A Lifetime Later: A Heartstopper AU Fanfic

Chapter Three: Letdown

Nick didn't show up at Charlie's office the next day. Or the next week.

"I feel like such an idiot," Charlie moaned, lowering his forehead to the tabletop with a thump. Happy hour on Fridays had become a tradition for him and his longtime friends Tao Xu, Elle Argent, and Isaac Henderson, and even though Charlie felt miserable, he wouldn't have missed it for the world. He needed them, and he knew it.

"Nick'll show up one of these days," Isaac said optimistically, before taking a large bite of his burger. "You know he will," he mumbled through his food, politely attempting to cover his mouth while adding a large wink for good measure.

Charlie emitted a noise somewhere between a grunt and a whimper and hung his head.

"Honestly, Charlie, I don't know why you care," said Tao, prompting daggers from Elle's eyes across the table. "What??" he cried defensively. "Charlie's with Thomas. Has been for ages. Besides, Nick was a real prat in the end, wasn't he." Tao widened his eyes at Elle and stuffed four chips in his mouth at once, as if that settled the argument.

"It's not like I'm trying to start something with Nick," replied Charlie. "It was just... really good to see him, is all." Tao rolled his eyes but said nothing.

Elle leaned over and placed her hand on Charlie's. "Look, I know running into him after all these years must have been a shock — especially after your, er, accident." She hesitated, and then tried again. "I know there are memories there. But try not to let it consume you, okay?" She gave his palm a squeeze and smiled, subtly cocking her head toward his uneaten mound of nachos.

Charlie sighed. He knew they were just looking out for him, but it still felt like nobody really understood. All this time, he had felt as though he was missing a limb. Seventeen years ago, something crucial had been torn from him and disposed of with barely any warning, and he had just been expected to keep living. His counselor Geoff was the only person who really seemed to get it. And Tori, sort of. His friends listened too, but Geoff and his sister were the only people who really tried to hear him. No wonder Charlie became a counselor himself. He figured, if he could stop one teenager from feeling the way he did back then, the years of anguish and schooling would be more than worth it.

Feeling Elle's eyes still on him, he placed a single crisp in his mouth and chewed. He definitely hadn't eaten much since his encounter with Nick. He took a deep breath before managing to eat another, willing his brain to stop buzzing.

"What do you hear from Tara and Darcy these days?" he asked Elle, trying to change the subject. "Did Tara's studio finally open?"

"Yes!" replied Elle. "About a month ago. Going really well, from what I hear. The kids are adorable apparently. And I guess Darcy painted that old MG every color of the rainbow and has been operating it as a sort of cab for people around London."

"I heard about that!" Isaac chimed in. "I see people posting selfies with it all the time. Last I saw, she had painted 'Yeet the rich' on the bumper in all caps." He grinned. "Looks like great fun — we should all go up there some time."

"She wants to start her own rideshare business, but call it PRIDEshare... Tara thinks it wouldn't be a safe idea, though," said Elle. "I kind of agree, to be honest."

"Great name though." Charlie smiled. Hearing about Tara and Darcy always brought him back to his Truham days, but not in a bad way. Their love had always been so solid, it was easy to root for them — and to forget that they were the first people Nick ever told about him and Charlie.

"Do you think Mister Banks would be up for a visit to London?" asked Tao, emphasizing Thomas's surname and pointing a chip in Charlie's direction.

"Yeah, maybe," said Charlie hesitantly. "He's been traveling a lot for work lately though. They're trying to hire another executive, and he says things will get better after that happens." He shrugged. "We'll see."

"Are you still planning to move into his place?" asked Elle.

"Yeah, next month," said Charlie.

While the others chatted, Charlie's mind wandered. It was the right decision, moving in with Thomas. They had been together 10 months, and if they were ever going to see each other more than a few hours a week, they needed to take that next step. After all, he wasn't getting any younger. Wasn't it time to settle down? He imagined what it would be like, waking up next to Thomas every day, forever.

But now, when he imagined Thomas wrapped around him, all he could think about were Nick's arms in those orange scrubs.