Heart Attack (a HeartStopper story)

Nick. A leap of faith.

"Girls, you have no idea how proud I am of you. It's incredible. I'd like to support you with something." He told them about his great-grandfather and his mother's idea. Together, they opened the boxes and, moved by Sara's motivation, scheduled the exhibition on the calendar.

"Nick, please thank your mother very much; we should go visit her soon."

"Of course, her lasagna is my favorite." Darcy often thought about Sara's food. "You looked just like your great-grandfather, Nicky. I love the idea of the exhibition. It's beautiful. You'll have to think of a name."

"I plan to ask Tao to help me set it up. He could be the curator."

"She'll love the idea! You and your mother can be the intellectual authors and donors, and Tao can be the curator and museographer. He'll love the photos. Did you tell him yet?"

"No, not yet. I'll do it soon."

Tara and Darcy looked at each other with sadness, and they knew it was time to be honest.

"Okay, it's time for scolding."

Nick knew this moment would come.

"Nicolas, you have to be honest with us and face the situation. Darcy and I missed you so much, really. Elle, Tao, Isaac, we all missed you so much. It was hard not to take it personally that you didn't want to come to our events and visit the center. You hurt us."

"We understand that everything that happened with Charlie was tough, but..."

"But it's no excuse to abandon your friends. I know." Nick interrupted them and began to cry. "You have no idea how sorry I am, girls. You're my family, and I left you. You're absolutely right, and I'm so sorry. Leaving my home, leaving my mother, leaving you, leaving... Charlie, broke something in me. I convinced myself it had to be that way, that I had no right to take away his friends, and for some childish reason, I thought there were sides, and that everyone sided with him."

"That's ridiculous, Nick."

"I know, I know. I know it's not true. But I'll fix it. I'm here now, and even though I don't regret leaving, I'm here now, and among the many goals in this return, one is to leave no doubt that I'm a part of your lives, that I want to be a part of your lives, and I won't disappear again."

"We understand, Nick, really. You don't have to feel guilty about leaving; we were all happy for you, even Charlie. I don't blame you for needing time to heal and come back. Just remember that, no matter where you are in the world, being with us is always possible; let us know that you want us and think of us."

"And the train journey to London is short, silly boy; there are no excuses." Darcy hugged them both. "I'll get some beers for the three of us; we need to celebrate. Also, Nick, you have to remember that we were friends with you and Elle before joining the group. You're as important to the group as we are."

"You and Charlie were the magnets for everything, that's true." Tara held his hand while her girlfriend went for drinks. "I understand that when that ended, it seemed like everything else would end with you. But it didn't. Believe me."

"Thank you for this."

"Thank you, sweetheart." The sound of the opened beers and their toasting distracted them from the topic. "Speaking of resolutions... Have you told him you're here?"

"No. Not yet. I'm so scared."

"But he already knows, right? What's the issue?" Nick would love to see the world through Darcy's eyes from time to time.

"I know, and knowing him, he's probably blaming himself for finding out and me not telling him anything yet... right?" The girls' looks confirmed it. "I'm a mess. I think the reason it's so hard for me to look for him is that I don't know what to do when I find him. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about him. A lot. But I know our lives have changed so much; I can't just reappear and expect him not to be furious with me."