Charlie | Nick And

Charlie knew he was in trouble the night Nick fell asleep on his shoulder during a movie marathon at Charlie’s house. His mum had taken a photo. Charlie’s heart had become a trapped bird, thrashing against his ribs. He was falling, and there was no one to catch him.

A week later, a letter appeared in Charlie’s locker. It was on torn-out notebook paper, covered in crossed-out words and ink smudges. It was so Nick .

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Nick’s temple. Nick and Charlie

For three weeks, it was a secret. A beautiful, terrifying secret. They passed notes disguised as homework. They held hands under the library table. Nick would whisper “my boyfriend” into Charlie’s ear in empty hallways, and Charlie’s entire body would turn to warm static.

Nick stepped closer, crowding Charlie’s space. The air between them went tight and electric. “Yes, I do,” he said, his voice rough. “Charlie, I think… I think I like you. Not as a friend. I think I like you.” Charlie knew he was in trouble the night

Nick finally met his eyes, and they were brimming with tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Charlie.”

But secrets are hungry things. They consume from the inside. He was falling, and there was no one to catch him

It was about Charlie’s recovery. When his eating disorder and OCD resurfaced, triggered by the stress of the secret and the breakup, he finally told Nick. He expected Nick to run. Instead, Nick held him tighter and said, “Okay. Then we get you help. Together.”

He thought of the nervous boy in the art block. The terrified boy at the gates. The letter. The thousand small, brave acts of love that had built this life, brick by brick.

I’m not asking you to take me back. I’m asking you to let me show you I can be the person you deserve.