Nothing More: Nick and Charlie fanfic

19th May

Charlie
I woke up feeling numb. The last few nights, I'd been struggling to sleep, the fear of being rejected by Nick looming over me. I knew I had to tell him, and I knew he'd be kind if he didn't feel the same, but it would still hurt.

My phone started buzzing on my bedside table, and my stomach tied in knots when I saw Nick was calling me.
"Hey." I said groggily.
"Hey, did I wake you up?" He asked softly.
"No, I literally opened my eyes about thirty seconds ago." I chuckled, stretching.
"It's nearly eleven." He laughed.
"Is it? I haven't been sleeping very well." I said quietly.
"Why? Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.
"I'm just stressed about uni stuff." I lied.
"Charlie..." He pressed gently.
"You worry about me too much." I teased.
"I can't help it Char, I really care about you." He said softly.
"I promise I'm okay, I'd tell you if I wasn't."
"Okay." He said gently.
"Did you call for a reason?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Do I need a reason to call you?" He asked cheekily.
"No." I giggled.
"I honestly just wanted to hear your voice." He said quietly.

I sat bolt up right, and my heart started thumping in my chest.
"You did?" I asked nervously.
"Yeah, is that weird?" He chuckled.
"No, no it's not weird. I like hearing your voice too." I said quickly.
"Are you busy today? I have practice in a bit but I'll be done about two if you wanted to FaceTime?"
"Yeah, definitely. I'm not busy."
"Good, Izzy's dragging me out tonight." He chuckled.
"Izzy?" I asked, my stomach dropping.
"Yeah my friend, haven't I mentioned her?"
"Uhm, I don't know." I said, trying to sound normal.
"Char..."
"Yeah?"
"She's just a friend." He said quietly.
"Oh, I wasn't... Uhm, it's not like we're... I'm gonna go..." I stuttered.
"Charlie, wait." He said before I could hang up, "are you still there?" He asked after a couple of seconds of silence.
"Yeah." I said quietly.
"You really mean a lot to me Charlie." He said earnestly.
"You mean a lot to me too." I whispered shakily, fighting back tears.
"Are you okay?" He asked softly.
"Yeah." I whispered.
"Are you sure? Because I have to go." He said gently.
"I'm okay, I promise." I said shakily.
"Okay, I'll speak to you later Char."
"Yeah, speak to you later."

Nick
I hung up the call, and stayed sat on my bed not moving. I tried to process our conversation, tried rationalising Charlie's reaction to me mentioning Izzy. The only conclusion I could come to, was that he'd been jealous.

As far as I knew, he'd never gotten jealous before. He'd seen me with my ex girlfriend multiple times before I went to uni, he got on well with her. His behaviour towards me had definitely changed, maybe there was a possibility he did feel the same.

I had a shower, and my mind was still racing so before going to rugby practice, I went to Izzy's room.
"Hey, you okay?" She asked when she opened the door.
"I don't know." I said quietly.
"Come in." She said softly, stepping aside.

I walked into the room, and she closed the door behind me.
"I just spoke to Charlie." I said, sitting on her bed.
"Oh, good or bad?" She asked, sitting next to me.
"I don't know." I said, looking at her and pursing my lips.
"Nick, I'm gonna need more context." She chuckled softly.
"He said he hasn't been sleeping well, and that always means he's really stressed... And then I told him about the party later, and when I mentioned you, he sounded a bit jealous..." I said quietly.
"Has he ever gotten jealous before?" She asked gently.
"No, I don't think so..."
"Do you think it's because he likes you?"
"I really don't know..." I said, furrowing my brow.
"Babe, you really need to talk to him." She said softly.
"I can't talk to him about this until I see him." I said defeatedly.
"Maybe subtly let him know how you feel without saying it?" She suggested.
"I've been trying to." I chuckled quietly.
"Well, from what you've told me, I'd be shocked if he didn't feel the same. And at the risk of sounding weird, you're literally perfect boyfriend material, there's no way he doesn't want to be with you." She said, smiling.
"Thanks." I chuckled.
"Trust me, it will happen." She said softly, placing her hand on my arm.