quickly. Charlie looked at his phone to double check that he had in fact only been gone for 7 minutes. It was at that point that he suddenly remembered a very drunk Nick texting him at 2am that morning. No wonder he was tired, it made Charlie feel warm inside that Nick had still made the effort to come.
He sat down as quietly as he could on the camping chair next to Nick, trying desperately not to wake him from his power nap. Charlie looked across at his peaceful sleeping form, he thought about how he and this wonderful boy got to be alive at the same time, even if they were to remain only friends. A slight movement in Nick’s hair caught Charlie's eye and as he looked he noticed a small money spider crawling towards Nick’s forehead; it must have dropped down from the trees above. Nick absolutely hated spiders and Charlie really didn't want the sensation of a spider walking across Nick’s face to be what woke him from his nap.
He stood up and leaned over Nick slightly, trying to put his hand in the best position to remove the spider before it dropped onto Nick's face. He was so close Charlie was enveloped by his familiar smell, one he longed for when they hadn't hugged in months. He gently put two of his fingers slightly against Nick’s fringe to convince the spider to climb on. Charlie was so focused on the spider that he didn't notice Nick's beautiful amber eyes open slightly.
“I didn't think my hair looked that bad this afternoon,” he said with a gentle but sarcastic tone, the shock of Nick's sudden interjection caused Charlie to stumble backwards slightly. Nick grabbed him around the wrist to stop him falling ass first into one of the BBQs, and Charlie righted himself and balanced once again as the words began to splutter out of his mouth.
“There was a spider. I didn't want it to crawl on your face!!”
“Charlie it's fine-” Nick began.
“No, I'm sorry, because I didn't mean to wake you up. Clearly you needed a rest and then there was a spider-” Charlie continued to splutter as Nick stood up next to the rapidly spiraling boy. Nick held up a finger up to his lips then pressed it into Charlie's lips.
“Charlie…” he said, and Charlie swore he could feel a tingle of electricity in the air around him. “Shut the fuck up” he said with a serious tone but then burst out into laughter pulling himself away.
“I hate you” Charlie said, shoving Nick playfully.
“No you don't” He said, leaning tactically forward to ruffle Charlie's hair.
“Oh it's so fucking on, Nelson” Charlie said, jumping onto Nick's back as he tried to walk away. Charlie had one arm wrapped around Nick’s neck so he didn't fall, and the other arm ruffled his hair mercilessly. In all of the commotion, Charlie barely noticed that Nick was holding onto Charlie's legs to make sure that he didn't fall, jokingly spinning them around as if he was trying to shake Charlie off his back.
“Fire wardens messing around on the job?” Tao said sternly as he, Imogen and Elle walked back over to the clearing, startling them both to stop in their tracks, Nick gently lowering Charlie to the ground. “I shall be writing a strongly worded letter to your manager” he continued, but this time in a mock stern voice, flashing them a cheeky smile.
“Oh will you now?” Charlie laughed.
“I will not have such tomfoolery on the job!” Elle said also in a mock stern voice before they all descended into laughing at each other. Isaac, Tara, and Darcy all emerged from their tents, and once again the seven of them sat in the camping chairs around the two BBQs.
“Right, if we've forgotten anything else I don't care, we’re not walking all the way back again” Imogen said with a chuckle.
“Agreed” Tao and Elle said simultaneously.
“Right, can we put some food on, I'm absolutely starving” Darcy said, her stomach rumbling on cue almost as if to prove her point.
Elle reached into the cooler and pulled out the 8 pack of burgers and flipped 4 onto each BBQ; by simply flipping them out of the packet, she didn't have to worry about washing her hands after touching raw meat. Tao also grabbed the mini corn on the cobs he had made, spices and butter encased in the tinfoil they were wrapped in, and put them onto the BBQ as well. The conversation flowed freely and easily between the group as they waited for the food to cook, the sky gradually darkening as dusk began to fully set. Each one of them started to drink whatever alcohol they had brought with them, and Nick even accepted one of Charlie's fruity ciders. Hair of the dog and all that.
Elle had thought ahead and already cut the buns down the middle, so she simply slotted the burgers in as they finished cooking, passing them out one by one. The idle chatter subsided and was replaced by the satisfied sounds of eating. As they finished their burgers, the corn on the cob had finally been on the BBQ for long enough to make the corn soft and juicy, the spicy butter having melted into every crevice.
Nick happened to look across at Charlie and noticed the butter running down his chin. He had to stop himself from reaching over and swiping it away with his thumb. He shook his head slightly, trying to refocus his thoughts somewhere else.
Over the next hour, the BBQs gradually burnt out, leaving behind the chilly summer’s night air. Thankfully, at this point enough alcohol had been consumed to warm them all slightly. Dancing around to the cheesy songs Imogen was playing from her iPhone also greatly helped. Isaac had wrapped himself in a blanket so he could continue to read. Nick, being the most sober of the group, had initially refused the offer of dancing, but was dragged onto the makeshift dance floor by both Imogen and Charlie. They danced, sang, drank, and chatted until the sky was a much darker shade of grey; almost all the sunlight had faded by now.
As they all sat around in the circle of camping chairs having a giggly conversation, Tara was the first one to yawn. Which then, of course, set off everyone else. They mutually decided that it was probably time for them all to head to their tents. iPhone torches suddenly lit up the clearing as they all stumbled over to where they had pitched their tents many hours ago. They all hugged each other in turn before getting comfy in their tents, the iPhone lights slowly extinguishing one by one. Until only one remained in Nick and Charlie's tent. Charlie was quickly changing into his trackies as Nick had gone to find a tree to relieve himself on. Charlie pulled his sleeping bag out of its storage bag as Nick popped his head up just outside the tent opening, waiting for Charlie to notice him.
“Jesus, Nick!” He tried to exclaim quietly, throwing Kitty at Nick as a punishment.
“You're so easy to scare” Nick said with a cheeky grin, climbing into the tent and zipping it up from the inside.
Nick had just brought a massive blanket with him and Charlie wondered why he had been so insistent on bringing a sleeping bag and didn't just do the same as Nick. The first problem was he tried to unzip it, but the zip had broken, meaning that Charlie had to shimmy his way into the sleeping bag as Nick held back a giggle. The second problem was that this must have been from his childhood, as it reached approximately to his waist and no further. Charlie silently hoped that this summer's night didn't turn too bitterly cold, as he wasn't sure what he was going to do if it did. For now, the warmth of the alcohol and the buzz of sleeping in such close proximity to Nick was enough to keep him warm so he could fall asleep.
“Good night, Nick” Charlie said
“Good night, Charlie.” Nick turned off his torch, and the tent was plunged into darkness.
Sure enough, Charlie fell asleep easily, but woke up shivering at around 2am. He tried to pull his sleeping bag further over him, but it did little to lessen his shivering. All of the movement had stirred Nick from his slumber.
“Y’okay, Char?” Nick mumbled sleepily, his back to Charlie.
“Yeah it's fine, just a bit cold” Charlie said.
“Mmm’okay” Nick mumbled once again, and Charlie took this as an acknowledgement that Nick was satisfied Charlie was okay and was going to fall back asleep. Charlie did not expect to have some of Nick's blanket thrown over him, but Charlie was extremely thankful for the added warmth. Charlie was sure he must be dreaming when he felt Nick turn over to face his back, throw his arm casually around Charlie's waist, and nuzzle his face into Charlie's back.
“Jesus Char, you’re freezing,” Nick mumbled sleepily once again. “Don't read into this, okay?”. Before Charlie could reply, he felt Nick’s breathing level out to the shallow breathing he did when he was asleep.
Charlie opened and closed his eyes a few times to try and convince his brain he wasn't actually dreaming, but then sleep pulled him under once again as he was surrounded by the warmth radiating off Nick. Charlie woke up again later in the night, his sleeping bag kicked off by his feet, Nick lying on his back and Charlie lying on his chest, one arm lazily around his waist. He tapped Nick's phone screen to check the time and saw that it was only 5:10am. He tried to settle back into a slumber, but was hit by the sudden urge that he needed to pee. Charlie slowly lifted himself off of Nick's chest and grabbed his phone so he could find his way back after relieving himself.
Nick stirred, feeling the absence of Charlie's weight on his chest. He looked across to the opening of the tent, noticing that the entrance was half unzipped, and heard twigs snapping outside of the tent. He really hoped that Charlie had just let himself out to pee and that it wasn't a serial killer that was coming for him next. Thankfully, about a minute later, Charlie popped his head through the tent entrance and zipped up the door behind him.
“Sorry, did I wake you?” Charlie whispered, very conscious of the fact that it was 5am and he didn't want to wake the people in the tents next to theirs.
“Felt that you were gone” Nick said quietly. He opened one of his arms in a gesture that Charlie should come cuddle into his chest again. Charlie happily obliged and pulled the blanket over him as he laid back down on Nick’s chest. Charlie expected Nick's breathing to transition into his slow breathing as he fell asleep again, but if anything he could hear Nick's heart beating faster.
“Charlie…” Nick started, his breath hitching slightly.
“Nick…” Charlie responded jokily, not picking up on the tone that Nick had shifted to.
“I… I…” Nick began.
“What?” Charlie said, a tinge of worry now in his voice as he lifted his head off Nick's chest, leaning on his elbow.
“I really love you, you know that right?” He whispered in a serious tone.
“Of course, I love you too,” Charlie responded, unsure of where Nick was going with this.
“No but…” I think I'm in love with you. “It's nothing, it's stupid,” Nick said, trying to brush off the conversation he was simultaneously trying to start. He turned away from Charlie so he was facing the tent.
Charlie grabbed Nick's shoulder, pulling him back onto his back, leaning over him once again. “It's not stupid, tell me,” Charlie said gently.
Nick laid on his side so he was facing him, and Charlie followed suit. “Do you ever think, you don't do something just because you're worried about what people will think?”
“Basically all my life,” Charlie giggled, trying to bring some levity to the situation, but seeing it wasn't working he switched lanes. “But yeah, I get you.”
“I really like you, Charlie. I've known it for the past year, but I thought there was no way you would like me like that and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship because that will always mean more to me-” Nick rambled, but he was cut off by Charlie; this time he was the one putting a finger to Nick's lips.
“Shut the fuck up,” Charlie said, holding back a giggle.
“You can't use my joke on me, that's not fair!” Nick whined sarcastically. “You’re gonna pay for that” He said, reaching his hands out to Charlie's ribs, which Nick knew were his most ticklish spot. He held his hands there for a moment, their eyes locked, and then launched into tickling Charlie. He watched as Charlie squirmed underneath him, laughing as he tried to push Nick's hand off him, forgetting that it was half 5 in the morning. Nick pushed Charlie onto his back and leaned over him, propping himself up on his shoulder.
“Not gonna be stealing my jokes again anytime soon, eh?” Nick smiled at Charlie and their eyes interlocked. The air around them felt electrifying once again. Nick lay down so that they were face to face. A beat of silence followed before Charlie finally built up the courage to speak.
“... Nick?” Charlie began.
“Yeah?” Nick responded eagerly.
“Would you kiss me?” Charlie asked, his heart thumping so loud he thought it might break out of his chest.
Nick timidly moved his head forward, slowly closing the gaps between their lips. Charlie reciprocated the timid energy, also moving to close the gaps between their lips. The moment seemed to last forever but in reality it was no longer than a few seconds. They pulled apart, and just looked at each other for a second, saying a million things without saying a word.
“I…” Nick began, which was seemingly all the confirmation Charlie needed to launch in for a second kiss. This kiss was slightly more intense, Charlie moving his hand to Nick's neck to pull him closer still. They pulled apart again for a moment, and Charlie was worried he had maybe taken it too far too quickly.
Nick pushed Charlie onto his back as he leaned down to kiss him again, sucking his lower lip slightly, which caused Charlie to grasp onto the hair on the back of Nick's head. Nick moved so he had a leg either side of Charlie's hips, straddling him.
“Is this too much?” Nick checked in quickly.
“God, no” Charlie said, pulling at Nick's shirt to bring him closer so they could be kissing once again.
With each kiss, it got more intense and Charlie could feel himself getting….excited. Nick loved to suck on Charlie's bottom lip and the sensation made Charlie almost melt into a puddle. Nick opened his mouth slightly, so decided to be brave and try to add a bit of tongue, which Nick almost instantly reciprocated. Nick pulled away once again, and Charlie could feel himself chasing after them, chasing the sensation. Nick looked at him for a moment, a cheeky glint in his eye.
Nick started to kiss and suck at Charlie’s neck, and this was a whole new world of pleasure for him. Nick made sure his lips slowly made it to every part of Charlie's neck, leaving behind a few hickeys, as he moved onto new areas. Nick rolled his hips into Charlie's and he let out an involuntary moan.
“Nick, we should stop” Charlie said suddenly.
“Are you okay, don't you like it?”
“Nick, baby, I like it far too much and our friends are literally less than 50 centimetres away from us in an equally thin walled tent” Charlie smiled cheekily, caressing Nick's cheek reassuringly.
“Fair point” Nick said, forgetting that they were still in the tent. “To be continued?”
“Of course” Charlie said.
Nick moved from straddling Charlie's hips to laying on his back. He laid out his arm, inviting Charlie to lie on his chest once again. Charlie laid down, wrapping an arm around Nick's waist, and listened as Nick's heart rate slowed to its usual steady pace as they both fell asleep.
/////
Tao was always an early riser, so he had walked back to his house and made cups of tea for everyone, which he brought back out to the clearing for them. He then ‘knocked’ on all three tents to wake them up.
“It's homophobic to be woken up this early” Darcy groaned.
“Babe, it's nearly 11am” Tara giggled, kissing her grumpy girlfriend on the cheek.
“My point stands” Darcy said, rubbing her hands over her face, trying to wake herself up.
Nick woke up with Charlie’s head still on his chest and he thought to himself that he could definitely get used to this. He gently shook Charlie awake and Charlie woke with a start, looking around blearily, almost as if to verify everything that happened last night wasn't some wild dream.
“Tao has made us some tea” Nick said, leaning up to kiss Charlie's forehead.
“I like tea” Charlie said, still half asleep. He sat up and stretched, throwing the blanket off him. He moved to unzip the tent.
“Ah! They are alive, we were starting to get worried” Tao said sarcastically
“Where's this tea I was promised?” Charlie asked, and Tao pointed towards the tray in the middle of the camping chairs. They all slowly moved to sit down, feeling a bit worse for wear in the light of day after last night's drinking. Charlie had both of his hands wrapped around his mug, appreciating the warmth it gave off.
“Charlie, what's that on your neck?” Tao asked dryly.
“I don't know?” He said, rubbing at his neck, trying to make whatever mark Tao had noticed disappear.
“Did you have those bruises on your neck yesterday?” Isaac asked, looking up from his book to see what Tao was talking about.
“Umm…” Charlie started, looking sheepishly across at Nick, trying to think of any other possible reason.
“Don't tell me you two finally kissed?” Elle said, a massive smile playing across her face.
Charlie looked across at Nick, seeking permission to tell everyone with a glance.
“Um…..yeah we did” Nick said bashfully.
“FUCKING FINALLY!” Darcy said with a huge shit eating grin on her face.
“Darcy!!” Tara chided.
“I mean, she's not wrong” Isaac said with a snort.
“When did this happen??” Elle said, squealing with happiness.
“Last night at like 5am,” Charlie giggled. “I needed a piss and then someone decided then was the perfect time to bring up feelings” He said sarcastically, looking across at Nick.
“I mean, it worked didn't it?” Nick said, flashing a cheeky wink in Charlie’s direction.
“Gross, you guys, get a room” Tao said, struggling to hold back his laughter.
“Well, we probably are going to go back to my house after this” Nick smiled.
“No need for the gory details, thanks,” Isaac said dryly but with a touch of sarcasm.
///
It took them a few hours to pack the three tents and everything else away; none of them thought it would take that long. They all carried something as they traipsed back to Tao’s house.
“Thanks for the great night” Charlie said sincerely.
“Yeah, you really did have a good night” Tao smirked at him.
“See you all later!” Nick shouted to the group as he grabbed Charlie’s hand and pulled him out Tao’s front door.
It seemed to be the longest walk ever, but they finally made it back to Nick's house. His mum shouted out, “That you, Nicky?”
“Yeah, Charlie's here too, we're going to watch a movie in my room,” he shouted back.
“Hi, Sarah” Charlie added to the shout.
“Hi, love!”
Charlie had many grand plans on how he was going to pounce on Nick as soon as they were in his room, but with Pirates of the Caribbean on in the background and Nick's chest making the perfect pillow, he found himself effortlessly drifting to sleep after his night of disturbed sleep.