Chapter Text
2019
“I can’t believe I let you drag me to this.” Nick spoke under his breath to his best friend, as he slapped the ‘My name is…’ sticker onto his shirt.
“After all the years of rugby matches I have attended in your honour, and this is the backchat I get?” Tao held his hand to his chest in offence.
“Tao, all you had to do was sit there and cheer. And I never asked you to come.”
“Yet I still did, Nicholas,” Tao says, poking Nick on the shoulder to emphasise his point. “Because that’s the kind of friend I am. One that supports you and is there for you, even in the wind and rain, the sleet and snow – I was there.”
Tao was clearly slipping into monologue territory, so Nick tried to cut it short.
“Alright, alright. I get it,” Nick placated. “But you gotta admit this is a lot scarier than braving the English weather.”
Nick and Tao both took a moment to survey their surroundings. Two rows of single tables stretched from one end of the function room to the other, two chairs to each table. Sat at the centre of each table, amongst scattered fabric rose petals, was a battery powered candle. In the background, light piano music was playing over the speakers and the overhead lights were dimmed.
“Do you think they googled ‘romantic setting’ and just followed the wikiHow for it?” Tao mused out loud, to which Nick scoffed at in amused agreement.
Milling around the room were small groups of people, each wearing their own name tag. Some looked eager and were already eyeballing everyone like they were picking from a dessert menu. Some looked as indifferent and nervous as Nick felt.
“So how does this work again?” Nick asked Tao.
“It’s relaxed speed dating. You see someone you want to talk to, you go to talk to them. When the bell rings, you move on to the next person that takes your fancy. No order, no instruction. I think we are supposed to be looking at potentials to talk to now?”
“But what if I don’t want to talk to anyone?” Nick was beginning to regret this big time. It has not gone unnoticed how more and more people had looked at him like a piece of meat, making Nick feel very self-conscious.
“Nicholas! Just try to be civil to whichever nice lad or lady comes to sit and talk to you.” Tao said pointedly.
“If you just asked Elle out like a normal person, I could be at home right now watching The Great Pottery Throwdown with a batch of freshly baked cookies,” Nick muttered under his breath. Not quietly enough though, as he was swiftly met with an elbow in his side. “Ow! What was that for?!”
“Not all of us have our pick of dates just from walking into the room. Some of us have to make an effort to showcase our best assets,” Tao retorted.
“What are you trying to say?!” Nick squawked back.
“Nothing…Gym rat.” Tao’s mouth quirked to the side, enjoying teasing his lifelong friend.
Looking at the two of them now, you wouldn’t put Nick and Tao together as the best of friends. But if you saw them fifteen years ago, you’d have seen two little boys sneaking out of their houses in the middle of the night to meet up in the treehouse Tao’s dad built in their back garden; playing board games; telling each other scary stories; playing make believe; giggling into the night. As they grew, their interests diversified. Tao liked film and art. Nick liked sports and video games. But they still remained intertwined with each other. They helped each other through life's turmoil – some happening sooner than one should have to encounter: Tao was there for Nick when his dad left; Nick was there when Tao dad’s passed; Tao was still there now to stand up to David when he was being a homophobic knob. By this point, they considered each other brothers more than friends.
A loud bell rang, and the organiser of the event, the Leeds queer soc leader Marcus, gave a short speech about how great it was to see members and allies from Leeds, Manchester and York LGBTQ+ groups before providing brief instructions for the evening. Then he rang the bell again, and the whole ordeal began.
“Right, let’s get this over with,” Nick huffed. “Good luck, Tao. I’m sure it will go great with Elle.”
Tao smiled back and Nick could tell he was nervous; he also knew if the looks Elle gave him at social events recently were anything to go by, Tao had nothing to be nervous about.
Nick took a seat at an empty table. He figured that, seeing as he wasn’t actively looking for anything, he might as well just be polite to whomever approached him.
“Hi. I’m Mary.” A girl with short spiky hair sat down in front of Nick. She had an impish style, which was attractive on her, but Nick found her edginess a bit intimidating. The conversation only added to that, as she spoke of cave diving like it was a regular weekend activity, and gave a detailed account of her three pet snakes. When the bell rang again, Nick gave her a polite wave and smile. Mary stood up to move along but made sure to give Nick a wink on her departure.
This was going to be a long night, Nick thought.
It wasn't that Nick wasn’t interested in meeting someone. He just wasn’t very good at it, and didn’t have the best track record. People tended to assume a few things about Nick Nelson. Firstly, that he was straight. Secondly, that he was more brain than brawn. And thirdly, that he only wanted a hook-up (or what Nick felt to be more accurate – was that he was only wanted for a hook-up). The truth, though, was that Nick was bisexual, about as soft and gooey as a Nicholas Sparks novel, and desperately wanted true love. Hell, Nick was a walking, talking, breathing bisexual-disaster of a Nicholas Sparks novel.
The next two contestants didn’t fare much better. A guy called Colin only wanted to ask Nick about how much he could bench-press (clearly enamoured with Nick’s physical appearance), and an enby called Robyn didn’t even wait for the bell to move on after they found out Nick was on the rugby team.
Sitting alone, waiting for the next disappointing experience, Nick chanced a look across the room to see how Tao was doing. It warmed his heart to see him sitting with Elle, a wide sappy smile on his face and laughing. He really hoped this would mean Tao would finally get the courage to ask Elle out properly. The initial meet and greet over with, he should surely be able to voice his interest now.
“Hi. Do you mind if I sit?” Nick looked up to where the shy voice was coming from.
“Err, n..no, not at all.” Nick stuttered out.
Now sitting down in front of him was probably the most eye catching individual Nick had ever seen. Dark curls fell to his shoulders, glossy and soft looking as they caught the light from the fake candle between them. He was tall and lean, wearing a slim fitting, deep red shirt. Most striking though, were the man's eyes. Even with the dimmed lighting of the room, you could see how bright they were – a luminous blue that Nick could not stop looking at, perfectly framed by thick, dark eyebrows.
“I’m Charlie. Sorry. I’ll be honest with you. I kind of got dragged here. And I saw you had an empty seat and desperately wanted to get away from some creep over there.” Charlie started to word vomit to fill the silence – because Nick still wasn’t talking… “I wouldn’t advise talking to him, by the way. His name is Colin, and he was definitely only after one thing. Kept asking me how bendy I was.”
“Oh yeah, I already had the displeasure.”
“Oh.” Charlie smiled nervously then, showing a hint of dimples.
Fucking dimples!
“I’m Nick. And I will try not to ask questions about your flexibility,” Nick tried to joke, but hearing it out loud, he mentally face palmed himself and hoped Charlie would move swiftly on.
“No, maybe wait for the third date for that,” Charlie responded with a shy giggle, and Nick could now see a pretty pink spread across his cheeks and nose.
Nick was caught speechless again, both by the slightly flirtatious retort and the ever attraction to the man sat before him.
“So, you got dragged here? Tell me about that.” Nick finally found some normal words to say and gave himself a mental high five.
“Yeah. My friend, Darcy, really fancies one of the organisers and if you ever met them, you’d know you kind of can’t say no to her. They have a way of making you agree to things without you even being aware of it until you are already doing it,” Charlie says fondly of his friend.
“I was also dragged here. My best friend has had this enormous crush on this girl for like the last year, but has been too chicken-shit to ask her out. So he dragged me here just so he had an excuse to talk to her one-on-one,” Nick explained, looking over towards Tao again as he did so. Tao and Elle were now leaning forward to each other – a very promising sign.
“I wonder how many other people are just here to be a good friend?” Charlie mused.
“Well considering so far, you’re the first decent conversation I’ve had, I’d say it’s just me and you.”
“Well, you either don’t set your bar for good conversation very high, or the previous takers of this seat really were disastrous.”
“Or I just like your company,” Nick was so quick to say. He didn’t even realise he’d said it out loud. He immediately moved his hand to the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. “I mean… err. If neither of us actually want to meet someone, we could just, you know… hide together?”
Charlie’s smile widened, fully showing Nick how deep those dimples went. “I’d like that. That would mean breaking the rules though and not moving along when the bell goes.” Charlie leant forward then to whisper to Nick. “Do you think you can handle being a rule breaker, Nick?”
“What makes you think I don’t break the rules all the time?” Nick smirked back, leaning forward now to match Charlie.
“Hmm. Dunno. You seem too nice. I bet you never once had detention at school.” Charlie held Nick’s eyes then, challenging him to protest.
“I’ll have you know, I can be naughty when I want to be.” Nick felt himself flush immediately hearing how dirty that sounded. He scrambled in his brain for a way to correct himself, but his mind was blank with embarrassment.
“Good to know,” Charlie responded, his voice slightly lower and his mouth now in a smirk, his bottom lip slightly sucked into his teeth.
Nick swallowed as his mouth and throat went dry. Charlie was effortlessly sexy, and Nick was beginning to regret his no-effort-made-leave-me-alone outfit choice.
Charlie looked at Nick expectantly, waiting for him to say something. Nick’s brain was really failing him though, and he continued to sputter, opening and closing his mouth for what felt like a lot longer than it probably was. For God’s sake, Nelson. Say something!
“Dogs!” Nick blurted.
“Excuse me?” Charlie’s eyes widened in surprise and confusion.
“I h-have a dog. Her name is Nellie.” Nick reached into his pocket for his phone and showed it to Charlie. “This is her.”
“Oh my gosh! She is adorable!” Charlie cooed.
“Do you have any pets?” Nick asked, feeling himself come back online now.
“No,” Charlie answered sadly. “I always wanted a cat or dog, but my mum absolutely detests animals.”
“What? Who is she? Satan?” Nick responded briskly and then tried to swallow his own words again. “Sorry. I’m sure your mum is lovely. I just meant… I mean how can you hate animals?”
Charlie giggled at Nick’s ineptitude to keep himself from saying inappropriate things. “No, it’s fine. I know what you mean. To be fair, we don’t have the best relationship. I wouldn’t go as far as calling her Satan, but maybe a demon lower down in the ranks.”
“That sounds a bit shit. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. No-one’s perfect. And I’m a stronger person for it now. Independence and all that jazz.”
Nick was struck in awe at Charlie’s blatant honesty and humour. Thinking of his own strained relationship with his father, he couldn’t imagine ever having the sheer confidence to face it head on and speak lightly of it in conversation – with a stranger no less. Charlie’s resilience in the face of adversity was something Nick admired.
Nick and Charlie continued to chat about everything and nothing for the next three rounds, covering degree topics, career aspirations, and hobbies. Nick learnt that Charlie was a keen reader and musician; Charlie learnt that Nick was a rugby lad and enjoyed baking. Eventually, they began to get dirty looks from people who were clearly waiting for their chance to talk to one of them.
“That girl with the locs is desperate to talk to you.” Charlie nodded in the girl's direction behind Nick to point her out. “Sure you don’t want me to step aside? I don’t want to ruin your game.”
Nick guffawed at that. If only Charlie knew how little game he possessed, even when he was trying.
“I promise you, you aren’t. I’d happily talk to you all night.”
“Oh really?” Charlie narrowed his eyes and quirked his mouth again seductively.
“Yeah. It’s kind of made my evening meeting you.” Nick hoped that that came across as sweet and romantic, and not incredibly cheesy. It must have been the former, because Charlie’s smirk had morphed into a sweet smile and his cheeks began to rouge again.
“I’ve enjoyed meeting you too…” Charlie let his words trail off as if he was about to say something else, but faltered.
“I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming,” Nick stated, feeling apprehensive and vulnerable.
“But—”
“There it is.”
“Nick…” Charlie giggled again, and the tension dissipated slightly. “But, I really didn’t come here looking for anything. I’m moving back down south… like next week, in fact.”
“Oh.” Nick couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Even in the short amount of time he had been talking to Charlie, he felt a connection. Sure, they’d been flirting on and off through their conversation, but Nick was sure it was more than that. Maybe it was just the over-romanticised part of his brain telling him things that weren’t true.
“Yeah. Sorry, I just wanted to be clear. I do fancy you, but I won’t be able to take anything further after tonight.”
“Don’t be sorry. I appreciate you being straight with me.”
“I can assure you, Nicholas, I am the furthest from straight – especially around you.” Charlie said the last bit quietly, looking at Nick through his long eyelashes.
Charlie was clearly into Nick, and it was just circumstance that made dating Charlie out of bounds. But the semi rejection gave Nick a strange kind of confidence. Here was the epitome of Nick’s type on paper: gorgeous, funny, witty, clever, and did he mention fit as fuck?! And they only had tonight. Anything Nick did or said, wouldn’t matter because they wouldn’t see each other again. So why not go for it?
“Seeing as we only have tonight. Wanna get out of here?” Nick spoke seriously.
Charlie’s eyebrows shot up into his curly fringe in surprise. “Nicholas, I didn’t have you pegged for a casual hookup kind of guy.”
“Oh I’m not. But I feel like if I don’t at least kiss you, I’m going to look back on this evening and regret it forever.” Nick used his new found confidence to tell Charlie exactly what he was thinking and feeling.
“That’s… “
“Sorry. I just figured if you’re being up front with me about where you stand, I could at least be honest with you too.”
Charlie looked at Nick with a wide toothed grin, and Nick wanted to kiss those fucking dimples so bad.
“Is that all you want then? To kiss me?” Charlie whispered, aware that the other tables were not that far away.
“No.”
Nick and Charlie stared at each other, pondering over the situation and making their decisions about the other.
“Fuck it. Let’s go.” Charlie stood up abruptly and reached out for Nick to take his hand. Nick gladly took it and followed Charlie out the door without another look back.
“I just need to text my friend and tell him I’ve gone,” Nick said, taking his phone from his pocket.
“Oh, yeah same, actually.”
Both boys stopped outside the building to send off their respective texts.
“Done.”
“Done.”
“So.. what now?” Nick asked.
“You’re the one that asked me to leave. I thought you had ideas.”
“So many ideas…” Nick looked at Charlie as he spoke, biting his lip. “But I meant more like… where now? I live just down the road, but we could get a drink first if you wanted?”
“Do you have anything to drink at yours?” Charlie stepped toward Nick, closing the space between them.
“Y-yeah.” Nick’s breath slowed right down as he tried to keep his composure. He could smell Charlie’s cologne and it was sending him a bit feral.
“Then let’s drink at yours and stop pretending we aren’t going to hook up,” Charlie spoke breathily into Nick’s ear as he got even closer.
“Can I kiss you?” Nick asked as he ran his hand carefully up Charlie’s arm.
Nick didn’t need to wait for an answer, as Charlie pushed himself up onto his toes and closed the distance between them. The kiss was passionate from the beginning, their mouths moved against each other, capturing each other's lips between their own. Nick placed one hand on Charlie’s waist and the other on his neck, and turned them so he could guide Charlie against the wall behind them. When Charlie’s back hit the wall, he let out a little groan and Nick used the opportunity to slide his tongue into his mouth.
The taste of Charlie was intoxicating, sweet and delicious. Nick wanted more – he wanted to taste other parts of Charlie. So, he pushed away from the wall, only to hear Charlie whine at the loss of contact.
“I need to get you back to mine before we get arrested for indecency.” Nick took Charlie’s hand and gently pulled him in the direction of his flat.
“It was only kissing Nick,” Charlie giggled and followed willingly. “I don’t think they arrest people for that.”
“They would for what I’m about to do to you behind closed doors.”
Nick was overcome with desire and confidence, in a way he’d never known. Charlie was bringing out a a new side to him; but he would have to ruminate on that later. Right now, all he could think about was his desires and how he wanted to make Charlie scream his name. He stopped himself in his tracks, however, when he thought about what Charlie might want. Although it had been implied, he needed to know Charlie was on the same page.
“If you want to, that is. I mean, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Sorry, I’m being all intense. You’re just so… and that kiss was just… Tell me to stop and I will,” Nick said as he stopped them both outside his flat door.
Charlie leant forward and kissed Nick passionately again, before pulling away to answer. “Trust me, I want whatever it is you are imagining. I don’t want you to stop. Now take me inside and take me apart, please.”
“Fuck. Yes, Charlie.” Nick fumbled his keys into the lock of his door and pushed it open.
As soon as the door was closed, Charlie jumped up onto Nick, kissing him. Nick used his quick reflexes and strength to hold Charlie, who had wrapped his legs around Nick’s waist.
Nick kicked his shoes off in the hallway and carried Charlie to his bedroom. He hoped Tao would take Elle on an immediate date, because he planned on things getting loud.
Placing Charlie on the bed, Nick stood before him and took his shirt off before diving down on top of the gorgeous man below him.
Starting at the bottom of Charlie’s shirt, Nick undid each button slowly and kissed the skin as the shirt gave way with each opening. Once he reached the top, he pushed the shirt from Charlie’s shoulders and began to bite and lick at Charlie’s neck.
“How do you want to do this?” Nick asked into Charlie’s soft silken skin.
“I want you inside me,” Charlie gasped out between moans.
“Can I eat you out?” Nick asked, working his way onto Charlie’s collar bone and nipping at the protrusions.
“Yes, but I need to shower first.”
Without a word, Nick stood up and picked Charlie up over his shoulder in a fireman's lift and carried him into the bathroom.
“Nick! Put me down!” Charlie was giggling away happily, so Nick did not put him down. He had his hand firmly on Charlie’s arse, appreciating the tightness of his muscle there, and continued to keep him over his shoulder as he leaned in and turned the shower on.
While the shower heated up, Nick placed Charlie down on the sink and kissed him hard. Charlie’s hands trailed down Nick’s torso to the buckle of his jeans, undoing them and pushing them onto the floor. Nick stepped out of them, never releasing Charlie's lips from his own. Skipping all pretence, Charlie moved his hand inside Nick’s boxers and began to grasp at Nick’s rock solid cock.
“Jesus Christ, how big are you?!” Charlie exclaimed between kisses.
Nick giggled before replying, “Think you can handle it?”
“Let me see,” Charlie instructed, pushing Nick to step back.
Nick smiled devilishly and made a show of taking off his boxers slowly for Charlie’s viewing pleasure. He knew he was well-endowed, it was one of the few things he didn’t get self-conscious about. Now fully naked, Nick could see how impressed and awed Charlie was by his pitch black eyes swimming with arousal; a wanton hand palming at his own erection as he bit his lip and purred, “Fuck, I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”
“Your turn,” Nick said, nodding his head towards Charlie’s tight black jeans and studded belt.
Charlie jumped down from the sink and held Nick’s gaze as he undid his jeans and pushed them down together with his boxers. Charlie’s cock sprang back up to hit his belly. While not as long as Nick’s, it was still impressive and mouthwatering. Charlie was still longer than the average, and thick.
“Get in that shower – now, please,” Nick practically growled at Charlie, desperate to get his mouth on him.
Nick followed him in from behind and ran his fingers through Charlie’s curls, feeling their softness as they became wetter under the water spray. Moving them to one side, Nick placed kisses and small bites to the back of Charlie’s neck and down his spine, between his shoulder blades. He could hear Charlie mewling in front of him.
“Pass me the shower gel.” Nick held his hand out and he kissed back up Charlie’s spine and latched onto his neck. “Can I mark you?”
“Yes,” Charlie replied breathlessly and passed Nick the shower gel.
In an instant Nick bit down into Charlie’s neck and sucked, making Charlie gasp out a moan that echoed around the shower walls. Rubbing some shower gel into his hands, Nick began to work them over Charlie's body, massaging the skin and firm muscles as he went and letting the soapy bubbles run down and off his skin. His arms reached all the way around Charlie, and when Nick pinched Charlie’s nipples, Charlie bucked back against Nick’s erection with another moan.
Unable to wait any longer, Nick sank onto his knees to taste what he desired. Nick started by running a single finger down between Charlie’s arse cheeks, lightly rubbing over his tight, little hole, and Charlie shuddered. Pulling his cheeks apart, Nick had a full view of Charlie’s perfect, pink hole. He dipped his tongue in, just barely, teasing Charlie and making him crave more.
“Please, Nick…” Charlie begged.
Nick didn’t make him wait; he laid his tongue flat against Charlie’s perineum and ran it up towards Charlie’s hole before circling it and giving it soft kisses.
“Mmmm…” Nick hummed against Charlie, which made Charlie even more responsive.
Once Nick had started thrusting his tongue in and out, the sounds escaping Charlie's mouth became unhinged and guttural, echoing through the bathroom. Charlie was keeping himself steady with his hands palm flat against the wall, and his legs were beginning to shake.
Sensing Charlie was getting close to bursting, Nick stood and guided a pleasure-drunk Charlie back to the bedroom. Nick quickly brushed his teeth and they laid towels down on the bed, and then he instructed Charlie to get on all fours above them. The sight of Charlie bare and waiting for him was almost enough to make Nick come – he was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. Charlie’s dark curls hung lower from wetness, curling around his face; his eyes were dark and his lips were red from being over-bitten.
“How are you even real?” Nick asked rhetorically, full of lust.
After grabbing lube and a condom from the bedside drawer, Nick stood behind Charlie and ran his tongue back over him. Then he warmed up some lube on his fingers and began to work Charlie open. It didn’t take long to be at two fingers, but Nick took his time working him up to a third. Charlie was breathing heavily and loudly in between moans and mewls of pleasure. When Nick curled his fingers and found Charlie’s sensitive bundle of nerves, Charlie let out a guttural cry and arched his back into the sensation.
“Fuck, Nick! Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me,” Charlie chanted. “Now! Please!”
Nick was silent, too in the zone to speak or respond as he wiped his fingers on the towels and began to roll a condom over his neglected hard-on and lather it in lube. When he began to press into Charlie, both men cried out each other’s name.
“Go slow, baby. I’ve never had anyone as big as you,” Charlie reminded Nick. The term of endearment made Nick’s dick twitch with its head inside Charlie.
Slowly - so, so slowly, Nick inched in a bit at a time. He gave constant rubs and strokes to Charlie's back, thighs and arse in an attempt to soothe and relax him. Meanwhile, Charlie continued to switch out between whimpers of pleasure and moans of ecstasy, as he gave way to the burn to allow Nick to enter him. When Nick had finally bottomed out, he had to hold still for fear of coming too quickly. Charlie felt so tight around him, swallowing his cock whole – it was overwhelming.
“You can move,” Charlie choked out, sounding completely wrung out already.
Still silenced by pleasure, Nick began to pull back, slowly at first, and thrusting back in with increasing pressure.
“Yes, Nick! Yes, yes, yes, yes!” Charlie chanted in between thrusts.
Nick couldn’t move with the required strength he wanted to standing in this position, so he grabbed Charlie by the hips and picked him up to shuffle him forward on the bed, causing Charlie to yelp in amused shock. Nick settled in behind Charlie on his knees on the bed, and he was able to pound into Charlie harder, with more force.
“SHIT!” Charlie cried. “More! More!!”
Wanting to give Charlie all the pleasure he could, Nick ran his hand down Charlie's spine to his neck and gently pushed him down onto his elbows. The new angle worked with immediate success as Nick hit Charlie’s prostate with every thrust, ploughing into him with reckless abandon. Charlie squealed with delight and rapture, chanting Nick’s name and asking for more.
“I’m close, Charlie,” Nick finally spoke to warn his temporary lover.
“T-touch me,” Charlie uttered out as best he could.
Nick reached down and around Charlie to take his leaking cock in his hand and began to pump him to match his quickening thrusts. Within seconds, Charlie was coming onto the bed, shouting obscenities and moaning Nick’s name like it was gospel.
Once Charlie was thoroughly milked, Nick let go of his wasted penis, and took a firm grip of both of Charlie’s hips. Now chasing his own pleasure, Nick took a few hard and deep plunges into Charlie, and on the fourth, held still, deeply situated within Charlie as he came in what was the best orgasm of his life.
Both men fell back on the bed, breathing heavily and regaining their strength. Each turned to look at the other at the same time, as if pulled by magnets, and smiled unashamedly before bursting into laughter.
“My God, you’re fucking amazing,” said Charlie first.
“Speak for yourself. I don’t think I’ve ever come that hard,” Nick responded.
“Safe to say, I will definitely be limping tomorrow.”
They both spent a few minutes giggling and sharing chaste kisses, before Nick put on his boxers and went to get them both a well earned glass of water. He was relieved to see no evidence of Tao returning home, saving himself a very awkward conversation tomorrow.
“Do you want to stay?” Nick asked, hopeful. He knew Charlie’s boundary of tonight, but he was hoping to push it a little – even if just for cuddles.
“I shouldn’t.” Charlie sounded like he was conflicted. “Feels a bit weird to leave yet though.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. No pressure.” Nick glanced around his room for ideas when he looked upon his laptop. “I can put a film on? We can watch that and then you could go. Then it’s like a little sex date in reverse.”
Charlie giggled again, and it was quickly becoming one of Nick’s favourite sounds.
“Sure. That sounds nice. I’m picking the movie though.”
They settled onto Nick’s bed and started up ‘Wall-e’. Charlie naturally settled into Nick’s arms, resting his head on Nick’s chest and nuzzling in. It felt really nice, and Nick began to lose all the confidence he had from before. He didn’t want to never see Charlie again. The sex was earth shattering, but it was something more. Nick couldn’t explain it, he just knew that in the few hours he had known Charlie, it felt like something real. Something he hadn’t felt before.
Nick wasn’t sure at which point in the film he fell asleep. He vaguely remembered Wall-e reaching space. Sunlight woke him – he must have forgotten to shut his curtains. As he rubbed his eyes and tried to come back online, Nick was hit with a gut wrenching feeling of regret. The boy of his dreams was nowhere to be seen. His laptop was folded shut and placed back on the desk, and a blanket had been placed over his body. Nick has never cursed himself so much for falling bloody asleep. He didn’t even know Charlie’s last name to find him on socials. He was just gone. Likely never to be seen again; reduced to a memory.