Nick and Charlie: A Solitaire Novella

A short novella based on the beloved characters from the graphic novel Heartstopper and Alice Oseman's debut novel Solitaire, which was praised as 'The Catcher in the Rye for the digital age' by The Times.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

Charlie: "I have been going out with Nick Nelson for two years. He likes rugby, Formula 1, dogs, the Marvel universe, the sound felt-tips make on paper, rain and drawing on shoes. He also likes me."

Nick: "Things me and Charlie Spring do together include: Watch films. Sit in the same room on different laptops. Text each other from different rooms. Make out. Make food. Make drinks. Get drunk. Talk. Argue. Laugh. Maybe we're kind of boring. But that's fine with us."

Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie are the perfect couple--that they're inseparable. But now Nick is leaving for university, and Charlie will be left behind at Sixth Form. Everyone's asking if they're staying together, which is a stupid question--they're 'Nick and Charlie' for God's sake

But as the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Or are they delaying the inevitable? Because everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever ...

Huw Parmenter is an actor and voice artist who is known for Vikings and EastEnders.

Alice Oseman was born in 1994 in Kent, England. She is studying English at Durham University, probably due to the expectation of society, but mostly spends her time obsessing over fictional characters, drawing really dumb comics, and complaining about things on her Tumblr, www.chronicintrovert.tumblr.com. Hopefully, she'll avoid having to get a real job for the rest of her life.