A Heartstopper Fanfic

Chapter 24: A Mum's Gesture

Author's note: I'm uploading the 25th chapter on December 25th 🤭🙃

August 9th, 2023, edit: ^^ lol not anymore, I got rid of a chapter
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There it is, that's the ring. Boggling at the antique ring in the old-school jewelry store's window, I feel my heart beating against my rib cage, begging to be unleashed.

Buh-boom. Buh-boom. Buh-boom.

Is this what it feels like when you just know that 'that's' the ring? That this is the ring you're going to and meant to propose to your whole world with?

Inhale.

But how could anyone know? This is such a big decision. Does anyone know? Maybe the point is that they don't? That no one does. Maybe I'm meant to go with the flow and just let it find me? Maybe it has..?

Exhale.

Buh-boom, buh-boom, buh boom.

"Do you want to go inside?" Charlie questions me, unaware of my dilemma, and what exactly I'm so mesmerized by. A part of me wants to walk away, just to see if 'that feeling' happens where I just can't tear myself away from it, but the other half of me has already made its decision. While thinking about walking away I get 'that feeling'. The feeling of 'just knowing', but not being able to explain it.

God, I can just feel it in my soul that I have to buy that ring. From afar I can even already tell that it's perfect.

Buh-boom, buh-boom, buh boom.

Hold on! Pause. Hate to break it to you, but that was all a lie. There's no way that I'd ever have a cliche moment like that. One big reason as to why being that Charlie and I are gay. I've never seen a rom-com about a businessman, and a dude that works at a cafe who magically meet, and fall in love, right before Christmas. It only takes one scene. A painfully traditional scene. Ice skating. After the main character falls once, the businessman is usually like, "Woah. He sucks at ice skating...he's husband material." Boom, done deal.

Basically, all of that came out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. The only part that we hit is the fact that Char worked at a cafe while I was at uni, (and during my last year at Truham.) Other than that, it's a typical plot, which is well-suited and designed for heterosexual couples.

Whoops. I forgot to mention that the director is an old and balding dude who's rushing to get the movie done, and conveniently out, before Christmas. How could I forget about such a tiring detail?

Truthfully, I may be majorly hating on these sorts of films, but I do love them. What? They may be super heteronormative, but the cheesy and flirtatious lines always have me giddy for the girl and the guy in the movie. Can you blame me?

Tao is a bad influence.

Okay, so anyways, let me set the actual scene for you. I briefly stared into a cute and dandy jewelry shop before Charlie dragged me away. He was very eager to reach the pottery shop that was just ahead of us. Besides, I don't need a ring. I have one.

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"Did you intentionally pick those colors?" Charlie asks me, a bare flower pot sitting in front of him. Are we paying a fortune for some basic home decor that we can get at Hobbycraft? (That's the English version of Michael's.) Yes, we are. But I can justify the price because memories with Char are priceless. At the moment we don't have a shared bank account, and so, despite Charlie's protests; I pay for him ninety-nine percent of the time. Truthfully, I always pay for everything when we go out together, like today, and I don't mind in the slightest.