Charlie and Nick: A Heartstopper FanFic

Holly Jolly: Part Three

*Dear reader, please try to go easy on Ingrid. Love comes in a lot of different forms. Also, despite what Ingrid thinks, she doesn't know the whole story. Thank you again for reading. I love reading your comments and I appreciate your support.*

Nick didn’t know what to say.

“Believe it or not, your brother tells me everything.”

He couldn’t help but look at her stomach, imagining his future niece or nephew being lied to by their father.

“I told David not to do that to you,” Ingrid went on. “I told him, ‘Nick isn’t like you,’ but he insisted he was right.”

“So, you know about the date?” he wondered tentatively.

“Of course. Lilly's one of my closest friends. If David hadn’t told me, she would’ve. She said you were polite, considering how angry you were.”

Nick hesitated, his stomach fluttering with fear as though he was approaching a ledge he was set to jump from. Finally opening his mouth, Nick jumped. “Do you know Fiona?”

To his astonishment, Ingrid giggled. “Yes, Nick. I know Fiona very well.”

Confusion was evident on his face. “So, you know…”

“That Fiona was my husband’s date that night?” another giggle.

Am I the only person taking this seriously?

Ingrid patted the top of his head. “You sweet, pure boy. Don’t worry about Fiona.”

“Why aren’t you upset?”

“I told you,” she said, exasperated. “David tells me everything. There’s a reason we fit together. I love him. I like Fiona, and so does David.”

“I didn’t know you two had an open marriage,” Nick said, still confused.

“It isn’t so much open as it is…” she thought, “more inclusive. We only see Fiona that way, though.”

“Don’t you get jealous? What if he falls for her? Aren’t you worried?” Nick wondered, the questions spilling out before he could stop them.

“No. And if he falls for her, he falls for her,” she explained. “I don’t wanna get into the details, but I enjoy seeing my husband be desired. I also still enjoy the company of women from time to time, and Fiona's my second favorite person in the world. I'm happy, David's happy, and Fiona's happy. It works for us.”

“What about the baby?”

“What about it? It isn’t as though we're going to raise it in some weird sex colony. Our baby will have two parents and a great, non-blood-related auntie. Polyamory isn’t that uncommon. I won’t be ashamed of it.”

“I'm not judging. It’s just difficult to imagine being okay with sharing,” Nick admitted. “I don’t think I can do it. Me and Charlie…” he groaned, running his hand down his face in frustration before he told Ingrid about his own threesome issues.

“You and Charlie aren’t like David and I and that’s fine. How long have you been together?”

“Almost 11 years.”

“And this is the first time he’s brought a threesome up? It’s just a guess, but I don’t think he wants an open relationship. It just sounds like you guys hit a learning curve. Talk to him. Let him know what you want in your marriage and listen to what he wants. I'm sure you can figure it out from there.”

“Food's ready!” David called to them from inside of the house.

His brother's voice triggered something in Nick, causing the rage to come flooding back. “You said David tells you everything. Did he tell you about his texts to Charlie?”

“Texts?” she shook her head, now the one who was confused. “No, he never mentioned anything about texting Charlie. What did they say?”

Nick started his way inside for their meal, pausing at the door. “You should ask David. He'd probably love to tell you about it.”