Chapter 2: Taking Chances

Nick got ready for the night out but was stuck between a plain light blue Van's t-shirt or a floral button down with a white tank top, paired with dark jeans and his off-white Van's. He didn't really have anything that would resemble a pop-punk look, so he wanted to just go for something casual and comfortable. He laid out his outfit and intently looked at each of them, weighing out the pros and cons of both.

"This is stupid..." Nick took his phone out and took a photo of the outfits and sent it to Sebastian hoping that he could help with this apparently hard decision.

[6:45pm] Nick- What one should I wear out tonight? I've been sitting here for half an hour trying to decide lol

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[6:47pm] Sebastian- Well, aren't you trying to impress someone lol Go with the floral button down. You always looked hot in that ;)

Nick blushed at his phone and placed it on his bedside table and changed into his outfit. He went to his bathroom to look at the outfit and quickly saw it was definitely the right choice. He went back to his bedroom and picked up his phone.

[6:47pm] Sebastian- You going without even inviting me? L

[6:49pm] Why do I feel like I'm always your last priority?

Nick's confidence diminished into a sudden guilt. He always had this way of roping himself into Nick's plans, always playing the "Woe is me" card and Nick was kind of a sucker to it. He was still trying to be less of a people pleaser but with Sebastian, it was hard to resist. He really liked him, but they weren't officially anything yet. They hadn't even gone to a proper date yet, which was something that always bugged Nick. Nick took a deep breath and replied.

[6:51pm] Nick- Soz, love. L Not tonight. I owe a night out with my friends, and they wouldn't be particularly pleased if I brought someone along. Why don't we go out on a date on Sunday?

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Nick sat on his bed, waiting for a reply from him but there was no hint of him replying. Nick felt obligated to invite him now, knowing he would probably give him the silent treatment until he got his way. Nick sighed and put his phone down to finish getting ready. He kept his ears open to hopefully hear a ping of a message but after 10 minutes nothing ever happened. He went back to his room and grabbed his phone to look at the messages once more. Five more minutes went by without a single reply from him, and all Nick felt was frustration. He keeps running in circles trying to please Sebastian, but nothing ever felt like it was good enough for him. He threw his phone to the side of him and placed his head in his hands really trying to get a grip on this nightmare of a "relationship" he seems to be in.

PING

He didn't move from his position for a minute, dreading what that message could entail. It could simply be the gang making sure we have all the information we need for tonight's night out, but he also knew it could be Sebastian poking and prodding at Nick's insecurities till he gave in and invited him. He slowly sat up and dragged his hand towards his phone and picked it up. He heard a few more notifications go off as he turned his screen to himself. He sighed in relief seeing it was just the gang trying to make some plans for carpooling down to the bar. He saw each message pop up on his screen and giggled at how unorganized Darcy seemed to be, even though she was the one who planned this outing. Nick opened up his phone to reply to the gang and sent them a photo of what he decided to wear tonight. He was met with the usual "Oh lala!" and "looking stunning, as usual" replies from Tara, Imogen and Sahar, but Darcy stayed oddly quiet with her reaction. That was out of character for her since she has been Nick's biggest hype man since high school, but Nick brushed it off. She was probably running around their house desperately trying to find the perfect outfit, while Tara was ready half an hour ago and just cackling at her from the couch. Nick giggled as he imagined clothes flying out of their closet like they're in a classic cartoon from the early 90's and a frantic half-dressed Darcy.

Nick messaged the group, letting them know that he was on his way now since it would take him a little longer to get to London. He grabbed his keys, placed his wallet in his usual back pocket, and phone in the other back pocket and dashed out the door.

After what felt like a ten hour car ride, Nick finally made it to the bar. He ended up getting there closer to 9:15 due to a major accident that was blocking two of the middle lanes.

He'd never seen or heard of this bar, but it looks like it's quite a popular place, especially on a Friday night. He briskly walked up to the front doors and was met with a greeter who was taking money for the cover for the bands.

Shit, I forgot about the cover.

He dug through his wallet to look for enough for the cover and found the 5 pounds he needed. He got his hand stamped with a silly looking dinosaur, and he questioned if this was a normal occurrence for the bar to have unusual stamps. It would break them apart from other bars that he knew had the same stamp and made him easily just slip right in and not even have the bouncers bat an eye. He could hear the band playing as he walked through the doors, being bombarded with lights bouncing all around the room and the nauseating smell of spilled alcohol and body odor. He stood by the doors to get his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit bar when he was body slammed by Darcy with half a beer in her hand.

"NIIICK, we're over here!" She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him over to a table that was nicely tucked in the corner. He saw Tara, Imogen, and Sahar already at the table ready to do a shot of what he knew would be tequila when Imogen noticed them coming towards the table at what felt like light speed and frantically waved at them. He was greeted with a bunch of drunken hello's and poorly done hugs from the group, and he made himself comfortable in his seat. He noticed a tequila shot appear in front of him and shot Darcy a look.

"Darcy, I can't. I need to drive home tonight" Nick tried to yell over the band that was still playing the song Nick walked into.

Darcy sarcastically pouted and yelled back "That's homophobic, Nick. How dare you turn on your own community?!"

Nick rolled his eyes and reluctantly grabbed the shot and raised it to the middle of the table. The rest cheered as they did the same, tapped it on the table and took the shot. All around were assorted faces of disgust and pure agony. Nick's face was the worst of all of them since he absolutely despised tequila. Nick frantically grabbed the lime that was on a plate to try to dissipate the growing taste in his mouth, but he just got a sour face from the lime instead. Tara and Imogen were practically on the floor laughing at Nick's rapidly changing face and Nick vowed to never take a shot of tequila ever again. Nick leaned over to Sahar who was on his right and let her know that he was going to the bar to grab a drink. Sahar nodded and he swiftly got off the stool headed to the bar, trying to dodge the already drunk patrons who were swaying back and forth. He got to the bar and ordered himself a pint of Strongbow and turned his attention to the band while he waited. They were half way through a song, but he immediately thought that they were a really good group. You could see the excitement and energy bouncing in between each set of band members, and that really got the crowd energized as well. There were people right up front on the incredibly small dance floor swaying and jiving with each other, just feeding off of each other's energy. Nick was captivated by the crashing bodies on the dance floor to the head banging bass player who just felt like doing it, even when the song isn't really great for it. They finished the song and the whole crowd cheered at once. The singer went to the center of the stage and tried to quiet the crowd.

"Okay, this next song was actually a request from our last show, and honestly, we immediately fell in love with it. It will have our own little spice to it but I'm sure y'all will still love it. Here's Bad Romance by Halestorm."

The crowd erupted in cheers and whistles as the first notes from the guitar rang out from the speakers. Nick wasn't familiar with this version of the song but he loved Bad Romance so he knew he would like it regardless. Nick was tapped on the arm by the waiter with his beer in his hand and he grabbed the beer and handed him back some cash. They nodded at each other, and Nick gave his attention back to the band, sipping his beer. He was having a hard time looking at the band so pushed himself through the crowd to get a better look at each of the band members since he already knew he would be coming back for another show. He noticed that each person had a very unique style, but they never clashed with each other, which I'm sure had some kind of coordination between them. He thought the singer's style was quite attractive. It was a mix of grunge with a gothic undertone and frankly he's never seen someone who could mix styles like that. He glanced over at the main guitarist who was energetically plucking at the strings of his guitar and interacting with the drummer who was completely immersed into the song himself. There was something oddly familiar about the drummer, but Nick couldn't pin-point the reason. The drummer's face was conveniently covered by his long black curly hair and Nick felt unusually impatient for the drummer to reveal his face. Without any hesitation he made his way to the other side of the bar to hopefully get a better view. He pushed through the crowds of people with his beer close to his chest so as to try not to let it get knocked around. He found a break in the crowd and stepped into the empty space, leaning against a pillar. He took a sip of his beer, his eyes desperate for a mere glimpse at this man's face. Nick started to noticed a lot more about him from this angle.

He noticed his thin physique which contrasted with his arms which seemed to have a lot more muscle tone due to drumming for a long time. He had chin length black curly hair that would bounce slightly with every hit of his drums like they were dancing with the beat. There was a sudden smile from the drummer and immediately Nick saw the dimple that formed on the side of his cheeks. Nick's breath suddenly got rigid, and he felt the all familiar butterflies in in stomach he gets with anything he finds attractive. He was always a fan of dimples, simply because it made a smile even sweeter. He would do whatever he could to constantly see those dimples, even if it meant making a fool out himself and he's unfortunately done that a handful of times. The drummer was wearing a well-worn and tattered grey band tee that would raise as he reached for one of the cymbals, and black skinny jeans with different types of chains hanging across his hips. Nick felt the butterflies creep back into his stomach as he realized he was very attracted to the drummer. He kept watching with anticipation and an almost desperation to know this mysterious person. When he finally lifted his head and ran his hand through his hair with the failed attempt to keep it out of his eyes, Nick suddenly felt very light-headed, even though he barely had any of his drink.

It was Charlie Spring, the boy he fell deeply for during his time at Truham.

No, that can't be him.

Your eyes are playing tricks on you Nick.

You just want it to be him.

He staggered backwards like he just got hit in the chest, but never took his eyes off of Charlie. His face started to flush as he remembered the sensation of being able to play with his curls, run his hands through them as they would kiss like it was their last time together. Nick moved his eyes to his lips, still remembering how soft they were against his and how each kiss was so passionate and just filled with adoration for Nick. He couldn't help but smile seeing how much he's grown as a person, and how much he still absolutely adores him. Suddenly they locked eyes, and it felt like the whole world melted away. Nick could see confusion all over his face, like he was trying to figure out who he was. There wasn't much light in the crowds except for the assortment of lights that were flying around so it took Charlie a minute to really see Nick's face. Charlie's face softened as he gave a shy smile towards Nick as he effortlessly kept on beat to the song. They stared at each other for a long time, not quite wanting the moment to stop. It's been years since they'd seen each other but, in that moment, Nick felt like he was 16 again.

God, he's still amazing.

There was a small break in the song where Charlie wasn't drumming a whole lot, and Nick mustered up to give a small wave. He didn't expect anything back, Charlie was in the middle of performing for a crowd after all. Charlie waved back with a blush across his face and his usual shy half smile he does. Nick felt his stomach flip and his cheeks burn. He tried to cover it with a big sip of his beer, but Nick wasn't quick enough. He saw Charlie stifle a laugh before the song picked up and he was back to drumming.

Suddenly Nick's concentration was broke with the sensation of someone pulling at his arm. He completely forgot he was with the group and Darcy was yet again pulling him back towards the table. As Darcy was pulling him back, he desperately tried to get one more glimpse of Charlie, but people kept getting in the way with their hands frantically and drunkenly waving in the air. Nick stopped her right before they got to the table and leaned into her ear.

"I'm freaking out, Darc. Charlie is here." Nick tried not to scream into her ear, but it was very hard not to.

Darcy brought her head back and looked at Nick with a cheeky smile. She leaned back into Nick's ear.

"Really? I had no idea that Charlie and his sister were going to be here" Darcy said with a slight sarcastic tone. Nick was flabbergasted.

"This was why you wanted me to come out?"

Nick's chest started to feel tight, and he suddenly got dizzy, grabbing onto Darcy's shoulder to try and support himself. She grabbed onto his arms and leaned over her shoulder to get someone else's help to guide them back to the table. Sahar immediately got up and helped them. They sat Nick down and pushed some water towards him, but Nick pushed it back.

"Why didn't you tell me, Darcy?" He leaned over the table towards Darcy who was sitting just opposite him. She rolled her eyes.

"Because you wouldn't have agreed if I told you, Nick! I thought it would have been a nice little surprise" Darcy said.

Nick knew she was completely right, but he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that she couldn't have at least warned her. There was a lot of stuff that Nick emotionally pushed down that year of school that he wasn't really ready to face, and he now is hit right in the face with all of it. He looked back at Charlie on the stage, who seemed too engrossed in the end of the song, and his chest felt tighter with each breath he took. He turned back around and chugged the last half of his beer and stared at Darcy who now had a concerned look.

"I need to go, I can't be here right now." He pushed himself off the chair and made his way out of the building, pushing through the growing crowds. Darcy and Tara desperately yelled after him to stay, but it was all in vain as their voices blended in with the music around them.

The brisk air hit Nick, and he immediately started taking deep breaths to ease the anxiety that grew. He walked towards the end of the building which was well out of the way and leaned up against it, slowly catching his breath from the anxiety attack. He felt betrayed by Darcy. She knows how he felt towards Charlie and what happened between them. He never got rid of the immense guilt he felt towards what happened. He knew all he had to do was push harder for Charlie and it would have saved him, and now he was forced to face that guilt and anger he held towards himself. He felt his phone vibrating in his back pocket, so he took it out to see who was calling. Darcy's name appeared on his screen, but Nick just let it ring out. The screen went black, then was lit back up with Darcy's name again. Nick squeezed his phone and reluctantly answered the phone.

"What, Darcy?"

"Where are you? I want to talk to you." He could hear the loud buzz of the crowd in the background, but no band.

"I can't talk to you right now Darcy."

There was silence from the other line, with the occasional voice of Imogen prying for information on Nick.

"I'm sorry, Darc. I- seeing him again just brought up a lot of overwhelming feelings and I just need time to think" Nick felt a lump form in his throat as images of Charlie went through his mind. There was a small sigh on the other end of the call.

"I'm the one who should be sorry, Nick. Text me when you're okay?"

"I will."

They both hung up. Nick looked up at the sky to try to clear his mind but all he could see was the dull moonlight desperately trying to peak through the thick clouds. He stood there for a while trying to calm himself down, but it seemed pointless after sitting there for 5 minutes. The city always had such an energetic energy, but tonight was a lot different. There were crowds of people walking up and down the streets drunkenly belting out tunes they heard as they walked by bars and shops, and some who were leaned up against a building making out like they were in their own private room. Nick felt a little jealous of them since it reminded him about his shitty luck in relationships as of late. How much could he really give to people who don't want to give anything back?

He heard a bang of the front doors to the bar as they slammed against the wall, and instinctively Nick snapped his head to look at the commotion. He assumed it was just someone being kicked out for being too drunk, but he caught glimpse of those familiar black curls bouncing off a face desperately looking around for someone. Nick secretly did hope it was Charlie looking for him, but the voice of doubt told him that he was a fool to think that Charlie was doing that. Why would he want to look for him? He probably would just tell him to leave and that he never wanted to see him again, like he did in the cafeteria. He might not have said those exact words, but Nick felt like that's what he was trying to tell him.

Nick felt defeated by his own mind and decided to push himself off the wall and started walking down the street in the opposite direction of Charlie. He knew his car was in the other direction, but he thought it would have been better to just go a longer way to avoid him. He briefly stopped in the street, reaching into his back pocket to grab his phone to text the gang that he was heading home and apologize for ruining the night. He heard hard footsteps approaching him, so he stepped to the side to let the other person get past him, but the footsteps stopped right behind him. He ignored the sudden silence and continued texting the group, but then he heard the faintest whisper of his name.

"N-Nick?" Charlie's voice seemed unsure and insecure.

Nick's stomach filled with butterflies as he stared down at his phone. Charlie's voice was a little deeper, but it was still so familiar to Nick. The way he said his name felt like a warm hug around his soul and he could have burst into tears right then and there.

Turn around you idiot! His head screamed at him. He hesitated to turn around feeling terrified that he was just hallucinating and in reality, it was one of his friends trying to check up on him.

He heard Charlie sigh in disappointment and footsteps slowly stepping away.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone I knew…"

Turn around right now, you bloody idiot!

Nick turned on his heels to finally face Charlie, but he already had his back to him walking back towards the bar, hunched into himself in defeat.

"Ch-Charlie." He felt like an idiot for waiting for so long to turn around. He felt himself step forward to catch up as he called his name one more time.

"Charlie, please wait" Nick felt the anxiety creep up as he thought that he fucked up the once chance he was giving to be able to talk to him again. He quickened his pace to be able to reach out and grab onto Charlie's forearm, but he suddenly stopped and turned back around to finally have them face to face. Charlie's face quickly faded into his same old heartwarming smile. He didn't seem to have changed at all from high school. He may be older now, but he still had the same inviting smile and eyes that just felt like home. He wasn't kidding when he would say he could get lost in those magnificently stunning blue eyes. He always felt so comfortable with him, like they were missing puzzle pieces of the gigantic puzzle called life and even now he felt like he had just seen him yesterday.

"I can't believe it. Is that actually Rugby King Nick Nelson?" Charlie teased trying to ease the tension.

Nick let out a laugh.

"Yes, but I still wouldn't call myself a 'Rugby King'" Nick quipped right back.

Charlie laughed nervously.

There was a silence between them. They seemed to be more focused on each other's faces, since it had been a long time since they've seen each other. Nick cleared his throat and broke the serene silence.

"So, how have you been? I know it's been a while since…" Nick hesitated to finish his thought, not really wanting to stir up any bad feelings with him. Charlie looked away from Nick in embarrassment.

"It has been a while. I meant to reach out but I just thought you wouldn't want anything to do with me after I was a gigantic prick" He crossed his arms across himself and looked at the traffic buzzing by.

Nick looked at Charlie with a puzzled look on his face.

"I mean, in the moment I thought you were a massive prick yeah. But you were also dealing with a lot of things." Nick kept his eyes on Charlie, who still couldn't meet his gaze.

"That still doesn't excuse my behaviour, Nick" Charlie seemed to get more frustrated. He groaned and started picking at the fabric of his shirt. Nick knew that was his way of dealing with his anxiety and he felt a twinge of concern in the pit of his stomach. Nick stepped forward towards Charlie eliminating any space that they had between them and placed his hands on the sides of his arms. It surprised Nick how even after all these years, he didn't feel uncomfortable with being this close to him. He would actively try to avoid any physical contact with other ex's, so why did it feel so different with him. Charlie had his head down not wanting to look at Nick. He lightly grabbed Charlie's chin and guided his head so he was looking right into his eyes.

"Charlie, I'm not mad at you for what happened. It's in the past." He smiled softly. Charlie's composure softened and he let out a sigh. Nick took the hand on his chin and placed it on his cheek softly stroking it with his thumb. Nick felt Charlie lean into the embrace and he instantly got butterflies. How is it possible that after 7 years, Charlie can still make his stomach do flips with one simple gesture. Nick giggled and pulled his hand away from Charlie's face. Disappointment quickly covered Charlie's face As Nick put his hand back on Charlie's arms.

"What are you giggling about?" Charlie nudged him with his elbow and let out a giggle himself. Nick rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah, nothing at all. I'm just-"

"CHARRLIEEE!"

They both looked back at the shouting voice and Charlie instinctually stepped back from Nick. He raised his hands as to let them know where he was, and the figure started briskly walking towards them. Nick quickly saw it was Victoria Spring, or Tori, Charlie's older sister. She stopped short and just stared at Nick.

"What are you doing here, Nicholas?" Tori immediately looked Charlie up and down trying to find some kind of harm and glared back at him.

"Tori, it's fine we were just catching up." Charlie turned towards her and crossed his arms. Nick swore they had some kind of sibling telepathy because they stood there exchanging looks until Tori relaxed.

"Ugh, fine. You have five minutes before you have to be on stage, so hurry up with the flirting" Tori said in a deadpan voice. Charlie rolled his eyes and turned back towards Nick.

"Goodbye, Tori!" He could see how red Charlie's face was, and Nick couldn't help but hold in a laugh. Tori looked up at Nick and he saw a hint of a proud smile slowly form. She winked at him and turned back towards the bar.

"five minutes, Nicholas." Tori said past her shoulder.

Once Tori was out of earshot, Nick let out a deep belly laugh. Charlie looked up and his face just got even more red.

"I see Tori hasn't change a bit!" Charlie shoved him lightly.

"Shut up! She's so annoying" He rolled his eyes but couldn't help laughing as well.

Nick wiped the tears from his eyes from laughing so hard and looked back at Charlie. Nick thought it was still so cute when Charlie got embarrassed about something. Nick took out his phone and opened up his contacts, and handed it to Charlie.

"I shouldn't keep you too long, so why don't we uhm… go for a coffee sometime?" Nick felt his stomach do somersaults. He shyly smiled at him and Charlie took his phone and added his number.

"That sounds like an amazing idea, Nick." Charlie started blushing again and he was desperately trying to hide it but he wasn't the best at it. Nick smiled.

"Okay. Well, I should walk you back to the bar before Tori sends her army to murder me."

Charlie laughed and they started walking. Their hands kept grazing each other as they walked and it took all of Nick's willpower not to grab a hold of his hand. Nick still felt the electricity that sparked each time they had their hands near each others and it was intoxicating. They reached the doors and made their way inside still pushing through the crowd that seemed to form right by the door. They looked at each other and smiled before saying their goodbyes. Nick looked towards the group in the corner and immediately saw Tara and Darcy trying to hold back their excitement at what they just witnessed. He shook his head and walked towards them.

"Don't even start, nothing happened." Nick said as he got to the table.

"Oh, c'mon that's a crock of shit!" Darcy hit Nick's arm playfully.

"Darcy, calm down!" Tara looked at Nick with a "I'm sorry" look.

"Okay, something did happen but it's not that big of a deal" Nick tried to be nonchalant about the potential reconnection with Charlie but he really couldn't help but smile. Nick grabbed the untouched water and took a sip. He forgot how much he despised lukewarm water, but it was all he had at the moment. He looked back at the gang who were eagerly leaning forward waiting for the revelation of Nick and Charlie.

"I may have gotten his number to set up a coffee meet up-"

"You mean a date?!" Tara squealed which made the tables around them turn to look at them.

"No, it's not a date. It's just a hang out. I am seeing someone, Tara."

Tara scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Nick, ditch him already! You know he's a piece of shit human be- "

Darcy quickly covered her mouth and looked at Nick horrified.

"I'm sorry for my drunk wife, she doesn't mean it." She glared at Darcy as she tried to talk through her hand. Darcy glared back at Tara, then she pulled her hand back in disgust.

"Did you seriously just lick my hand? That's disgusting Darcy!" Tara was wiping the palm of her hand on Darcy's shoulder which created a weird wrestling match between them, and Nick didn't want to get involved and get licked in the crossfire. He turned his attention to his phone where Charlie's contact information was still opened and decided to send him a message now before he forgot. It was just a simple text saying who it was because he knew he wouldn't get much of a conversation out of him since he's currently on stage. He put his phone away and glanced up and noticed Charlie looking at his lap. Charlie smiled and rolled his eyes and Nick felt a vibration from his phone. He got his phone out once again and saw a reply from Charlie.

Charlie- You really couldn't wait to text me, Huh Mr. Nelson :P

Nick- Hey, when I get the opportunity to talk to someone cute can you blame me? ;)

There was a clatter of something hitting the drums and a flustered Charlie desperately reaching down to grab what he'd dropped. Nick immediately laughed but quickly silence himself when he saw multiple people look over at him with a puzzled but judgmental look. He felt his phone vibrate.

Charlie- I hate you :(

Nick grinned like an absolute fool.

"I thought you were already seeing someone?" Imogen was glancing over his shoulder at the text conversation. She had a very disapproving look on her face, which made him feel guilty. Nick quickly turned his phone to hide his screen.

"I am, Imogen." Nick felt defensive. A little harmless flirting with someone wasn't a bad thing, was it? He'd see Sebastian do it all the time, but that was just part of who he is. Nick assumed it was just the beer finally hitting him and making him feel a little unguarded about what he said. Imogen was about to say something when she was interrupted by the band playing an intro to a song. He reopened his messages and saw he had a few new messages from Sebastian.

Sebastian- I'm sorry, I feel like an asshole.

10:00pm

-I hope you're having a blast with your friends,

I would love to meet them one day 3

10:03 pm

-Do you wanna come over tonight? I miss you.

10:13 pm

Nick looked at the time, which was only 10:20. He wasn't too late at replying back to him thankfully.

Nick- I would love to come see you tonight, love. The show should end around 11:30, and I'm already in London so it won't take long to get to your place. That alright with you?

10:20pm

Nick saw the little dots pop up right after he sent the message.

Sebastian- That works for me. Can't wait to see you ;)

Nick kept looking over the last message and couldn't help but feel guilt. Nick never usually flirts with anyone outside of their relationship, but he did it easily with Charlie. He looked up at Charlie who was playing with the beat, totally in his own little world. What was Nick thinking? He was seeing Sebastian. It was a little unstable at times, but it was still a relationship and he should never had sent the text to Charlie. Nick got up and decided to grab another beer since he impulsively chugged his last one and just enjoy the show. He went back to the table and sat there tapping his foot to the songs, and occasionally singing along with the cover songs that the whole group did know.

The time creeped up a little too fast on Nick, and before he knew it the show was over and the band finished their last song. Everyone cheered them on as they blew kisses and thanked everyone for coming out to see them, disappearing into the back of the stage. Nick turned to the group and started to recall all the amazing songs they played, Bad Romance being Nick's top favourite. They started to plan their next night out to go see the band again and they insisted it be a non-rugby day so Nick can get hammered with them. Nick slowly started to get up and say his goodbyes stating that he had to go home. He hated lying to them but he knew if he told them he was going to Sebastian's they wouldn't be impressed. He waved his final goodbye and walked out of the bar into the lull of the night. He made his way to his car when he realized he might have had a bit too much to drink. He had a hard time walking without almost tripping every few steps and his vision was getting a bit hazy. He swore under his breath and grabbed his phone from his pocket, texting Sebastian.

Nick- Hey love, I'm on my way now but I may have to walk to your place since I definitely can't drive right now. I'll see you in about 15 minutes 3 11:40pm.

He swayed slightly as he stared at the little dots that appeared. He smiled knowing he was eagerly waiting for Nick.

Sebastian- lol, you're a dork. I'll meet you halfway-ish. 11:40pm

Nick- Thank you 3 11:41 pm

Nick pulled up google maps and put Sebastian's address in. He wanted to make sure he was about to go the right way since he didn't quite trust his tipsy mindset. He let Google Maps lead him in the direction he needed to go and he slowly stumbled his way down the street. He was extremely excited he was going to see Sebastian tonight, since he did truly miss him and it's been almost a week since they've seen each other. It was a perfect end to an amazing night out with friends.

He'd been walking for roughly 8 minutes and he couldn't stop his mind from wandering as he walked with images of him wrapping his arms around him and softly kissing his neck knowing it drives him absolutely crazy. Sebastian would always get very needy and clingy like it was some kind of drug, and man did it get Nick going.

Is Charlie like that too?

Nick stopped and was shocked at the intrusive thought. Why would he want to know what Charlie liked? Images flashed through his mind of Nick kissing Charlie lightly on the neck as he would try to hide the whimper that slipped past his lips.

No, that's not what you want right now!

He shook his head almost to clear his mind and kept walking, but with each step an image popped up of stuff that his mind seem to be more curious about. He stopped again, feeling more frustrated that he was more concentrated on Charlie than Sebastian. He huffed and pressed the palms of his hands to his temples desperately trying to turn these thoughts towards Sebastian. He stood there for a couple of minutes and pushed what he was feeling deep down,and focused on Sebastian. He had soft curly blonde hair which was usually unkempt since he never really got taught how to care for them, deep emerald eyes with the slightest hint of blue right in the middle, and his smile which would only sometimes reveal the slight form of a dimple on the left side of his cheek. His skin was always so soft like silk and to this day Nick could never figure out if it's just his genetics or his weird hygiene habits that kept his skin so soft. It dawned on him that he really did have a specific type for men, and it was just variations of Charlie Spring, or majority of characteristics of Charlie.

"Hey, you alright?" He felt hands embrace his arms with a tight squeeze. Nick quickly removed his hands and saw Sebastian standing in front of him. Nick smiled, but stumbled backwards slightly. Sebastian quickly tightened his grasp on Nick's arms to prevent him from falling over.

"Yeah, I just got really dizzy suddenly." Nick immediately wrapped his arms around Sebastian and tucked his head right into the crevasse of his neck, lightly kissing up his neck. Sebastian chuckled and wrapped his arms around Nick, whispering in his ear about how much he's missed him. Nick pulled back and put his hand on the back of his neck and twirled his fingers around the short curls and pulled Sebastian into a deep and passionate kiss. They kissed for a while before Sebastian pulled away to catch his breath. He laughed and placed his forehead on Nick's shoulder with their arms still around each other.

"Well, you're in a good mood tonight." He smiled looking up at Nick.

"Of course I am, I got to see you. And my friends whom I haven't had a proper night out with in a while. And-" Nick stopped himself. He didn't know how he would react to him seeing and casually flirting with an ex of the past. Sebastian lifted his head off of Nick's shoulder and looked at him with suspicion.

"And what? Did something else happen?" Sebastian stared intensely at Nick which he found intimidating.

"I just saw an old friend from high school that I didn't expect to be there. He was the drummer of the band." Nick blurted out, not wanting to end the night in a fight with him.

"Oh. Well that's exciting! Did you guys catch up?" Sebastian put his arm around Nick's and he started to lead the way back towards his flat.

"For a little bit, yeah. We didn't get much time since he only had a short break before going back up to play." Nick smiled at the memory of seeing Charlie's face up on that stage, and just basking in the music.

Sebastian sighed "Well, that's quite unfortunate. Were you guys good friends in high school?"

Nick instinctually laughed, thinking about how everyone thought we were really good friends when we would constantly be making out in dark corners or in empty rooms. Sebastian looked at him curiously, not quite understanding why he was laughing. Nick immediately stopped and cleared his throat.

"Yeah, we were really good friends in high school."

"Did you guys have a falling out? Id assume if you were really good friends you would have kept being friends past high school." Nick could tell he was getting suspicious about the truth of their actual relationship. He had to nip that in the butt now or else Nick knew he would get mad.

"We had a huge falling out. He kind of pushed me out of his life but he was also dealing with a lot of bullying and mental health stuff so….I don't really blame him." He looked at Sebastian and saw he was trying to be sympathetic but it came off more as judgmental.

"Oh, well he sounds like a right twat if you ask me." He laughed. He looked at Nick hoping to see him laughing as well, but he was staring straight ahead.

"Sorry, it's not my place to say that when I don't know the guy." He reached down and grabbed a hold of Nick's hand. Nick gave it a squeeze and turned his head towards him.

"It's fine. It's in the past now." Nick kept his gaze forward.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, but it didn't bother either of them. They got back to the flat and Nick at once went straight to Sebastian's bedroom to lie down. He was still a little dizzy from the alcohol. Sebastian quickly followed him and started to strip down to his underwear. Nick giggled and did the same then pulled Sebastian down onto the bed next to him. They lay on the bed facing each other and giving light kisses all over their body until someone begged for more, which ended up being Nick. He could blame it on his tipsiness, but really, he just wanted the intimacy he missed with Sebastian. They rarely had any type of sex, so when they did Nick couldn't help but treasure every moment of it. Nick rolled over and reached past Sebastian and grabbed a condom from his stash he kept in his bedside table, and Sebastian enthusiastically grabbed it and kissed Nick with more desperation.

The morning sunshine peeked through the curtains as Nick slowly turned back towards Sebastian. He sleepily reached out to find him and felt him curled up close by. He lazily opened his eyes to take a peek at the peaceful sleeping Sebastian but found Charlie had taken his place. He jolted up in bed in shock still staring at the imposter and started to panic. His eyes bolted open as he actually woke up, his heart pounding in his chest and in an empty bed. He sighed and sat up in bed tiredly rubbing his face.

It was just a dream, thank god.

He reached over to the bedside table and grabbed his phone to check what time it was and was met with a few messages.

[7:45 am] Sebastian- Hey, sorry for leaving so early in the morning. I got called in for a shift at the coffee shop and you know how I am with the offer for more money :P I miss you already.

[7:47am] -There's coffee made in the kitchen for you, but no promises that it will still be warm.

He glanced up and saw the time was 9:15 now. He must've been dead asleep since he couldn't recall waking up and hearing him leave.

[9:17am] Nick- Thanks darling, miss you already 3.

He got up and got dressed and made his way to the small kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee and sure enough it was very lukewarm. Nick placed the cup in the microwave to warm it up. He opened his phone back up to see he had a message from Charlie.

[12:32pm] Charlie- It was nice to see you again, Nick. I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye before you left. Also, fuck you for making me embarrass myself in front of the crowd. :(

[7:30am] -When are you free next? I would love to still catch up over coffee.

Nick was baffled at how early he was up, even after probably not sleeping till at least 2 am.

[9:21am] Nick-Wow, you're up early for being out so late. I'm free tonight after rugby, or even Sunday all day.

Nick placed his phone down and grabbed his now slightly less lukewarm coffee from the microwave and made his way back to grab cream and sugar. He started to overthink the text he sent to Charlie. Was that too soon to ask to catch up? Did he sound too desperate?

Nick, shut the hell up. You haven't done anything wrong.

He walked back to his phone and scrolled through Instagram as he drank his coffee. There was a few stories from Darcy and Tara from last night, and it looked like they decided to keep drinking late into the night with Charlie and another band member. There was one story of them all taking a shot of some sort and everyone had some kind of bad reaction, except for Charlie. He downed the shot like it was water and everyone was baffled around him. The video ended with them laughing and asking for another shot that they thought would get a reaction out of him. Nick thought about how hung over he must've been if they kept doing shots like that throughout the night. Nick finished his coffee and placed it in the dishwasher and made his way out of the apartment. He didn't have to worry about a key since they all had a code lock and could lock the door from the outside. He made his way back to the bar which looked like it was abandoned in the daylight. He saw people with a van in the alleyway hauling out what looked like speakers and musical instruments, and had a feeling that was the band from last night grabbing their stuff. He wanted to see if they needed help so he could run into Charlie, but Nick immediately cringed at that thought. If that didn't seem desperate, he couldn't imagine what would. He walked past and continued towards where he parked which wasn't too far away.

Nick finally got home after a long drive back and checked the messages he got while driving.

[11:27am] Darcy- Remind me to never try to outdrink someone, I feel like dying Nick.

[12:15pm] Nick- Haha, you brought that on yourself Darcy. I see you tried to compete with Charlie, and I assume you lost that bet? Lol

She replied just with an angry face followed with a sick face and that made Nick uncontrollably laugh. He moved onto the message from Sebastian.

[10:23am] Sebastian- ugh, kill me now it's so goddamn slow L

[11:13am] -It looks like I might get off around 11:30, are you still at the apartment?

[11:45 am] -L

Nick went to reply when a notification popped up and saw it was Charlie. He quickly tapped the notification to view the text.

[12:17pm] Charlie- Bold of you to assume I actually went to sleep. Tonight works for me, I don't have anything else happening besides hating myself for drinking so much last night.

[12:18pm] Nick- haha, you and Darcy both. I saw her story last night, and I was surprised at the lack of reaction as you downed that shot.

Right after sending the message, Charlie started typing.

[12:18pm] Charlie- Well, I do have a gift for things easily sliding down my throat.

Nick stared at the message for longer than he cared to admit. He felt the familiar warmth in the depths of his stomach grow as he re-read the message over again. He blankly stared at his phone for a second, trying to think of how to respond to that type of message. He could say something risqué and flirtatious but would that cross a line of cheating? He quickly typed something out but the guilt he felt was too much, so he deleted it and placed his phone in his back pocket. He got his bag, shoes, and water bottle and made his way down to rugby practice and pushing the text to the back of his mind.

The team he was on wasn't professional at all, it was mostly just a league he joined that would challenge any other nearby teams. They were pretty good in Nick's honest opinion, but it just helped he got along with a lot of them as well. Sai and Otis were on the team which Nick thought was kind of hilarious. He never imagined that he would be 26, still playing rugby with two of his high school mates and being one of the best teams in the Kent area. Today wasn't the best day though since Nick was extremely distracted by that text and the implications it carried. The team captain called a 5 minute break, and Otis walked up to Nick who was still catching his breath.

"Nick, you alright mate? You're not yourself today." He put his arm around Nick's shoulder and lead them away from the group towards their bags on the sidelines.

"Yeah, yeah I guess I'm just struggling to get my head into the game." Nick nervously laughed.

"Did something happen with….uhm…" Otis cursed under his breath and mumbled different names.

"Sebastian?"

"Yes! I don't know why I can't ever remember his name, man." Otis laughed.

"No, nothing happened with him. But something else did happen, and I have no idea how to really process it." Nick paused trying to gauge Otis's reaction. Otis turned so he was facing Nick and was fidgeting with anticipation.

"Well, I'm all ears. What happened?"

Nick crossed his arms on his chest, and took a deep breath.

"To preface this, I was fairly tipsy and not thinking and I may have I crossed a line?"

Otis was practically on the balls of his feet waiting for Nick to spill the tea. Nick chuckled and continued.

"I saw Charlie last night, and I may have flirted with him."

Otis's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Wait, Charlie…The Charlie? Your ex from high school?"

Looked at him nervously "Well, yeah. I haven't met any other Char-"

"What's happening over here? I wanted to just check up on you, mate" They didn't hear Sai jog up to them and got startled. Immediately Otis looked at Sai with the most excited expression.

"Nick saw Charlie last night and that's why the man's so distracted."

Otis lightly punched Nick in a teasing way on the arm. Nick swore these two liked gossip and drama more than anyone he's known, even a stereotypical gay man has nothing on them. Nick groaned and ran his hand through his hair as his face started to turn bright red.

"Really? Did something happen between you two then? Are you all hot and bothered for Charlie again?" They laughed and Nick rolled his eyes. He turned away from them hoping they wouldn't catch the ridiculous shade of red on his face because honestly, he was still very much into Charlie even after all this time.

He turned his head over his shoulder and said," We just flirted a bit, that's all, but…" He noticed his screen light up with a text notification and knelt down to grab his phone. It was a series of three text from Charlie and his stomach filled with butterflies. He caught himself smiling at his phone and immediately buried his phone into his bag in shame.

"Nick? You going to finish that sentence?" Otis cheekily whispered.

Nick turned towards them and saw both of the smirking. They both saw the reaction Nick had at the text message and they knew he's never reacted in that manner to any of his love interests. Nick felt so embarrassed but there was no way of getting out of this with a lie.

"Goddamn it. Okay, fine! Yes I'm still very much interested in Charlie and…we might be going out for a coffee after practice"

Nick was bombarded by Otis and Sai tackling him and ruffling his hair, cheering loudly in his ear. They all collapsed onto the ground, and laughed with Nick finally being able to pull away from them.

"Oi, I said that we might be going, it's not a definite thing." Nick quickly got himself up off the floor and extended his hands to help Sai and Otis off the ground as well. They grabbed his hands and pulled themselves up and brushed off the grass on their uniforms.

"What's stopping you, mate?" Otis looked at Nick with curiosity.

Nick nervously massaged the palm of his hand. He glanced between Otis and Sai as they not so patiently waiting for his answer.

"I'm just- I never really properly dealt with what happened and I really don't want to lash out and fuck it up….again…"

Otis sighed.

"Mate, you know that's a very low probability, right? You are a very different person from high school, and we do dumb shit as kids. He will see that and forget anything happened."

Nick gave a forced smile and attempted to hide his anxiety about catching up with Charlie. He knows that Charlie at least felt some kind of guilt for what had happened back then, but he knew he personally could have handled it much better. Sai saw Nick spiraling so he grabbed him into a big bear hug.

"Don't let that mind make you change your mind. This is a once-in-a-lifetime redo. Go for it, mate.".

Nick squeezed Sai a little tighter before they let go and he let all the tension in his shoulders go.

They heard the team captain blow the whistle, telling everyone that their break is over. They all run over to the middle of the field and get back into their positions.