Nick was sitting in Mr. Ajayi's class, Charlie by his side. They had finished eating their lunches, and were talking together, like they did twice a week, when suddenly both their phones got a notification at the same time.
They picked them up, and after reading the message, smiled at each other. It was from their group-chat with Tara and Darcy, titled "the three raging gays and one bisexual."
Tara: do you guys want to come to a restaurant or something with Darcy and me tomorrow night? It will be our gay double date :)
"Uh, yeah!" Nick said out loud, and Charlie laughed.
They both typed a quick response and then put their phones down.
"Well, we're both done eating lunch," Nick checked his watch, "and we have 12 minutes until next period, so I think we should make use of our time."
Charlie raised his eyebrows, staring at Nick, smiling slightly. "Well, what do you suggest we do?"
"Make out?" Nick said, grinning. "Like you didn't know we were going to do that already."
Standing up, Charlie went over to the door, closing and locking it. "I don't want us to be caught," he explained as a matter-of-factly.
"It wouldn't be the end of the world. Whoever it was would see how lucky I am to me making out with a boy as cute as you."
"We're wasting time," Charlie said, as if to dismiss his comment, and grabbed Nick's white shirt, pulling him closer to him.
"Hey, that's my favourite shirt," Nick whined.
"Shut up," Charlie replied, silencing him with a kiss.
___
The next day after school, Nick was waiting by his front door, ready to open it, when he saw Charlie approaching his house. They had decided they would get ready for the date together, since Nick's mum would drive them to the diner they were meeting at.
When he saw Charlie—who was dressed in a yellow button-up shirt, red converse, and black pants—he ran out the door, enveloping him in his arms as soon as they came into contact.
"Mmm, Nick, what was that for?" Charlie said once they pulled apart, scratching his head.
"I missed you."
"We were just at school like an hour ago!"
"A whole hour is too long," Nick said, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside the house.
They ran up a flight of stairs, then down a hallway to Nick's room. As soon as they entered, Charlie went to the mirror in his room and started fiddling with his hair.
"Hey, what are you doing? Your hair looks fine."
"This one piece is sticking out and I don't like it," Charlie replied, trying to put it back in its original spot.
"You look great, Char."
Charlie put his hands down, turning around so he could face Nick. "I guess if you use that nickname on me, then what you're saying must be true."
"Exactly." Nick walked towards him, resting his hand on Charlie's cheek, rubbing his thumb against it. "It is impossible for you to look bad, Charlie."
He smiled gratefully, and then sat on Nick's bed, slumping down. He looked sad, and it made Nick's guts wrench.
"Char, what's wrong?" he said, sitting next to him, and grabbing his hand.
"I'm sorry, it's just that someone at school said something, and it really made me feel... not good."
Nick was in disbelief. He was so angry - all he wanted was to make Charlie feel better. "Who was it? Because whoever it was, I'll kick their ass."
Charlie chuckled quietly, wiping his tears with his unoccupied hand. "It was Ben. I mean, he just said that my hair looked awful, or something—it happens all the time. But today it just affected me more, I guess."
More tears formed in Charlie's eyes, so Nick opened his arms and he crashed into him for a hug. Charlie was now sobbing, but Nick didn't mind. He just wanted to be there for his boyfriend, because he was always there when he was feeling down.
"Can we reschedule our double date? I just don't think I'm in the right headspace for it," Charlie said softly, looking down.
Nick nodded. "Of course, I'll text them right now." He pulled out his phone, typed and sent a vague message to Tara, and then put his phone down.
"I'm sorry for being a burden," Charlie whispered, hiccuping and letting a few more tears fall.
"Don't say sorry. This is not your fault." He emphasized the last sentence, giving meaning to each word he spoke. "You are the cutest, most wonderful boyfriend I could ever want."
Charlie swiped his hand across his face again, so no tears remained, only a slight redness. "You're really cute too."
"Not even close to you."
Both Nick and Charlie leaned it, their mouths finally touching. They kissed slowly, each moment savoured as their lips moved against each other. Nick's hand moved to his side, and Charlie's hand slid underneath his neck, pulling him in closer.
Nick was the first one to pull apart, smiling lovingly, his cheeks pink from blushing. "I really like you."
"You say that every time we make out."
Ignoring Charlie's sentence, Nick said, "Do you maybe want to go for a walk?"
"Yes!" Charlie exclaimed, jumping up and opening his bedroom door. "It raining outside, but that's really romantic."
"Definitely," Nick agreed, and then they ran hand in hand down to the front door. "WE DON'T NEED YOU TO DRIVE US ANYMORE, MUM."
"OKAY!" Nick's mum yelled back, and they both giggled.
"Would you like to borrow a jumper?" Nick said, digging in the closet by the door.
"Okay."
Nick pulled out a dark blue jumper and gave it to Charlie. He put it on, smiling.
"You look so cute."
Charlie blushed and then pulled on his shoes, which were left at the front door. They both grabbed umbrellas, then Nick opened the door, going out into the rainfall, Charlie close behind him.
"Well, where do you want to go?" Nick asked.
"Anywhere is fine," Charlie replied, glancing around, as I'd he was looking for someone.
"Charlie, I-"
Suddenly, Charlie's lips were on his, and they were kissing on the front porch, their bodies pressed together in the rain. Nick hadn't opened his umbrella up yet, and the rain had already soaked their clothes, but it didn't matter.
Charlie pulled apart first, blushing madly, making Nick's heart flutter.
"I think we should start walking," he said, casting his eyes to the side.
Nick laughed to himself at Charlie's awkwardness, then held out his hand. He took it immediately, and they started walking.
They had their umbrellas on their outside hand, and they interlocked their arms in the middle, walking like a couple at a fancy ball. After a few minutes, they resorted to using only a single umbrella, as they had gotten so close together they only needed one.
A comfortable silence fell between them as they walked down the suburb, and then turned onto a beautiful trail that wrapped around a lake. Because of the rain, they were the only ones occupying the path, so it left them alone in their thoughts.
"Charlie?" Nick asked suddenly, and he jumped, but he immediately relaxed as soon as he met eyes with him.
"Yeah?" he replied, scratching his head.
"I think I'm going to come out to my rugby friends."
A smile erupted on Charlie's face. "Really? Nick, that's amazing."
Nick laughed quietly, looking down at the ground and feeling his cheeks redden. "I just want us to be free, you know? I want to kiss you at school, and hold your hand, and be able to tell people 'this person is my boyfriend.'"
"You don't have to-" Charlie started, but Nick interrupted.
"No, I want to."
Charlie smiled widely, and he wrapped his arms around him, catching Nick by surprise. He always seemed to be the one to initiate hugs first, but now Charlie did, and he loved it.
Soon, everyone would know how lucky he truly was.