This application discloses a sidelink (SL) communication method and an apparatus. In this application, the second terminal receives first control information and first data from the first terminal, where a cast type indicated by the first control information is SL groupcast transmission with negative acknowledgement (NACK) only feedback. The second terminal starts a first timer at a specified location after a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback resource corresponding to the first data, where duration of the first timer indicates minimum duration that elapses before SL resource scheduling information used for HARQ retransmission is expected to be received. After the first timer expires, if the second terminal successfully decodes the first data and detects a NACK on the HARQ feedback resource, the second terminal starts a second timerwith duration indicating maximum duration that elapses before the SL resource scheduling information used for HARQ retransmission is received.