Life After Heartstopper

Calm the Fuck Down

Charlie's pov:

The hot air balloon begins to take off, heat shooting down at us from above, the fire lighting up our faces. I get a pit in my stomach as soon as I feel movement.
We're taking off.
Shit.

My heart starts racing and I can visibly see my heart beat through my blazer. Why do I have to get like this?
It's just a fucking hot air balloon ride, what's my problem?

'Calm down Charlie, calm the fuck down'.

Nick's pov:

The balloon lifts smoothly into the sky and my heart skips a beat out of pure excitement. This is fucking amazing!
I watch as the ground once right beneath our feet turns into a tiny speck of orangy green. The fields and streets surrounding turning into pinstriped mazes.
I take my focus off the scenery to look at Charlie, he's currently staring into the swarm of flames above us.

"Hunny, are you okay?" I wonder. Although I don't think he hears as he continues to look up, almost dazed.
"Charlie?" I try to get his attention once more.
His whole body jumps, startled by my voice.
"Sorry," i apologise, "I just wanted to check if you were okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He states, he doesn't sound too convincing but I guess he's just nervous. We've never done anything like this before. So it makes sense for him to be a bit worried, right?

Charlie's focus turns to something else now, this time the ground beneath us. But that's not what I want to be looking at right now. So instead, I keep my attention on Charlie.

His beautiful chestnut hair swirling in the wind and the blue of his ocean eyes being enhanced by the sky around us. He looks so handsome, I just can't contain myself. He's in the matching suit to mine, and he looks more gorgeous then ever. With his slim blazer and trousers framing his elegant body, and the bow tie framing his powerful jaw line.
He's the only scenery i want to look at.

Charlie's pov:

I can see Nick looking at me out of the corner of my eye as I stare at the ground. My anxiety increasing each second we're up here, the further away the ground appears. Reads turning into treads on the ground, then to nothing at all.
"No!" I say to myself. "Not today, we're not going to ruin this for Nick."

I try to distract myself from the facts, turning my focus to the set up in front of me. A bottle of champagne propped up in an ice bucket, a champagne flute placed besides both Nick and I, two pearl white plates resting below our chins, the ground beneath us getting gradually further and further away, the fire roaring centimetres above our heads, and the wind blowing us in every which direction.
This isn't working. This isn't working!

Nick's pov:

I can feel Charlie panicking now, and he's started doing his tapping thing with his fingers. He always does that when he's panicking.
Shit, I don't know what to do.

"Char, baby," I practically whisper, not wanting to startle Charlie again, but also not wanting to alert Guss or Jodie, "what's going on?"
"N-nothing" he replies bluntly. But clearly there's something.
I lean over the table and take Charlie's face into my hands. Brushing his cheek bones with the tips of my thumbs.
"Charlie, look at me, please!" I practically cry.

His eyes slowly raise from their concentration. Finally meeting mine after many seconds.
"Please let me help." I plead.
"I-I don't know how you can." His voice trembles.
"Can you tell me what's worrying you?" I ask.
"I'm not really sure," he begins, "I think it's just all, a bit much."
"A bit much?" I check. "So, how about you just focus on me then?"
A slight nod expels from Charlie. "I'll try."
"Yeah?" I ask.
"Yeah."

We make small talk for the next few minutes, trying to get Charlie's head somewhere other then it is right now. Eventually, I can see his eyes light up again. No more dusty blue, now bright, electric. More him.

"Thank you." He states suddenly.
"W-what?" I stutter.
"Thank you." He repeats.
"For what?" I wonder. "You're the one who's done all of this for me!" I exclaim. "What are you saying thank you for?"
"For helping me." He says softly. "And not just for today. For the past 7 years. For everything you've done for me."
"Char! You don't need to say thank you for that." I begin. "I do what I do because I love you. And because it is what you deserve, the least you deserve to be honest. And I love being able to give that to you."

He reaches over to me now, placing his face in line with mine. Just millimetres away.
"Well, thank you non the less." He whispers into my lips. The warmness of his breath causing goosebumps to appear throughout my entire body.
Our lips finally touch, after what feels like months of waiting, but in reality, it's been mere minutes.

"Ahem" comes a voice from above.
Charlie and I quickly separate, revealing Jodie standing above us.
"I'm extremely sorry to interrupt," she begins, "but I have your starter for you."
"Sorry." Charlie possesses an awkward giggle.
"Sorry," I add, "thank you so much." I try to show my gratitude, and not so much my embarrassment.
"Not to worry." Jodie laughs, "This is a romantic dinner, if anything, I'm the one that should be sorry for having to interrupt!"

Jodie soon leaves us be to tuck into our starter. When Charlie's nervous or his anxiety is particularly bad, he still doesn't really eat much. But right now, he's slowly delving into his starter and I couldn't be happier.

As the night grows longer, I find myself gazing at Charlie more and more. The sun beginning to set in shades of pink, purple and blue. Lighting the air around us, framing Charlie's face.
This is so amazing.

Charlie's pov:

We finish off with desert, a gooey chocolate fudge cake surrounded by a sea of wild berries as the darkness begins to engulf the sky.
I keep catching Nick looking at me, but I just stare back. He looks so handsome.

"Hi." He almost whispers.
"Hi." I reciprocate, the same breathy sound.
"Thank you." He says, practically out of no where.
"You're welcome." I say mindlessly
"No like seriously, thank you." He sounds very appreciative.
I reach my hand out to his that's placed in a loose fist on the table. I place my fingers inside his and nod slowly.
"Thank you too."

...

When we arrive home, the nights sky is the darkest shade of blue, lightened up by the half a dozen stars spread across. We don't get many stars here, too much pollution apparently. When we're older, I want Nick and I to move to somewhere with thousands of stars. Somewhere in the country, in the middle of nowhere. That's my dream.

We enter our flat to be greeted by Daisy. She's sniffing at our feet, slowly making her way up to our faces. She has a habit of doing this when we get home, needs to make sure she knows where we've been I guess.
"Hey baby." I elate at her.
Her tail moves quicker at the sound of my voice.
"How've your been?" Nick cooes.
Daisy responds with a screeching yawn, before pouncing on top of him.
"I love you baby."

We take Daisy out then put her to bed, finally leaving it just Nick and I.
"You know I've wanted to rip that off you the whole night, right?" He asks, eyes flickering between my eyes and my suit.
"I could say the very same." I say as I take my jacket off and begin unbuttoning my shirt.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Now, get your damn clothes off." I laugh.
He, of course, obliges, chucking his own jacket to the side.
"Fuck yeah!" He shouts, pulling me into him.