Nick and Charlie

Chapter 10

!TW - Mention of Panic attack, Fainting, Anxiety, Eating Disorder!

I wake up. Confused. Tired. I look up and see nick sitting next to me, looking at me.
"Hi" he says and touches my curls in my hair. I'm in his bed, have I fallen asleep? What time is it? I sit up in panic and quickly look for my phone. I take it out of the back pocket of my jeans and check the lock screen - 20 missed texts from mom.
"No no no no" I say in panic and shake my head. I throw my mobile in the wall and sit like a little ball on the bed. My whole body is shaking and I'm hyperventilating.
"Fuck fuck fuck" I mutter to myself, I know how angry mom is and how much crap I will have to put up with when I get home.
"Charlie... breathing" I hear Nick say next to me, but I don't care. All I can think about is how screwed I am, and how stupid I am for falling asleep. Damn. I walk away from the bed and sit down on the floor with my back against the wall and my legs against my chest. Nick jumps off the bed and sits in front of me.
"Can.. I.. May I touch you?" He says calmly but anxiously. I nod with tears in my eyes and feel him put both of his hands in mine. I don't meet his gaze, just look down at my knees and cry.
"Breathe Charlie, you are in safe hands". I try to follow Nick's breathing as best I can, but don't completely calm down as the thoughts are still in the back of my mind. After a while I give up, release him, put my face in my hands and start hyperventilating and crying again. Nick holds me. I look up at him and see three nicks sitting in front of me.
"N.. Nick?" I whisper thoughtfully. I hear how all sound around me begins to fade, also everything I see. It rings in my ears. Eventually, I hear or see nothing. Everything goes black.

I wake up and lie on the couch in Nick's living room. I look next to me and see Nick squatting next to the sofa, he is holding my hand. Sarah enters the living room with a glass of water which she places on the living room table.
"Hey.." Nick whispers in a shaky voice. Sarah sits down on the couch, at the end of my leg, and pats my leg softly.
"How are you feeling?" Nick asks. I try to sit up but Nick tells me to keep lying down for a while.
"Tired. Confused" I answer, furrowing my brows. He looks at me and puts his hand on my forehead.
"You.. you fainted. Do you remember anything that happened before..?" Nick asks calmly and looks at me with a questioning look. Everything comes back. The messages from mother. Shit. I have to go home. I can't lie here. I'm screwed.
"Charlie..?" I hear Nick say again and pat me on the arm.
"Sor... sorry.. I.. I have to go home" I say in panic and look at him with tears in my eyes. I feel myself start to shake from the anxiety in my body, but Nick is there and tries to calm me down.
"I've called your mother Charlie," says Sarah.
"She knows the situation and allows you to stay a while longer if you want" she adds.
I breathe out a big sigh of relief. I feel how my body begins to relax and how the breathing becomes easier. I close my eyes due to fatigue and take big deep breaths.
"You're doing so good Charlie, I'm here" Nick whispers in my ear and I smile a little in response. He holds my hand and pats the top with his thumb back and forth.

When I've calmed down a little more, Nick comes up on the couch with me and we cozy up a little while we watch a movie. I fall asleep a few times during the movie. Sarah is out in the kitchen fixing dinner. After a few minutes she yells at us,
"Boys, dinners ready."
I look up at Nick, who at the same time looks down at me. He runs his hand through my hair.
"Do you want some food?" He asks softly. Almost in a whisper.
"You don't have to if you don't want to" he adds. I take a deep breath before carefully sitting up.
"I.. I can try a little" I answer Nick's question and he smiles back big. He helps me up from the sofa and we go into the kitchen together.