Charlie lies in bed crying after Nick abandoned him following their first kiss at the party.

Nick arrives at Charlie's door soaking wet in the rain, determined to make amends.

Nick kisses Charlie to stop him from apologizing, and the two reconcile after Nick admits he was wrong to run.

Charlie chases Nick down the rain-soaked street to give him one final kiss before he walks home.

Nick goes home and researches bisexuality online for the first time.

Nick and Charlie go to the park, and Nick announces he believes he is bisexual.

Charlie invites Nick to his birthday bowling party to meet his friend group.

Nick overhears Tao confronting Charlie in the bowling alley bathroom about whether Nick is using him.

Nick gives Charlie a photograph of their snow day together as a birthday present.

Nick comes out as bisexual to his friend Tara in the school auditorium.

Charlie is overwhelmed with joy when Nick tells him about coming out to Tara and pulls him into a hug.

Nick punches Harry after Harry calls Charlie a homophobic slur behind Charlie's back.

Nick surprises Charlie by taking him on a secret date to the beach.

Nick and Charlie officially declare themselves boyfriends and celebrate by shouting it out to the world on the beach.

Nick comes home and tells his mother he is bisexual and in a relationship with Charlie; she responds with warmth and understanding.

Volume 2 opens in the aftermath of a painful cliffhanger, with Charlie convinced he has ruined everything and Nick tormented by guilt for abandoning him. Nick shows up at Charlie's door in the rain to make things right, and the boys reconcile with a kiss and the agreement to keep their relationship quiet while Nick works out his feelings. As the weeks pass, Nick slowly grows more confident, coming out as bisexual to his friend Tara and defending Charlie against Harry's bullying at the movies — ultimately punching Harry when he crosses a line. A romantic beach trip becomes the turning point where Nick and Charlie finally declare themselves official boyfriends. The volume closes on an emotional high as Nick comes out to his mother, who responds with love and acceptance.

Nick and Charlie's journey from a secret kiss to becoming official boyfriends.

Nick lies awake after the party and tries to write an apology text to Charlie but cannot bring himself to send it.

Charlie's sister Tori notices something is clearly wrong with Charlie the morning after the party.

Nick blurts out a frantic apology to Charlie, admitting he wanted to kiss him but panicked at the thought of being seen.

Charlie suggests to Nick during their tea conversation that he might be bisexual.

Charlie's younger brother Ollie bursts into the room, discovers Nick and Charlie kissing, and gives Nick an enthusiastic hug.

Charlie and Nick flirt constantly at school throughout the week, and their friends Tao and Aled begin to notice.

Nick helps Charlie off the rugby field after he is hurt in a tackle, then ices his injured leg on the sideline.

Nick kisses Charlie in the school locker room, risking the chance of being discovered by their teammates.

A couple walks by in the park just as Nick and Charlie are about to kiss, and Nick immediately rolls away.

After the bathroom confrontation, Nick remains sullen at Charlie's bowling party, afraid Charlie will heed Tao's warnings about him.

Tara introduces her girlfriend to Nick after he comes out to her, and they joke about going on a double date together.

Nick invites Charlie to spend time with his friend group; Charlie's sister Tori warns him it is a bad idea.

Charlie accidentally grabs Nick's hand in the dark during the movie; Nick pulls away at first but then takes it firmly back.

Harry openly mocks Charlie with homophobic questions in front of Nick's friend group after the movie ends.

Nick's mother lectures him about using violence to solve problems during the drive home from the movie theater.

While the main arc centers on Nick's coming out, the texture of Volume 2 is built from the smaller moments in between — restless nights, teasing siblings, loaded school hallways, and a tense birthday bowling party. Nick's old friend group, particularly the hostile Harry, creates a constant undercurrent of pressure that Charlie feels but refuses to show. Meanwhile, Charlie's own circle, especially the protective Tao, presents its own complications. These secondary events reveal how much Nick and Charlie must navigate simply to exist as a couple, and how the people around them — for better or worse — shape their confidence and choices.

The quieter moments, friendships, and obstacles that shaped Nick and Charlie's relationship.

Nick reveals to Charlie that his deepest fear is being seen by others in a same-sex relationship.

Nick asks Charlie to keep their relationship a secret while he figures out who he is, and Charlie agrees to give him time.

Charlie explains to Nick that he always knew he was gay and reassures Nick that there is no rush to have everything figured out.

Charlie loans Nick his umbrella as he leaves, then runs after him in the rain to steal one last kiss.

Tori quietly observes Charlie and Nick flirting with each other in the kitchen while they drink tea together.

After Nick pulls away from a nearly shared kiss at the park, he and Charlie play with Nick's dog together instead.

Charlie defends Nick to Tao at the bowling party and asks him to give Nick a fair chance; Tao reluctantly agrees.

Nick and Charlie kiss behind a menu at a bowling alley booth after all the other birthday guests have gone home.

Tara tells Nick not to feel pressured to come out to anyone until he is truly ready, then promises to keep his secret.

Nick expresses guilt to Charlie for keeping their relationship hidden and wishes he had been there to protect Charlie from past bullying.

Charlie's father drops him at the movie theater with visible concern and tells him to call if Nick's friends give him any trouble.

Nick pushes Harry away from Charlie outside the theater and takes Charlie to safety after Harry begins mocking him.

Nick and Charlie text back and forth after the movie incident, and Nick tells Charlie he no longer wants to see those friends.

Nick and Charlie lie on the beach listening to love songs as Charlie asks whether Nick feels ready to come out.

Nick pleads with his mother to let Charlie join the family's summer vacation, but she refuses, leaving the story on a cliffhanger.

Beneath the surface of Nick and Charlie's romance runs a deeper story of self-discovery and identity. Nick begins the volume paralyzed by shame, unable even to send a text, and must gradually work through each layer of his internalized fear — from admitting his feelings aloud to accepting a label for his sexuality and eventually telling the people who matter most. Each scene in this pool marks a decisive shift: a confession made, a boundary moved, a fear confronted. Charlie, Tara, and ultimately Nick's mother each serve as anchors at different stages of this transformation, while moments of private joy — a kiss behind a menu, a walk on the beach — mark the emotional territory Nick is slowly claiming for himself.

The key discoveries, emotional breakthroughs, and decisions that defined Nick's transformation.

Alice Oseman

Graphic Novel/Book

Fiction

Guide