Something Like Happy

Chapter 4

As Jade showered, she puzzled over the reaction she’d felt when she thought that the bombshell was coming onto Nick. Did that mean she was attracted to Nick herself? As she had admitted to Lily, she did find him handsome, but he wasn’t her usual type. She normally went for bigger, more macho men with muscles and tattoos. Nick was too thin and wiry for her, with not a tattoo in sight. In sight, a wicked corner of her brain reminded her. She shook her head. She would bet a lot that he didn’t have one. He just didn’t seem like the tattooing type.

No, she said to herself firmly, as she pressed the water button yet another time, it was just that she was afraid of anything messing with their friendship, so soon after they had found each other. Also, of anyone messing with Nick, when he was in such a fragile state. And, she reflected, if she didn’t get out of this shower soon, she’d be in danger of losing his friendship from him having to wait for her so long.

They sat in the café with a happy buzz of background conversation washing over them.

Nick was tucking into a full English breakfast. ‘So,’ he waved his fork in her direction, ‘was the third thing on the list, do exercise?’

Jade shook her head, crunching into her toast. ‘No. Actually, it was meditate.’

Nick sighed. ‘I’m not sure how much meditation I did, really. I did a lot of thinking but can’t really say I reached a true meditative state.’

Jade realised he was teasing her, just slightly. ‘To be honest, it’s not really my thing either. I only started it because some of my Twitter followers suggested it. And I like Peter. He’s always funny when he does a class.’

‘Wait.’ Nick leaned towards her, food momentarily forgotten. ‘What do you mean, some of your Twitter followers?’

Jade blushed, realising she would have to tell him. ‘I write,’ she said, trying to keep her voice casual. ‘Not for money. I write short stories and publish them on the internet for people to read.’

Nick raised his eyebrows, obviously impressed. ‘What sort of stuff do you write? I mean, what kind of stories?’

‘Lots of stuff, really. But I guess mainly science fiction. Or really, what people these days call near future. Things that could happen soon, but not really far in the future. And occasionally some paranormal stuff.’

‘So how did the meditation thing come up?’

‘Oh.’ Jade had gone off on a different train of thought already, and Nick’s question dragged her back. ‘When I was putting together the happy list. I thought I’d poll people about what made them happy. Twitter is so full of negative people all the time.’ She paused, remembering. ‘It was great actually. Lots of people just find happiness in simple things. Spending time with their family. Going for a walk with the dog. Anyway, there were a few people who mentioned meditation. So I thought I would try it. And I found the class with Peter, which does make me happy. So I guess it does work.’ She smiled as she thought about her favourite suggestion though, from a woman and her vibrator. She wouldn’t mention that one to Nick. Not here, at any rate.

‘Go on, let’s have a look.’ Nick’s question pulled her out of her thoughts again.

‘At what?’ Jade looked at him suspiciously.

‘At your Twitter profile.’ He dug out his phone. ‘What’s your handle?’

Jade dived for her own phone in her handbag. Doing it this way, with any luck he wouldn’t remember it and then wouldn’t be able to look it up later. She pulled it up and passed it across to him.

‘Wow, more than five thousand followers. I’m impressed.’ He scrolled through a few of her tweets. ‘Have you ever thought of trying to get published?’ He placed the phone back on the table and returned to his breakfast.

Jade retrieved her phone, as if having it back would return the information to the mental box she had opened. She didn’t have to tell him the whole story. It was her private life to keep private. Still, she could tell him part of it. The part that didn’t hurt that much anymore. ‘When I was growing up, I wanted to. I really wanted to write for a living.’

Nick frowned. ‘What happened?’

Jade shrugged. ‘I went to Glasgow Uni to study English. I was convinced I was going to become the next JK Rowling or Isaac Asimov.’ She smiled slightly at the memory.

Nick was clearly listening intently, a piece of sausage left forgotten on his fork half-way to his mouth. She motioned at it and he recovered, did a fake double-take as if he had never seen it before, and ate it.

‘Anyway,’ Jade went on quickly, ‘we had some family problems in my final year and I bombed out of my exams and never went back.’

‘Wouldn’t they let you re-take them?’ Nick was quick in her defence, with indignation in his tone.

Jade twisted a finger through her hair. ‘They would have done. But after everything it all just seemed unnecessary, you know.’ She waved a hand, trying to sound dismissive.

Nick was silent for a while, as if he was trying to digest what she had said.

‘So what do you do for money?’ he finally asked.

Jade blinked. She had really been expecting him to ask about the reason she had flaked out of university. Maybe because this was the story she least wanted to tell. But it seemed for whatever reason that he either wasn’t interested or sensed her reluctance to go into any more detail.

She relaxed, leaning back in her chair. ‘I work at the go-karting centre. Down by the river.’

‘No way.’ Nick dropped his knife on the floor and hurriedly retrieved it, wiping it on his serviette. ‘That’s such a cool job. Do they let you drive the cars?’

Jade shrugged. ‘It’s OK. The guy who runs the place is pretty good. I only work on reception, but sometimes when the mechanics make repairs then they ask us to drive them round for a few laps just to check that things are working properly.’

Nick sighed. ‘I don’t know why I’m working in an office when I could be doing something like that.’ He finished off his last bit of food, placing his knife and fork carefully together.

‘I bet I earn half what you do,’ Jade pointed out. ‘And you don’t come home stinking of go-kart fuel.’

‘You just had to spoil the fantasy.’ Nick sighed again, this time theatrically.

Jade had to laugh at that. ‘No job is perfect.’

He rubbed his forehead. ‘I don’t know … I loved my job as a mountain guide.’

‘So why the hell are you here in Glasgow doing a job that you clearly hate?’ She found herself leaning forward, as if to emphasise the point she was making.

Nick looked at her, clearly surprised. ‘How do you know that I hate my job? I’ve never talked about it.’

Jade threw up her hands, wondering if she had to spell everything out. ‘Exactly. You never talk about it. Most people who love their jobs, you can’t stop them talking about it.’

‘I don’t hate my job.’ He must have realised he sounded unconvincing, because he amended, ‘Well, not much.’

‘So what’s so bad about it?’ she found herself asking.

Nick paused, as if wondering which item to pick from a very long list. Or just maybe no one had asked him that question before. He scratched his chin, which was covered in a layer of slightly rugged stubble. ‘A combination of things, really. It’s a pretty macho environment for starters.’

‘Tell me about it.’ Jade rolled her eyes. She knew all about that from where she worked. Still, it wasn’t like the guys didn’t care about the girls … they just did it in a slightly condescending way. ‘I’ve never heard a guy complain about that before.’

Nick pulled himself up straight, as if this was something that mattered a lot to him. ‘We’re not all the same, you know.’

Jade suddenly remembered the forgotten half of her breakfast which still lay on her plate and took another bite.

‘What is that weird orange stuff anyway?’ Nick pointed at her plate.

‘It’s called sobrasada according to the menu. From Spain apparently.’

He studied her plate, where the sobrasada was smeared on toast with mashed avocado. ‘Well, it’s the weirdest looking sandwich I’ve ever seen. I hope it tastes better than it looks.’

‘It’s amazing.’ Jade held out a piece. ‘Do you want to try it?’

Nick shook his head, rubbing his stomach. ‘I would, but I’m pretty full. I’ll have to have a try next time.’

‘Oh.’ Jade decided it was a perfect opportunity to tease him. ‘Does that that mean there will be a next time?’ She winked at him.

‘Well, what about next week?’

‘Next week we’re taking the oldies out again. Or have you forgotten your promise?’

‘Oh yeah. It’s in my diary. I wouldn’t have forgotten.’ Nick stretched happily, leaning back with his arms tucked behind his head.

Jade slowly crunched her way through the rest of her toast. ‘Peter does have a lesson at eight a.m., but that’s probably too early for you.’

Nick shook his head. ‘Not really. It’s only half an hour from my place. How about we go and then have a quick breakfast here before going to pick up the … oldies, as you call them?’ He paused. ‘I think I’m going to tell them that you called them that.’

Jade sucked in a breath. ‘You wouldn’t dare.’

‘Never.’ Nick smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges. ‘It’s our secret.’

And Jade found herself becoming suddenly warm under his gaze. Stop it, she told herself. We’re friends, nothing more. You have enough problems to deal with at the moment without taking on someone else’s too, remember?

‘OK,’ she said. ‘Yoga, then breakfast, then oldies, as you put it. But that means we might have to wait for the next thing on the list until the weekend after.’

‘Can’t we do it on the Sunday?’

Jade shook her head. ‘Working. You see, another point in the score against my job.’

‘You work Sundays?’ Nick was surprised.

‘Yep, six days a week. And mostly evenings too.’

‘Oh, my dreams of go-kart heaven are shattered. I feel for your poor little soul.’ He picked up her hand from the table and pressed it against his heart theatrically.

Jade snatched her hand away from his grip, her own heart hammering at the feel of his skin so close to hers. Even through his shirt then she had felt the warmth of his body, and it unsettled her more than she cared to admit. She stood up suddenly, almost knocking her chair over backwards.

‘I really need to go.’ She grabbed her coat from the chair, wrapping her scarf around her neck right up to her ears, as if she could hide from the world that way. ‘I promised to help my mum with some cooking.’ It was a lie, but she didn’t care. ‘Let’s pay at the till.’

Nick put his coat on too, seeming to be completely unaware of her inner thoughts, and they wandered back down to the bottom of the hill in silence. The rain fell in a steady drizzle, beading on Nick’s hair and making him look like he was grey before his time.

‘I’ll see you next week then.’ Nick leaned in for another quick kiss on her cheek.

‘Sure.’ Jade found herself smiling up at him.

He gave her a little wave as he set off down the street. Jade put her head down and resolutely walked the other way. She would put all thoughts of what had happened today out of her mind. Anyway, he’d never shown any sign that he was attracted to her. He was a nice guy. Just nice, she told herself firmly. Some kindness after all she had gone through was making her a bit soppy. And that was all it was. She had to keep her focus on what she was really supposed to be doing here, which was making sure that Nick was OK. Building him a support network in Glasgow.

The walk back put her in a better mood. The dull grey streets all sparkled in the wet, and the freshness of the rain made a change from the stink of the cars. By the time she got back home she was smiling. She loved Glasgow. Weather and warts and all. This was her city. And she was proud of it. Roll on life. She was ready for it.

Nick had hoped his muscles would have held up after last week’s class, but half-way through a yoga pose he felt his thighs beginning to tremble. Mind you, he hadn’t had anything for breakfast, so it was probably all his fault. The black cloud in his brain had come on so fast last night that all he could do was lie in bed and wait for it to pass. He was still waiting. The beautiful spring sun shining in through the windows made even more of a mockery of his mood.

At least he had made it through the week. That was his main goal in life, to pass as normal. Only he knew just how much effort it had taken to drag himself out of bed this morning and walk across town. But he hadn’t wanted to let Jade down. Or Archie.

Meeting Jade had given him some hope, and it felt as though she was the only thing that was getting him through his life right now. When he was with her the world seemed a little less grey and depressing. But he would never tell her how he felt about her though. Didn’t want her to feel like he was somehow fixated on her in a creepy way. She seemed happy to just be friends. And he could see why. Who would want to take someone on who was miserable most of the time?

To his horror he felt his eyes fill with tears. Not here, not now, he begged himself. He beat his feelings back into submission until they slowly simmered inside him, although he knew they were ready to boil over again at a moment’s notice. He shouldn’t have come, he knew that now. The sound of Peter’s voice as he ended the class felt like the biggest relief he had ever known.

He gathered up his mat, purposely not looking for Jade. He would go home. Sink into his bed. Never come out. And they would find his emaciated corpse when they finally broke down the door.

‘Depression lies.’ A voice spoke right next to his ear as he bent to put his mat back in the box. It was so quiet that he thought he must have imagined it. Was he starting to hear voices now?

He straightened and turned, only to find Jade not two feet away from him. ‘What did you say?’ He wanted to confirm what she had said. It felt so random.

‘I said, depression lies.’ She took his elbow and steered him towards the door. ‘Whatever you’re feeling right now, it’s not you. Depression lies to you. It tells you things that aren’t true.’

He looked suspiciously at her as they strolled down the corridor. ‘How do you know what I’m thinking?’

She laughed. ‘Not what. I’m not a bloody mind-reader. But it’s pretty obvious that something’s going on. You haven’t said a word since you got here, and your eyes look kind of weird. In fact, I’m impressed you actually got here this morning.’

Nick’s brain got caught between pride in the fact that she was impressed with him, and panic at the thought that what he was feeling was visible. Did everyone know? Is that why no one had talked to him today?

Jade must have caught some of his more negative thoughts, because she nudged him gently. ‘Don’t worry. I’m just good at noticing that kind of thing. I’ve had lots of practice. Now come on, let’s get you something to eat. I could hear your stomach grumbling from halfway across the room.’

She disappeared into the changing rooms through the brown wooden door, leaving him staring after her. And one thought wound its way slowly through his tired brain, like a mole slowly carving its way through the dark soil. Who else did she know who felt like him?

Chapter 5

Jade put her arm around Nick’s elbow as they walked up the road to the café, as if she knew he needed some mental help to drag himself up the hill. ‘You will try the avocado today, won’t you?’ Her voice sounded almost accusing, as if she expected him to chicken out.

‘Yes, although I still think it looks pretty much like someone has thrown up on your plate.’

Jade snorted. ‘No more than that disgusting mess you made with your mix of egg, beans and mushrooms last time.’

‘It’s not the look, it’s the taste.’ Nick was defensive.

‘Yeah. Wouldn’t that be a good name for a café?’ Jade waved her free arm expansively. ‘Looks Shit. Tastes Amazing.’

Nick had to laugh at that. ‘I would go for Shit Looks. Amazing Taste. A bit more punchy. Bring in the customers.’

As they stopped outside the café, Nick turned to Jade. ‘How is it possible to be happy and sad at the same time? Because that’s what I’m feeling today. Like there’s a black cloud over everything. But then you just made me laugh. Which just feels weird.’

She looked up at him, startled by the sudden change of topic, and for one unguarded moment he could see his own emotions mirrored in her eyes. ‘I don’t know. All I know is that it is.’ She turned away, as if worried that he might see something on her face, but then suddenly turned back, an intensity in her eyes that surprised him.

‘They say that everything passes. But I don’t think it does. I think emotions are like the sea. It’s sometimes smooth and sunny, and sometimes the wind is blowing so hard you think you’re going to sink.’ She opened the door, and motioned for him to go in. And as he passed her, she added, ‘But it’s when you think you’re just about to drown that someone else tends to pass by with a life raft.’

She was his life raft, he realised. And he hoped she wasn’t going to disappear any time soon, because the thought of swimming through the waves on his own was enough to make him panic.

Nick had to admit that Jade had been right about the breakfast. The bread was amazing, and the freshness of the taste went much better with his unsettled stomach that a cooked breakfast would have done.

‘So, where are we going today?’ He pushed his empty plate back, surprised that he had managed to eat at all. Still, Jade had distracted him with random stories about funny things that had happened at work, and he had hardly noticed himself eating until he had gone to take another bite and found it all gone.

‘We were supposed to be going to the Kelvingrove Museum, but I got a text last night that with the weather as it is then we’re just going to have a picnic in the park.’

‘Sounds great.’ Nick stretched his long legs out under the table, taking care to angle them so they wouldn’t brush against Jade’s. Last thing he wanted was for that to happen. Actually, he realised he was lying to himself. He was craving physical contact today just like a thirsty person desperate for water. But the last thing he wanted was for Jade to feel uncomfortable with him. He didn’t think he would survive if he lost their easy friendship.

‘Yeah.’ Jade checked her watch. ‘In fact, we’d better get ourselves off to the station or we’ll be late.’

‘It seems a long way to go all the way up there, just to come back here. Can’t we just meet them there?’

Jade stood up and pulled him to his feet. ‘Come on, lazy bones. A promise is a promise. Besides, Archie has been looking forward to seeing you since last time.’

‘Really?’ Nick couldn’t quite believe what he had just heard. ‘Looking forward to seeing me?’

‘Oh God, did I not tell you?’ Jade stopped in front of the till and rolled her eyes. ‘Lily’s been texting me. She says he hasn’t stopped talking about you. What did you say to him?’

Nick started to say something, and then realised she was teasing him, and folded his arms. ‘Any more of that, and you’ll have to pay for breakfast.’

Jade shook a finger at him. ‘No way. I’ll skip off and leave you washing dishes. But seriously, he is really keen to see you. So you can’t let him down.’

As they set off down the road Nick could feel the sunshine slowly warming the numbness in his body. Summer was coming. In fact, today almost felt like summer. He should take some time off. Get up north. Do some walking. Hang out by the rivers. Go kayaking. He hadn’t had a break since Christmas. It was about time.

Jade had been right. Archie welcomed Nick warmly, shaking his hand firmly, and patting him heartily on the shoulders when he sat down. Lily enveloped him in a rose-scented hug.

‘Is that a new perfume you’re wearing?’ He was good at smells, he realised. Enough to tell that it was different from what she had on last time.

Lily smiled, clearly impressed that he had noticed. ‘Yes. Archie got it for my birthday. Came all the way from London.’

‘They’ve been teaching us how to use the internet.’ Archie looked smug. ‘So I thought I would put my new skills to good use.’

‘How old are you now, Lily?’ A little smile lifted the corners of Jade’s mouth.

Lily looked sternly at Jade, but Nick could see the twinkle in her eyes. This was clearly some sort of game that they had played before. ‘Goodness! You know a lady never tells.’ She clasped her hands in front of her dramatically, and all four of them laughed.

The bustle started to get everyone into the minibus, and soon they were speeding their way towards their destination. There was no singing this time. Everyone just seemed content to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

Keith dropped them off at the entrance to the park, and they made their way slowly along the winding path. The park was busy with the sounds of people playing football and kids shouting and screaming. It seemed like half of Glasgow was out to enjoy the sun. A group of park runners wove their way past the wheelchairs at one point, flowing around them like rocks in a stream.

‘We need a flat bit to play croquet,’ Jade said, just when Nick was starting to wonder if they were going to walk the whole length of the park.

‘Ah, that’s what that weirdly-shaped bag is for.’ He pointed at the red bag that one of the other volunteers was carrying. ‘I’d wondered that.’

‘Yeah. Although we’ve only got four balls and mallets, so I think we’re going to have to do some teams or something.’

‘Some people won’t be able to play,’ Nick pointed out.

‘Yeah.’ Jade agreed. ‘Although that guy over there,’ she pointed at one of the wheelchairs up ahead of them, ‘pretty much all he remembers how to do is play croquet. Can’t even remember if he’s had breakfast, but if you put a mallet in his hand, he’s a bit of a pro.’

‘Weird.’ Nick couldn’t help marvelling at the brain and how complex it was. People would probably never understand it all.

They finally found the perfect spot and settled themselves down. Someone offered Nick a camping chair, but he politely declined, preferring to lie himself down on a rug. He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of people’s affection wrapping around him like a warm winter jacket, staving off the cold feeling of loneliness. He really should keep on looking for other jobs again, he thought. It was awful to be stuck in that office five days a week. The dark feeling that came over him every time he thought about work started to pull him in, but he pushed it away. Don’t think about that right now, he thought. Leave it until Monday morning.

He focused on the little things. The feel of grass under his right hand where it had slipped off the edge of the rug. The gentle breeze on this face. The sound of a blackbird singing in a tree somewhere. It was a beautiful day.

Jade watched Nick as he lay on the ground. His face looked different, she realised. The line in the middle of his forehead had smoothed out to almost nothing, and his breath rose and fell evenly. He even had a faint smile on his lips. She suddenly wished she could freeze him just like that. Life was so cruel to people with mental health problems. Break a leg, and everyone gave you sympathy. Go through a crisis that seemed to be entirely in your brain, and people didn’t really have a clue about how to react.

There was a vigorous discussion going on around her about how to set up the croquet teams. Jade leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, only half listening. The sun warmed her face, making her think that she should have brought sun cream. Lily would have some. But it could wait just a bit longer before she put some on.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. ‘It’s three teams of four, and then the winners will all play each other.’

Jade opened her eyes, shading the sun with her hand as she looked up at Connie. ‘OK. What are the teams?’

‘Well, Archie and Nick, with—’

‘Oh no.’ Archie interrupted. ‘I’m too old for all these shenanigans.’

Nick sat up. ‘Oh, come on, Archie. I can’t believe you’re wimping out of this one.’ His hair was all tousled from lying on the grass, and Jade longed to smooth it down for him.

Archie looked down at Nick, slightly affronted. ‘Well, young man, unless you’re going to invent a new sport called wheelchair croquet …’

Nick’s face broke out in a massive grin. ‘I don’t have to. It’s already been invented. More than a hundred years ago in fact.’ He jumped up and grabbed the back of Archie’s wheelchair. ‘And we are going to play it.’

Jade couldn’t help laughing at the eager expression on Archie’s face as Nick wheeled him over to the centre of the small patch of grass that had been chosen as their croquet lawn. There was much discussion about the best way to set out the hoops, and then the game began.

The croquet game was a lot of fun. Archie quickly adapted to his new skill, and Nick made fake racing noises as he steered the wheelchair around the grass. There were a lot of insults traded to try and put people off their game, and one of the helpers kept up an Olympic-style sports commentary which had them all in stitches.

It was in the middle of the first round, when he was waiting for Archie to take a shot, that Nick looked straight over at Jade. Focused on Archie, she caught the movement, and looked up just in time to see Nick’s infectious grin and a wink. The action was so natural that she couldn’t help winking back. Nick turned his attention back to the game, but Jade was caught, stunned by the realisation that despite her best efforts to not get sucked in, she had. She now cared about his happiness. Very deeply, in fact.

You’re going to have to tell him about me, Ruby whispered in her mind, if you care about him that much.

Jade took a deep breath. She would, she thought. And actually, knowing about what had happened to someone else might even help Nick. And explain a lot of things to him about her own behaviour. But it wasn’t like she could just casually drop into the conversation something she had never told anyone else: you know what, my little sister committed suicide last year and it was all my fault …

Dinner, she thought, struggling to focus. She was planning to invite him to dinner at home next week. Mum had promised to cook because she was dying to meet Nick anyway. She could take Nick up to her room and show him the photos and tell him then. That was a good plan. And her anger at herself was just something she would have to deal with, if there was a chance to help someone else.

Lily, sitting next to her, touched her arm. ‘Are you OK?’

That was Lily, just always quietly attuned to other people’s feelings. No wonder she had been so successful as a social worker. But Jade’s feelings of guilt connected with her sister’s death were something that she had never been able to reveal to anyone, not even Lily.

‘Yes actually.’ Jade pulled herself up in her chair and squeezed the older woman’s hand briefly. ‘I am.’ She twisted her neck from side to side, feeling the release of tension from her shoulders that had come from making the decision. She could do this. She would be strong.

Cheering and clapping brought her focus back onto the game in front of her. Archie had won the game, although she didn’t know how much of that was due to his skill, or if the others had let him win. It didn’t matter anyway, she reminded herself. The whole point of this was to have fun.

‘Come on.’ She took Lily’s arm and helped her up. ‘We’re up next.’

Jade flopped onto the picnic blanket, badly in need of a drink and glad for the tree that had thrown its shade over their sitting area as the sun grew higher. She would have loved to say that the final had been close, but as usual Jim had trounced everyone again, although second place had been a tightly-fought battle between Archie and Connie, with Archie losing out narrowly to the woman who often took care of Jim on these outings.

‘He’s been giving her lessons,’ Archie grumbled as Nick wheeled him back into position beside Lily’s chair.

‘Don’t feel too bad,’ Jade told him. ‘Jim was the national croquet champion three years running back in the day. I looked him up.’

‘I’m amazed that that’s really a thing,’ Nick said, throwing himself down beside her.

Jade could feel his presence only inches away from hers, and it felt sort of comforting. If they had been alone then she probably would have reached out and touched him, but instead she just lay with her face propped up on her hands, enjoying the feeling of being near to him.

Someone passed her a can. The cold metal felt amazing in her fingers, and when she cracked it open and felt the fizzy chill slide down her throat then she thanked whoever had invented ice boxes.

They sat enjoying their sandwiches, watching the world go by and saying very little.

‘I bet the staff at your place are glad to get rid of everyone for a few hours,’ Nick said.

Lily shook her head. ‘Maybe. They always use the time to give everywhere a proper clean, so it’s not like they’re getting a rest.’

‘Hmm.’ Nick was surprised. ‘They do work hard, don’t they?’ It made his nine to five, Monday to Friday seem pretty relaxed. But still, even eight hours in an office was too much if you hated it.

It was all too soon for Jade when they had to pack up. She could have stayed in the park all afternoon. But she could feel her face getting slightly warm, in spite of the sun cream. She pushed herself up off the grass with regret.

After everyone was settled back home, Jade walked Nick back to the station, despite his protests that he could find the way. It was starting to cloud over now and a strong breeze helped the fluffy masses through the sky.