Under Your Skin: Nick and Charlie fanfic

Feelings

The pub stayed closed for the following day. I was extremely grateful for this because I was very hungover, and also feeling slightly embarrassed about what had happened with Nick. Performing a sex act with him in the storage cupboard had not been on my agenda for the night, and I wasn't sure how he was going to react, my guess was that it'd be awkward between us again.

I needed the day off to reset, collect my thoughts, but this still didn't help calm my nerves when I did return to work. Nick was on the opening shift with me, a good sign surely, or maybe it wasn't voluntary and it would be incredibly uncomfortable.

I arrived at work just after ten o'clock, giving myself a chance to get into work mode before he arrived. I have no idea what to expect, how I'll feel or he'll feel when he walks through the door. I don't want him to withdraw from me again, I want to kiss him more, explore the connection and chemistry that we have.

Despite being inexperienced, he had given me the best orgasm I had ever had. With more practice and confidence, if he wanted to be with me, our sex life could be amazing. It could be the kind of thing one can only dream about, the raw passion and spark that's so hard to find.

At ten thirty, Nick walked through the pub door. We stared at each other and I saw the panic in his eyes, a look on his face that I could only read as regret.
"Hi." I say smiling, trying to defuse the tension.
"Erm, hi." He says awkwardly, looking away as he went out the back to hang his jacket up.

My heart sank, this isn't good. I feel tears prickling behind my eyes, I hadn't realised how much I actually like him, how much I wanted him to walk through the door, smile and then hug me, maybe even kiss me. If we were together, we'd have to hide it at work, Tom was pretty easy going but I know he wouldn't approve of an in work relationship. But no one was here, we could get away with a quick kiss with no prying eyes, Nick didn't seem to want that.

He joined me behind the bar, not able to look at me. I didn't want to be dramatic and storm off in a huff, but I also don't want him to see how hurt I am.

I quickly go into the kitchen, fighting back tears and I can feel his eyes on me as I walk past. I distract myself by furiously slicing lemons, tears threatening to spill. I need to get it together, I can't let this affect my job.

"Charlie..." He says quietly from behind me but I ignore him.

"Charlie, please don't be upset. I want to explain myself, but not here." He says softly.
"I'm not upset." I say bluntly, taking out my frustration on the lemons.
"Char..." He says gently, placing his hand on my shoulder.

Char?! The absolute audacity of this man... Messing me around like this then trying to give me a cute nickname. I move my shoulder away from him and he pulls his hand back.

"Okay I'll talk... I don't really know what to say right now, but I'll try." He says quietly.
"You don't have to, it's perfectly obvious you regret it." I say, my voice shaking a little.
"I don't regret it," he whispers, "I just don't know how to feel about it, we were drunk and went too far. Sober, I know I wouldn't have felt comfortable with what we did. It was amazing, but it was a lot... This is all so new to me, and I hate that my first time experiencing something like that was a drunken fumble in a storage cupboard."

He rambles on but I'm not really listening. A drunken fumble in a storage cupboard?! Was that all it was to him?! Did he really not feel the connection?! The passion?! I aggressively slice into the lemon, the knife loud on the chopping board as it makes contact. Suddenly, I slip, the blade catching my finger.

"Fuck!" I shout, dropping the knife and instinctively clasping my other hand around my finger.
"Did you cut yourself?" He asks, his voice full of concern.
"It's fine." I mutter, looking down and seeing the blood seeping through my hand and I start feeling a little woozy.
"Come here." He says softly, grabbing some tissues and reaching for my hand.
"I said it's fine." I say bluntly, moving my hand away.
"Charlie, let me look after you." He says, his tone firm but still gentle.