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“Darcy, help me!”
Just as it’s his turn to go on stage, Nick looks in the mirror and notices with horror that he is sweating like a pig in the summer afternoon heat.
His friend attends to him and dabs his forehead with a tissue.
“You’ll be great, Nicholas!” Darcy beams at him and shoves him gently but decisively towards the stage.
“He scored the highest number of tries in a Premiership season and is the youngest captain in the Badger’s history. He loves dogs, Marvel movies and baking. Oh, this is interesting, his favourite sound is the one that felt tip pens make on paper. Most importantly though, ladies and gentlemen, he is single. Can I hear a round of applause for Nicholas Nelson?”
The whole auction is a complete blur. People raise their boards and the numbers seem to be going up. Nick doesn’t absorb any of it because he’s putting all his effort into trying not to faint or to run away from this weird place where he feels exposed and ridiculous. The din from the audience reminds Nick of that familiar noise made by the fans at the stadium, but the atmosphere isn’t grounding. Unlike at the pitch, he doesn’t know the rules of this game, and he is all on his own with none of his trusted teammates to face the crowd with him. Charity auction, my arse! Like he couldn’t just put more money into his beloved dog shelter. That is, more than he already does.
“Sold,” shouts the auctioneer, bringing Nick back to reality. He is ushered to the microphone, but all he manages to produce is a mumbled ‘thank you’ before he’s finally allowed to disappear backstage.
“Nickelodeon! You did so well,” Darcy enthuses and offers him a bottle of water and another tissue as he collapses in a chair.
“Did I?” he asks in a daze.
“Absolutely! You broke our record! No other celebrity ever got sold for anywhere near £5000! They will all hate you!” they giggle.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” he responds in confusion. “Who was it again who bought me?”
“Oh, it’s that famous writer, Charlie Spring,” Darcy coos with delight.
Famous?
Writer?
“Do I have to see her now?” Nick asks nervously.
“Him! And yes, you need to arrange your date.”
Him?
A date?
Nick’s stomach churns dangerously. It dawns on him that some random man has just paid a ridiculous amount of money to spend an evening with him. He must be a real fan! Oh, unless… unless he just saw Nick and liked him. Either way, he’ll want his value for money, that’s for sure! What would that entail? The feeling is petrifying but also kind of… thrilling? Nick, of course, understands it’s all just symbolic but a part of him feels like this guy now owns him and he actually likes that idea.
Steady on, you pervert!
“Can I just have a minute?” he manages in the end.
“Yes, let me just powder your nose and make sure you’re presentable,” Darcy smiles menacingly.
“Darcy…” Nick groans and looks at his friend helplessly.
“Nickelby! This is sooooo cool! "We're going on a gay date! Well, you're going on a gay date! But we finally got you on the rainbow track!"
“Wait, how do you know he’s gay?”
“What do you mean?!” Darcy gasps. “Charlie fucking Spring! He is this famous queer writer! He won the Booker Prize last year for…” Darcy hesitates. “Well, yeah, something or the other! But even I've heard of him, so he must be famous! So, relax, NickNack! You’re going on a date and you’re going to do gay things!”
Darcy chuckles as their quick hands deftly correct Nick’s make up that was damaged due to heat and stress.
If Nick was hoping for things not to get any worse, he was completely wrong, because when he gets to the theatre lobby, he comes face to face with the most beautiful person he has ever seen.
Charlie Spring turns out to be tall, slender, and has a thicket of adorable black curls, falling loosely on his forehead and cheeks. He’s looking super chic in his well-tailored dark blue suit that matches a pair of the bluest eyes; they seem to pierce right through Nick in the most delicious fashion. That intense gaze is doing something strange to Nick as he feels his skin prickle and heat radiate from his stomach to his chest.
“Hi,” he manages under his breath.
“Hi,” the other man says. “Nice to meet you, Nick,” he adds and there’s a sweet, musical lilt to his voice that makes Nicks want to melt into the wooden floorboards. He doesn’t seem to be able to utter any coherent response, but he could listen to this voice forever.
Wait, what?
“Uhm, yeah…” he mumbles.
“Are you okay?” the man in front of him, Charlie, Nick remembers, asks with what seems to be genuine concern showing in his gorgeous face.
***
Right, this straight rugby lad is obviously suffering. He’s squirming under Charlie’s gaze and looks like he would like to do a runner.
“Are you okay?” Charlie asks, trying not to scare the poor guy any further.
This is all due to Charlie’s stupid competitive streak. He entered the auction just for fun, but when he saw this insanely attractive man, and realised how eager all these women in the audience were to buy him, Charlie just couldn’t help himself. He decided he was going to win this auction, even if he had to remortgage his house. In the end, he just offered a much higher bid up front, and they all promptly gave up which provided Charlie with a nice hit of dopamine, enhanced even more by the fact he was helping the dogs.
But what now?
The man in front of him is remarkable with this pretty, freckled face, auburn fringe falling into his eyes and this massive body threatening to burst his tuxedo at the seams. They said he was a Marvel fan, so maybe he’s secretly Hulk? Charlie wouldn’t mind if the man lost his suit in a fit of anger. Instead, he’s looking at Charlie in panic like a deer in headlights, his big, brown, warm eyes make him resemble a doe. Perhaps he’s Bambi, actually.
Charlie has mixed feelings about this awkward situation. He hasn’t got the foggiest idea why this big, strong man is panicking in front of him, a skinny twink. But the man is so cute that Charlie wants to be kind to him and free this overgrown Bambi from his misery.
“You know, we don’t have to go on a date. We both have done a good deed; the rest is unnecessary.”
Nick takes a moment to answer, seemingly processing what Charlie just said.
“No, I want that,” he blurts out in the end, freckled face blushing furiously.
Charlie raises his eyebrow which makes the Hulk impersonator even more flustered.
“I mean, that’s a part of the deal, isn’t it?” he carries on nervously. “The dog shelter will post the photos of the date to encourage people to make donations and something about discounted adoption fees, so it’s all a part of the deal and something I signed up for. For the love of dogs.”
“For the love of dogs,” Charlie smirks.
***
They exchange numbers and decide to arrange the date in the next couple of weeks. As soon as he gets home, Nick opens his laptop, googles Charlie Spring and is astounded by the number of results. He finds a long and detailed Wikipedia entry, copies its contents into the reading app and listens to it while he’s making his dinner. It’s rather embarrassing that Nick never heard of Charlie Spring. Still, he wants to educate himself, so, after dinner, he goes to the Listenable app and downloads Zeus, My Only Love because it has the best reviews. Nick spends all evening listening to the novel, and he just cannot get enough of it. Suddenly he hears a buzz of a notification.
A new message from @cfspring.
Oh, shit!
***
Charlie checks Nick’s social media accounts. Rugby, laddish looking parties, more rugby… Oh, that’s interesting! He finds a post with Nick at pride with a bi-flag wrapped around his shoulders. This straight rugby lad might not be straight, after all! Why was he so flustered then? Does he like Charlie?
@cfspring: Hi
@nicholaszzzz: Hi
@cfspring: Is our date still on?
@nicholaszzzz: Of course!
Charlie smirks. Eager much! This is going to be fun. But first things first. Charlie can’t be bothered to explain his complicated relationship with food to some random guy, so he needs to make sure they go to a place that’s suitable for him.
@cfspring: So I’ve been wondering if you’re okay with me choosing the restaurant
@nicholaszzzz: Sure I don’t mind you’re in charge
@cfspring: Am I now?
@nicholaszzzz: What I meant is that I’m very easy so feel free to choose the restaurant because I’ll eat anything.
@cfspring: Good for you!
@cfspring: I was thinking about Forde. They offer a menu to share which is what I especially like so that I can pick and choose bits of different dishes. Their food is excellent!
@nicholaszzzz: Sounds amazing!
Charlie laughs to himself and shakes his head. This man’s energy reminds him of Daisy, his golden retriever.
@cfspring: How about Friday, 17th?
@nicholaszzzz: Perfect!
***
Nick arrives at the restaurant early, unable to cope with the anticipation. The waiter takes him to a secluded area, hidden away from any potential fans. He is surprised to see Charlie is already there, looking even more stunning than the last time, wearing a light blue shirt with the top button undone showing off his olive skin. Charlie stands up and beams, extending his right hand which Nick dutifully shakes. Charlie’s hand is cool in his despite the warm weather, and his fingers are slender and long. They look into each other’s eyes, and Nick is feeling his face is reddening already.
This man! What is he doing to him!
“Right,” Charlie says as he lets go of Nick’s hand, making him feel the loss already. Charlie pulls the chair out for Nick and invites him to sit down. This small gesture is so sweet and endearing that Nick feels like he’s blushing even more if that’s even possible.
“How are you?” Charlie asks, pouring him some sparkling water from a bottle.
“Thank you,” says Nick. “I’m okay. It’s out of season, so I’m really just chilling, going to the gym, meeting friends and getting ready for the family holiday.”
“Where are you going?” Charlie says with genuine interest in his big blue eyes.
“My uncle and aunt own a part of a villa in Menorca. We always go there for three weeks in the summer to just chill and do nothing.”
“Sounds great! I wish I had some time to relax in the summer,” Charlie sighs.
“So, what are you doing instead?”
“Oh, my annual working schedule is totally different to the rugby season. In the summer I mostly travel for work. I’m going to attend quite a few different book festivals over the next few months.”
“I’ve listened to one of your books and I loved it!” Nick exclaims. “Zeus, My Only Love. It was amazing! It was so interesting how this young guy…”, Nick trails off.
“Ganymede,” supplies Charlie.
“Yes, him! He loved Zeus so much even though he was a proper bastard.”
“Haha, yeah, that one is a fan favourite,” Charlie admits.
“Oh, I’m definitely your fan now,” Nick nods with great enthusiasm.
“Now? What about before?” Charlie teases.
Nick goes all red and nervous like he felt at the auction.
“Um, I…” he stutters. “No, I hadn’t read any of your books before.”
“Not even my Guardian column?” Charlie deadpans.
Nick looks at Charlie with horror, and Charlie laughs a beautiful laugh.
“I’m only kidding, Nick! You don’t have to read my stuff! In fact, I have a confession to make. Before the auction I didn’t even know about your very existence, because I have never followed rugby. I’ve had trauma about sports since school,” he winces. “So, we are both starting from the same point of having zero knowledge about one another.”
Nick feels confused.
“If you didn’t know me, why did you want to buy me?”
“Because you’re very good looking,” Charlie smirks, and there is a mischievous flicker in these blue eyes, that makes Nick feel a wave of something hot and dangerous spreading through his body. How is he supposed to survive this date?
“And because I like to gamble,” Charlie continues. “You were very popular at the auction.”
“So I’ve been told…” Nick mumbles and can’t help but rub the back of his neck.
“Yeah, I couldn’t let you fall into the hands of any of those sexy businesswomen,” Charlie laughs.
“Now I’ve fallen into your hands, though,” Nick blurts out and wants to hide under the table at his own brazenness.
“Don’t worry, Nick,” Charlie winks to Nick. “You’re safe with me.”
Nick can hear both mischief and sincerity in Charlie’s voice, and he leans into it. He feels the heat spreading all over his body, sweet and intense like he doesn’t have any choice but to trust Charlie and completely surrender to him.
***
It feels for a moment like they forgot that they are still in the restaurant, but the waiter brings them back to Earth.
“Could you please just give us a minute?” Charlie asks. The man nods and walks away.
“Are you happy to order several small plates to share?” Charlie checks with Nick. “That’s my favourite way to eat in restaurants.” He doesn’t explain that many plates mean that he is more likely to actually eat something and sharing means that nobody will notice if he doesn’t touch some of the food. Nick looks like a kind person, but Charlie doesn’t want to risk weird questions and looks. He’s been through it too many times before.
“Yeah, like I said, I’m happy with whatever. You paid for it, so you can make decisions,” Nick blushes the most adorable shade of fuchsia.
“Well, actually, it's the sponsor who’s paying for our dinner. I honestly don’t know whose idea that was, given that they are a dog kibble producer.”
Nick raises his hands to hide his mouth that has opened in a great big “wow”, and then he laughs quite happily and freely.
“I merely paid for the pleasure of your company…” Charlie adds in a deep, low voice, making sure that Nick doesn’t get too comfortable.
“I’ll make sure you get value for money,” Nick responds unexpectedly and gulps visibly like he himself is surprised by his words.
“Really?” Charlie laughs. “What do you have in mind?”
“Oh, well, I’m always told that I’m a people pleaser, so yeah, I’m happy to please you.”
“Well, I was really pleased the other day when I read that you came out as bisexual a couple of years ago,” Charlie smiles. “Must have been hard. Sport isn’t the best environment for queer people.”
“You’re right,” Nick nods. “But actually the Badgers have been a great environment for queer players. We’ve had queer couples on the team before.”
“Wow, really? That’s quite unexpected, but then again, my view of team sport is very stereotypical and based on my experiences from my boys school in Kent.”
“Kent?” Nick enquiries. “I grew up in Kent. Where exactly are you from?”
“Rochester.”
“No fucking way!” Nick exclaims. “I’m from Rochester! I went to St John’s. You?”
“Truham.”
“Wow, just wow! Small world, eh?”
“Well, I’m glad we didn’t meet then. I’d have found you very intimidating. St John’s wiped the floor with the Truham rugby team every time they played us.”
“Haha, yes, we did! Truham totally sucked!” Nick laughs. “Were you on the rugby team?”
“Gods, no, but my then boyfriend was.”
“Oh, I thought you had bad memories because you played it.”
“I did! But only during PE. Nobody made this gay nerd play actual matches.”
“I still can’t get over the fact that we grew up in the same town, but we never met,” Nick muses.
“Well, we have met now. Let’s make the most of it,” Charlie smirks, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Nick blushes again and giggles a little. How is he real?
***
The waiter comes back and Charlie orders the food. He goes for multiple plates, choosing simple things like bread and dips but also different types of meat and salads. He checks every option with Nick who is agreeable to everything.
“And what would you like to drink?” the waiter asks.
“If you could recommend a bottle of wine to go with it, that would be great,” Charlie smiles at the waiter with that beautiful smile of his. Nick’s chest constricts in with an unexpected emotion. Why is Charlie smiling at that guy?
Shake off this weird feeling, Nelson. You can’t possibly be possessive of someone you’ve only just met.
“Of course,” the waiter nods, also smiling.
“Can we also have another bottle of water?” Charlie continues, voice smooth and sweet.
“Still or sparkling?”
Charlie turns to Nick and he feels like he has been caught.
“I’m easy,” he mumbles and looks down at his hands.
“Sparkling,” Charlie answers for both of them and the waiter leaves.
“Are you okay, Nick?” Charlie reaches his long slim fingers and puts them on Nick’s hand. Nick can swear he feels sparkles travelling from Charlie’s cool hand right to Nick’s spine.
“Yeah, sorry,” Nick’s voice comes out all croaky, so he clears his throat. “It’s just a lot,” he manages to add with a feeble smile.
“What’s a lot?” Charlie squeezes Nick’s hand and looks at him, the expression of kindness and concern painted all over his face.
“This,” Nick gestures around with his free hand. “This whole date, you, the effect you have on me…”
Nick trails off as the bloody waiter arrives with two bottles of sparkling water.
“Mr Spring, Mr Nelson.…” he starts.
“Charlie, please,” Charlie flashes his dimples in front of that bastard, very gently and naturally letting go of Nick’s hand.
“Charlie,” the waiter corrects himself and he only has eyes for Nick’s date. “The people from the press are here. When would you like to have your photos taken?” He glances at both of them and Nick looks back, trying to look normal and not to show his burning jealousy.
“How about right after you bring the food. So that they can see we’re eating but then it’s all over and done with and we are free to enjoy our dinner? What do you think, Nick?” Charlie’s mention of his name makes Nick’s heart flutter. He looks back at his date and nods his head vigorously.
“Yeah, sounds great,” he murmurs.
“Excellent,” the waiter bows and leaves.
“Are you okay, Nick?” Charlie checks again. “Sorry we have been interrupted.”
“You don’t have anything to apologise for,” Nick responds, smiling.
“Right, let’s make sure that we both look presentable for the photos,” Charlie reaches his hand to Nick’s face and does something to his hair which feels like a gentle caress but, to Nick’s utter disappointment, doesn’t last very long as Charlie removes his hands and looks at his handiwork with satisfaction.
“There. That’s better already,” he grins appreciatively and fishes out his phone from the pocket of his jacket and switches the camera on, then removes a stray curl from his forehead, pouting his full lips towards the screen in the way that makes Nick want to cry at how absolutely perfect Charlie is. He then turns to Nick and asks.
“How do I look?”
Nick gulps.
“Are you joking, Charlie?”
“Do I look like I’m joking? We’re going to have our photos taken. That’s a legitimate question!” Charlie exclaims with visible frustration, clearly unaware of the effect his words are having on Nick.
“You’re beautiful,” Nick sighs as he feels his whole body burn with a fire of so many emotions at once.
“Stop it,” Charlie giggles in the most adorable way and blush creeps up his cheeks. “Right, let’s just have some water to calm down before we get invaded by the press.”
***
The waiter brings the food, and Charlie is pleased to see that most of it looks perfectly edible.
“Are you, sirs, ready for the reporters?” the waiter asks, looking at both of them.
“Are you ready, Nick?” Charlie asks gently.
“Yeah,” Nick nods, looking more confident. There’s something adorable about this Hulk who is brave enough to face the reporters and yet seems to squirm under Charlie’s gaze.
The waiter brings in a camera guy, a reporter and Tara who is the media person at the dog shelter. The camera guy makes them pose with their glasses raised, pretending to laugh at each other’s jokes and other ridiculous things. The reporter asks them multiple generic questions such as if they like the food and if they are having fun. Tara records them delivering a message that, using the code “Nick and Charlie”, the customers can save 10% on the adoption fees until the end of the month.
Throughout this whole exercise Nick remains calm and composed, answering all the questions with a confident, professional smile that Charlie has seen him produce in interviews. Charlie admires Nick's manner with the reporters, but he’s secretly very pleased that he’d made this mask slip and got to see the real Nick. It's so precious and Charlie suddenly feels very privileged to have been able to see real emotions of this man who is actually very famous and can’t afford that openness with everyone.
Then everybody leaves them in peace, and they can finally enjoy their meal. Nick tries the blue cheese and onion toastie and moans appreciatively, then reddens again.
“I’m so happy that you like it,” Charlie giggles, but he feels very hot inside, because he suddenly has a feeling that he’d like to make Nick produce the same kind of moan in rather different circumstances.
Who knows? Judging by Nick’s intense reactions to Charlie and by him calling Charlie beautiful, it’s safe to assume that Nick wouldn’t be completely indifferent to some options of extending this evening beyond the restaurant.
“I do!” Nick exclaims, having swallowed his half of the toastie in one bite. “I’m so glad you took me to this place.”
“Where would you normally go?” Charlie asks.
“Oh, you know, I need to eat a lot, so I usually go to a steakhouse or a similar place.”
“I see…”
“But I don’t eat out that much, unless it’s for the team functions. Most of the time I cook for myself, and I often invite friends for dinner.”
“That’s brilliant! Would you cook for me?”
“Sure, anything you want. But most of all you should try my baking.”
“You bake?” Charlie feels something fluttering in his stomach at the very thought of Nick in the kitchen, sporting a white apron and spreading flour like glitter.
“If you want, I’ll make you my famous cinnamon swirls. You will fall in love with them.”
Charlie blinks. Has he dreamt up this man?
As more dishes arrive accompanied by alcohol, Charlie can see Nick’s shoulders go down, his movements become less frantic, and his facial expression changes into something softer. They are now both chatting easily about all kinds of things. When Charlie mentions his dog, Nick leans over the table, enthusiastically.
“You have a dog?” Nick gasps and his face lights up.
“Yes, Daisy,” Charlie smiles. “Let me show you!”
He takes the phone out of his pocket, finds the right folder and flashes the screen in front of Nick, whose face immediately sparkles in the most adorable way. He really has the energy of a puppy. Charlie just cannot bear it as he scrolls through the photos and Nick keeps beaming.
“Oh, she’s gorgeous! I wish I could have a dog, but it’s impossible with me always away. My mum has a pug called Henry and we used to have Nellie, a border collie. She was my best friend when I was a kid,” Nick’s voice breaks and his eyes are glistening.
“Awww, Nick, I’m so sorry,” Charlie tries to comfort this soft and gentle giant extending his arm and putting his hand on Nick’s. This time Nick lifts his other hand and puts it on top of Charlie’s, so that Charlie’s palm gets all wrapped up in Nick’s warm, massive hands. Charlie would love to feel these manly hands all over him.
“Would you like to come around and meet Daisy?”
Nick’s expression changes immediately and he gets all beetroot red like he was earlier. He slowly removes both of his hands and is looking at them, avoiding Charlie’s gaze.
“Nick, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Charlie looks into those doe eyes and tries to pour confidence into this wonderful man. “I really like you and I want you to feel at ease.”
Nick looks up and smiles with a mixture of hope and joy.
“You… like me?” he asks with his eyes wide open.
“Wasn’t that obvious? Do you like me?”
“Yeah, obviously!” Nick chuckles and blushes again.
Charlie giggles.
***
“In that case, why don’t we wrap up this lovely dinner, go out, face the paps, shake our hands for their benefit, then I get an Uber, while you walk round the corner and get another one to my place.”
Nick feels his whole body stiffening. It’s almost as if he has frozen on the spot which is the only reason for him not running away from this gorgeous man in front of him. He’s looking at Charlie and would like to say something, but he can’t because his throat feels constricted.
“I’m so sorry, Nick. That was a stupid idea,” Charlie murmurs looking very put-off. “I shouldn’t make any assumptions…”
“Charlie, I’ve never been with a man before!” Nick blurts out finally and now it’s Charlie’s turn to stare at Nick with wide eyes as Nick carries on. “Yeah, people think that I have because of my coming out, but orientation is not about action but about attraction,” he shrugs.
“I came out to show all the queer kids that you can be queer in sport. Everybody always assumed I’m straight and I was fed up with that,” Nick frowns. “I really like men, I find them very attractive, but nothing’s ever happened, because I don’t do hook-ups. And it’s difficult to find a partner of any gender when you live my life,” he babbles away, not being able to stop himself.
“And now I’ve met you, and you are probably the most beautiful, most intelligent and the kindest man I've ever met, and I just feel so lost and I don’t know how to cope with it. I’d love to go to your place with you, meet Daisy and…” he trails off, unable to finish the thought, but then adds. “But I just wanted you to know that, because I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“Awwww, Nick,” Charlie coos sweetly, extending his arms again and grabbing Nick palm with his lovely slender fingers. “We really don’t have to do anything. There are no expectations or assumptions. If you want to come around and see my dog, that would be great. If you want to stay the night, I have a guest room.”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Nick says bashfully. “If nothing else, I would like to see your dog,” he offers.
“I may live to regret it,” Charlie smirks. “I have a feeling you are going to fall in love with her.”