Lessons in Love: Nick and Charlie fanfic

Family

Nick's POV

The following day, Charlie and I are getting ready to leave. We're going to my flat to pack up as much as we can fit in his car, and then we're meeting with his parents and siblings to tell them we're engaged and living together.

We're running a little late because we got a bit carried away while getting dressed and ended up needing another shower. Charlie seems flustered and I have a feeling it isn't just because we're in a rush.

"We really need to work on getting out the door a bit quicker." He teases, but I can tell he's just trying to mask his stress.
"Are you okay?" I ask softly as he opens the flat door.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He says, forcing a smile.
"Charlie." I press gently, holding him close by his waist as we leave his building.
"I'm just stressed about how my mum's going to react." He says quietly.
"It'll be okay baby."
"You haven't met my mother." He laughs.
"If it goes badly we can just leave." I say softly.
"Yeah." He says quietly as he opens the main entrance door.
"Charlie, I'm a teacher. I can handle irate parents." I laugh.
"Ooh, does that mean I'll get to see a bit of Mr. Nelson?" He giggles.
"That depends on if your mum's gonna ask me why you keep going home with uniform missing." I say cheekily.
"God sake." He laughs.

We're taking Charlie's car because it's bigger than mine, which means we can pack up more of my stuff. He's obviously done quite well for himself, I feel so proud of him despite not seeing his career journey.

Charlie seriously downplays how high up he actually is in his job. When we were working out how to split the bills, I was shocked when I learnt how much he earns. I hid my surprise because I wouldn't ever want him to think that's why I want to marry him.

I had felt a little uncomfortable about not splitting the bills equally, or contributing towards rent, but Charlie insisted it didn't bother him.

When my ex and I had moved in together, she had made a huge fuss about how we would split bills. She always would cause an argument if things weren't completely equal, I always tried my best but at the time, some months I'd earn less than others.

Having this conversation with Charlie had felt so refreshing. Knowing he doesn't care about the money side of things and would make sacrifices if necessary, as long as it meant we lived together.

🍂🍂🍂

We're in my bedroom and Charlie's emptying my wardrobe, folding everything neatly into labeled boxes, while I clear out underneath my bed.

"What's that?" He asks as I pull out a tattered shoebox.
"My memory box." I say, smiling at him.
"Can I see?" He asks, approaching me.
"Of course." I say, opening the box.
"Oh shit." He giggles, taking out a photo of me in my school rugby uniform.
"How did I know that would be the first thing you want for?" I tease.
"Is this in school?" He asks.
"Yeah, I was the team captain." I laugh.
"Can I keep this?" He asks, giving me a cheeky look.
"I was a teenager." I chuckle.
"Still hot though." He giggles.
"Charlie!" I chuckle affectionately.
"Why do you have rubbish in here?" He asks, putting the photo back and picking up an empty sugar sachet.
"That's not rubbish." I laugh.
"Technically it is." He teases.
"It's from the café in the park." I say, giving him a meaningful look.
"Oh." He says, looking at the sachet and then smiles at me.
"Bit weird isn't it." I say, scrunching my nose.
"No, it's actually really sweet." He says softly.

He looks at me adoringly, his eyes drifting to my lips then back up.
"We're already running late." I say, smiling at him.
"Yeah." He says, looking away and putting the sachet back in the box.
"Remind me later, I've got some things from Paris to put in here." I say, closing the box.
"Yeah." He says shakily.
"Are you gonna cry?" I tease.
"No." He giggles, blinking quickly.