The heartstopper

Chapter 23

Most people spent their day in their rooms again and neither teacher thought to force them out to do something they weren't up to doing. There wasn't much they could do in the hotel together anyways, it was hard enough trying to communicate with the teenagers.

It was somewhere around eleven in the morning when Nick and Charlie decided to run all across the hotel in search of a quiet place to hang out in privacy. Their hotel room was far too small to spend another second in and they couldn't very well get too close without Tao going all protective over Charlie and glaring at Nick.

Tao didn't have a problem with Charlie having a boyfriend, and it wasn't exactly that it was Nick but at the same time, it was. Nick was one of the rugby lads who they'd avoid at all costs. Tao still feared that Nick might be more similar to the guys who bullied Charlie in their year nine then he let out.

Nick and Charlie now sat pushed up against the wall in an alcove together, laughing and out of breath.

"You're too fast!" Nick complained as he sat slouched against the wall.

"And you're too slow!" Charlie countered before pulling Nick in for a kiss.

"Is that why you dragged me here? Just so you could make out with me?" Nick questioned with a smirk on his face as he pulled away.

"It may be so," Charlie answered, leaning back in for a kiss. Nick deepened the kiss, gently holding the side of Charlie's face before leaning out of it a moment later.

"You tease!" Charlie exclaimed, looking offended.

"Someone could walk around the corner any minute and see us, in case you forgot, the hotel has high security now, unless you want to be seen necking me," Nick gave Charlie a pointed look.

Charlie groaned. "We've barely gotten to properly speak with each other at all this week, I miss you," he slumped up against the other.

"I haven't gone anywhere Char, I'm right by your side, like always," Nick gave the other a reassuring smile.

"We've barely even gotten to hold hands this entire time," He frowned. Because Imogen kept hanging with their group, they really couldn't get too close.

"I was thinking..." Nick paused, looking Charlie in the eyes.

"You're making me nervous," Charlie gave a nervous laugh.

"I think I want to come out,"

Charlie's face lit up. "You- what?"

"I want to come out," he repeated. "Like, I don't want to make any big announcements but I want more people to know, Imogen for instance, and our classmates too, I want to act like a couple in public - with you," he explained, grabbing hold of the other boy's hand.

"Nick, that's-" instead of continuing, he pulled his boyfriend into another kiss.

"I want to be able to do that whenever too," Nick added, cheekily.

"That makes me so happy," Charlie smiled.

The two boys spent a moment staring into the others eyes before coming out of their gaze.
"Why are we like this?" They laughed insync.

"Let's walk around for a bit," Nick said, standing up and reaching his hand out to help the other up. Neither one ended up letting go of their hands as they ambled down the halls, not caring when someone would step out of their room and see the two, hand in hand.

Eventually, they came across the pool. Neither one had bothered to bring a swim suit with them on their trip but they entered the room anyway. The room smelt heavily like chlorine and there were few families who were seated around the room, mostly parents watching their young kids swim or a small group of ladies in the hot tub who looked to be in a deep discussion amongst each other.

"We should have looked up the hotel beforehand, then we could have known to bring our swim suits," Nick commented, as they walked a lap around the humid room, making their way back to the door they entered from.

"Yeah," Charlie nodded in agreement. He didn't really like to swim, it made him rather uncomfortable but Nick didn't need to know that.

From there, they went up the elevator to the third story. They were previously in the second story and were now working their way up. They'd already seen enough of the first level of the hotel so they skipped it.

They walked around until two in the afternoon. There really wasn't much to do anywhere. Once they reached the fifth floor, they found the fitness room and Nick did make a comment about heading back there at some point, about which Charlie made a joking retort about.

"I like to work out, it keeps me in shape for rugby," He defended.

"You're a rugby nerd," Charlie joked.

Nick scoffed. "I am but a nerd,"

"Oh, right. Sorry, 'Mr. Rugby king'," Charlie teased.

The two of them ended up spending the entire day out of their room and wandering around the hotel, stopping in certain alcoves that they spot every once in a while to... 'relax'. They ended up missing lunch but they did stop by the restaurant for dinner, eating at a table for two. After dinner, they raced eachother down the halls, Charlie being much faster and gloating. It was only just before curfew when they decided to head back to their rooms and to maybe find their friends. They'd had an amusing day just the two of them.

Charlie pressed the elevator button so that they could head down to the level where their room was found on, level four. When the elevator door opened, it revealed the body of a teenaged girl which layed on the floor, motionless.

"O-oh my god..." Nick couldn't breath. There was blood, it all smelt like blood.

Charlie couldn't conjure a word to say. He could barely hear anything over his pounding heart. They ended up standing there for too long as the elevator door ended up closing on them.

The girl looked like she could have gone to Higgs, she looked to be their age. It was hard to recognize her when she was covered in blood, her blood... presumably.