Heart Attack (a HeartStopper story)

Nick. Telling the truth.

Song recomendation for the chapter: Ocean eyes - Billie Eilish.
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"Are you awake?"

Nick settled into his bed with only the light from his nightstand lamp on. He had had a long and boring day. He was very excited about his new job, but today had been all about tedious introductory meetings, orientations, and safety protocols. After a billion meetings and reconnecting with many of his childhood teachers, which was quite heartwarming, he had spent the afternoon packing... well, half of his brain had been packing, and the other half had been thinking about Charlie, about saying something to him, and about everything he had discussed with Tao and Imogen the day before.

There was nothing wrong with sending a message, right? Imogen knew what was going on... or at least what Nick was ready to admit to himself, and he couldn't stop thinking about Charlie and all the ways he needed to make amends, as Tao had told him.

But there was also, deep inside him, an anger, a strange anger that he wasn't exactly sure where it came from. Anger that he hadn't processed in so many years.

So he type.

"Something like that. I'm at Elle's house working. How about you?" Charlie didn't take long to respond, which churned his stomach and made him continue.

"Working this late? The life of an artist is so tough. I just got back from a bunch of boring meetings at Thruman. It was strange being on the other side. But I felt important."

"Well, you know, when art calls, it calls. We make ourselves sound more bohemian and interesting than we actually are. I'm working on imaginary numbers homework, and Elle is painting. I can't believe you're already one of the teachers we used to complain about in high school. Does that mean we're old now?"

Nick couldn't help but laugh. It was true that he felt strangely adult dealing with all these kids. Thinking about Charlie trying to decipher whatever imaginary numbers were was truly adorable. One of his biggest insecurities with Charlie was that he felt immensely unintelligent compared to him. Charlie was brilliant, one of a kind, and when everything ended between them, there was a time when his grades in college began to suffer. He convinced himself that he was too dumb to love someone like that as he should.

Truly dark times. Fortunately, he had left most of them behind... almost all of them.

"No doubt, it means we're getting old. Soon I'll need a cane to enter the gym class. I was afraid I wouldn't feel old enough to teach so many kids, but I saw a few today, and I can't believe how small they look. It's weird to imagine ourselves like that. What is Elle painting? I'd ask you about imaginary numbers, but I won't understand a thing."

"I know, it's been so long. But believe me, we probably looked even smaller back then. Generations nowadays are much more adult like." After that, he only received a beautiful photo of Elle painting, covered in paint with all her tools around her.

"Elle looks amazing. I need to have one of her paintings; I love them. Please tell me Tao already has this photo."

"I just sent it to him, which earned me a punch in the face. It's the best. I love them too. Too bad you're not asking me about imaginary numbers; it was my chance to seem smarter than I am."

Nick couldn't help but imagine Tao melting at the sight of Elle like that, which made him go straight to his messages with Tao and ask him how he was doing.

"How am I supposed be doing after a picture like that?"

"Charlie send it to me, you better send her a massage because is the best moment to flirt with her."