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News of Nick and Charlie’s blooming relationship was spreading through Truham and Higgs. It started with small looks as they hugged and confused expressions when Nick picked Charlie up on the rugby pitch, but it was enough of a spark to ignite the dry brush of Truham-Higgs gossip. Soon, the crackling undertones of secret conversations as they walked the corridors became too loud to ignore.
While they weren't exactly hiding, they hadn't made a public announcement, not yet. But someone was leaking specific, private details, and the list of suspects was short.
Among the Year 11s cramming for mocks and secluded in a corner hidden by a stack of chemistry and maths textbooks, they sat close together, their knees touching. It was a quiet anchor grounding them in the chaos of school life. They were happy. They were "out" to their inner circle, but lately, the circle slowly felt less secure than before.
"It’s not just a hunch anymore, Nick," Charlie whispered, his eyes darting toward the librarian. "Miranda from Higgs asked me if we really had a 'first date anniversary' dinner at that Italian place in town. We didn’t even tell Tara the name of that restaurant."
Nick sighed, leaning his head back against the shelf. "Maybe we’re just loud? We aren't exactly subtle, Char."
"We’re subtle enough that people shouldn't know what you got me for my birthday before I’ve even opened the box," Charlie countered. He looked at Nick, his expression turning mischievous. "We need to find the leak. I have an idea, but it's a bit like Tyrion Lannister."
Nick grinned. "Does this involve a crossbow and a toilet?"
"No," Charlie laughed. "Just three different stories for the three different friends I suspect. We leak something and find out who the traitor is."
“Traitor is a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” Nick asked, his mouth curving at the side. “These are our friends.”
“Friends who talk too much and too loudly,” Charlie corrected, inspecting his chewed nails. He bumped Nick’s knee under the table as Nick chuckled.
"I don't want to exile anyone to the Wall, Char," Nick laughed, though his eyes narrowed. "But I do want to know who told Harry we met at a secret dog park."
"We need to be clinical and methodical about this," Charlie said, adjusting his tie. He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and took out a notepad. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”
Charlie’s plan was simple. They identified three potential leaks in their circle of friends.
“We’ll start with Tao,” Charlie began, writing ‘protective best friend, lets his "opinions" slip.’ Next, he wrote down Isaac, but Nick objected.
“Not Isaac! He’s like a vault.” Charlie waved away Nick’s concern and wrote ‘quiet observer who sees everything.’,
“He is, but he knows more than he lets on, and sometimes, with the right circumstances, he reveals things. He knew you liked me before I did and told me so,” Charlie explained. Nick shrugged, accepting the suggestion. Finally, Charlie added Otis and the notes ‘rugby mate, supportive, moves in different social circles’ to the mind-map he’d formed.
“Not Otis! I could see Christian blabbing, but Otis would never do it on purpose,” Nick said. Charlie shook his head. He drew lines from Otis to his possible connections, noting the overlap with Tao.
“When I joined the rugby team, Otis and Tao had quite a lot to say about it and you and me and us,” Charlie corrected as Nick gawped. “Nothing bad, but they both worried about me.”
Finally, they decided to tell each potential leak a "secret" about their upcoming half-term plans. The core of the story remained the same: they were going away for a romantic long weekend, only they would change the destination for each person.
On a Tuesday during lunch, they set their plan in motion. Nick and Charlie found Tao sitting alone, moodily rearranging his bean sprouts around his twin bottles of apple juice as he chewed his sandwich.
"Tao," Charlie said, sitting down with a gravity that made Tao immediately stop eating. "We need to tell you something. But you cannot tell anyone, not even Elle."
Tao’s eyes widened and he leaned forward after swallowing. "Charlie, you know me. My lips are gates to a cinematic vault guarded by laser grids."
"We’re going away for half-term," Nick whispered between the three of them. "Just the two of us. We’ve booked a tiny Airbnb in London. We’re going to do the whole tourist thing — the Eye, Southbank, the Tower, everything."
"London? In this economy? And it’s so mainstream," Tao scoffed. "But fine. My mouth is sealed. Just be careful, and don’t do anything I would do."
Tao reacted exactly as Charlie had predicted. As he and Nick walked away, Charlie checked his watch. There wasn’t time to find Otis or Isaac. "One down."
After school, the rugby pitch was a muddy mess. Nick was packing his kit when Otis approached him to complain about Coach Singh’s new conditioning drills. Charlie nodded at Nick and worked on his own kit, eavesdropping and ready to run interference.
"Hey, Otis," Nick said, pulling his friend aside near the equipment shed. "Listen, I wanted to tell you something because you’ve been so great about everything with Charlie and me."
Otis beamed. "Of course, mate. You guys are legendary."
"We’re heading off for a bit of a mini break next week," Nick whispered. "We’re taking the train up to Edinburgh. Charlie’s always wanted to see the castle, and I found this really cool spot on the Royal Mile."
Otis clapped him on the shoulder. "Edinburgh! Cracking city. Best pubs in the UK, erm, so I hear. I won't breathe a word, Nick. Hope you guys have a blast."
"Two down," Nick muttered as he joined Charlie. Charlie quickly added notes about how Otis reacted to the news — his physical carriage, his facial expressions, his gait upon walking away. Once he was satisfied, they headed to Nick’s mum’s car.
The next morning was Isaac’s time. They caught him in the library before school. He was three chapters into a thick sociology book on asexuality and teens. Nick stayed at the end of the stacks as Charlie approached him.
"Isaac," Charlie said softly, plunking down next to him.
Isaac didn't look up, but his finger paused on the page. "Is this a secret? You have that 'I’m about to share a secret' voice."
"It is," Charlie admitted. "We’re going away for the half-term break. We’re heading to Cardiff. Nick’s got family nearby, and we’re going to spend the weekend exploring the bay."
Isaac finally looked up, his expression unreadable. He blinked slowly. "Cardiff. The capital of Wales. Historically significant, if a bit rainy. Doesn’t seem Nick’s style, but your secret is safe with me, Charlie."
He returned to his book before they could even say goodbye.
"Three down," Charlie whispered, walking past Nick as Nick scurried to keep up. “Like I said: a vault.”
—
The rest of the week was an exercise in paranoia and impatience. Every time they passed a group of girls whispering, Nick strained to hear a city name. Every time Harry Greene laughed, Charlie braced for a joke about a specific landmark. The leak didn't happen immediately. The "Lannister Method" required patience.
By Friday afternoon, the tension was at its peak. They were sitting in the park after school when Imogen came jogging up to them, her pigtails bouncing.
"Hi! Oh my god, Nick, I’ve been looking for you!" she panted.
Charlie glanced at her. Nick felt his heart rate spike. "Hey, Imogen. What’s up?"
"I just wanted to say, I am so jealous," she squealed, grabbing Nick’s arm. "I saw a travel vlog about it last night, and it looks so romantic. Are you guys really going to Edinburgh for half-term? You have to take so many pictures for me!"
Charlie looked at Nick. Nick looked at Charlie.
"Edinburgh?" Charlie repeated, his voice dangerously calm. “Beauitful city, I understand.”
"Yeah!" Imogen said, oblivious to the shift in atmosphere. "I mean, everyone’s talking about it. I think someone said you were staying right on the Royal Mile? So posh!"
As Imogen skipped away, Nick let out a long, shaky breath. "Otis. Fucking hell. I can’t believe it. He’s always been a really good mate."
“Maybe he’s jealous,” Charlie teased. Nick shook his head.
“No, that’d be Sai,” he explained, leaving Charlie wondering what that meant as they went to find Otis.
After a brief search, they caught Otis at his bus stop. He was talking to a few other guys from the rugby team, laughing at a meme on his phone. When he saw Nick and Charlie approaching with identical expressions of grim determination, his smile fell.
"Hey, guys! Ready for the weekend?" Otis asked, his voice jumping an octave. He tried to smile again.
"Otis," Nick said, stepping into his space. "Why does Imogen know about the Royal Mile? What have you been saying about us?"
Otis looked at the floor, then at the bus, then back at Nick. "Oh, erm, Edinburgh?"
"Edinburgh," Nick said, crossing his arms. "The city we specifically told only you about."
Otis cracked. "Look, I’m sorry! I didn't mean to 'leak' it! I was just– I was talking to my sister, and she was saying how her boyfriend never takes her anywhere, and I mentioned how cool it was that you were taking Charlie to Edinburgh. And I guess she told her friend, who’s friends with Imogen, and..." He trailed off, looking miserable and genuinely apologetic. "I didn't think it was a big deal. I thought everyone knew you were going away somewhere."
"The point, Otis," Nick said, his voice softening but remaining firm, "is that it wasn't your story to tell. We told you a specific version because we wanted to see if we could trust you with the private stuff."
"Wait," Otis blinked. "A specific version? You mean you aren't going to Edinburgh?"
"We’re going to Brighton," Charlie said. "For one day. To get fish and chips and relax at the beach. It’s kind of our thing."
Otis groaned, covering his face with his hands. "I am a total idiot. I’m so sorry, Nick. I just get excited for you guys. I forgot that for you, it’s not just ‘half-term plans,' it’s your life."
Later that evening, Nick and Charlie sat on Nick’s bed, Nellie snoring at their feet and Nick’s laptop between them as they googled activities in Brighton.
"So," Nick said, leaning against Charlie’s shoulder. "Otis was the leak. Not the 'cinema vault' or the 'quiet observer.'"
"I feel bad for doubting Tao," Charlie admitted. "He’s going to be insufferable when he finds out I tested his loyalty."
"Don't tell him," Nick laughed. "Let him keep thinking his 'laser grid' vault is impenetrable."
Charlie hummed in agreement, closing his eyes. He snuggled closer to Nick. "You know, the Edinburgh plan actually sounded quite nice. Maybe we should go there for real sometime."
Nick kissed the top of his head. "Maybe. But for now, I think a day trip to Brighton where nobody knows where we are–”
“Except for Otis because I told him,” Charlie grimaced. Nick laughed.
“Aye, you did, but it still sounds like the best plan in the world. Next time, we don’t have to do all this intrigue stuff."
“Next time, hmm?” Charlie hummed, rolling onto Nick and kissing him.
"One thing though," Nick said, pulling back. "If Isaac had been the leak, what would his city have been?"
"Cardiff," Charlie smirked. Nick winced. "And he didn't even blink. He’s the real Master of Whisperers, Nick. We should probably stay on his good side."
They laughed, the weight of the week finally lifting, leaving nothing but the quiet, private peace of them in bed and the gentle but insistent pressure between them.
“Want me to bend the knee?” Nick asked, winking. Charlie giggled for a moment before growing serious.
“Yes.”