I Can Hear Your Heart (A Heartstopper FanFic -- BOOK 1)

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Stepping onto the bus the next morning, Charlie barely registered anything around him, he was so focused on his phone. His mum had reluctantly surrendered it over to him before he had left the house, assuring him she would be confiscating it again as soon as he came home from school.

Last night had been long without Nick to talk to. It had taken Charlie hours to get to sleep, but when he finally managed it, he slept like the dead. Dreamless and ineffective. When his alarm had woken him half an hour ago, it had felt as if he hadn't slept at all.

The second Charlie had gotten his hands on his phone again, he had sent Nick his usual 'good morning' text.

Leaving Nick on the front doorstep to walk home alone last night had possibly been one of the hardest things Charlie had ever had to do.

He had never seen his usually calm and collected boyfriend so utterly lost. Charlie was usually the one who needed a shoulder to cry on, the one who always needed a few extra words of reassurance.

Charlie wasn't sure why all this seemed to be affecting Nick more than him.

Maybe it was because Charlie was already used to dealing with trauma. He already had certain coping mechanisms in place, healthy or not, to help his brain deal with the world being the dark and dangerous place it was.

It would hit him soon.

Probably when he was least expecting it.

Charlie stifled a yawn in his elbow as he continued to tap away on his phone, earphones in, music loud enough to drown out the chatter of the bus passengers around him.

He hadn't been able to snag a window seat today. Tori had gotten a lift to school with Becky and so Charlie had been forced to sit awkwardly beside a stranger.

Thankfully, the girl beside him seemed too absorbed in scribbling down some last-minute homework to pay Charlie much attention.

The bus stopped at the next stop and Charlie glanced out the window. He ducked down quickly when he realised whose stop this was.

Matt stepped onto the bus. Usually, Matt would not hesitate to help Charlie's day get off to a miserable start by throwing insults and slurs in his general direction. But today, however, Matt seemed a little distracted.

Charlie was relieved but very surprised to see that Matt was accompanied by a girl.

He watched cautiously, trying not to catch the bully's eye. Matt led the Higgs girl by the hand, to the back of the bus. They both sat down in the same narrow seat and began making out -- far too passionately for this time of the morning.

Poor girl, Charlie thought. It looked like he was eating her face.

The bus continued on its journey, and Charlie did his best to drown out the distant gross sounds coming from Matt and his girlfriend.

Was that what he and Nick sounded like when they were making out?

He hoped not. Jesus.

The bus stopped again and the doors hissed open. Several assorted Truham and Higgs students bustled down the aisle. Charlie glanced up as the doors clicked shut again.

The bus trundled on and Charlie froze.

He stared into the face of the man he had only ever seen once, but had hoped never to see again.

And the man stared back.

Charlie's heart was pounding loudly, a muffled ringing had filled his ears, and the hands clasped around his phone were trembling violently.