Pictures Of You

Everybody's Free to Feel Good

Maggie stopped in a massive car park. They'd been driving about an hour and a half. The drive had cleared her head. It had stopped raining and their wet clothes were beginning to stick uncomfortably to their skin.

Noel rubbed his hand over the steamed window to look out.

"Where are we?"

"Peak District. Used to go here a lot as a kid with mam and dad. Dunno why. I've not been back in about ten years. There's a big massive Manor house in there. Chatworth. C'mon."

They walked slowly. The gravel crunching beneath their feet.

"Maggie...are you really alright?"

Noel had let her get her head sorted in relative silence but he needed to ask.

Maggie nodded.

"I think so. Better now than I was like an hour ago. Lately...I've been having these kind of panic attack things. Feels like I can't breathe. My whole life there's never been a time where I've had no plan. Guess I'm not coping with it very well."

Noel nodded.

"I can't tell you things will work out or that they'll get better but you can't just give up. And don't stay here too long. This place will suck you back in."

Maggie nodded with a soft smile.

"Thanks. Anyway...enough about me. What's been going on with you? Tell me about all the places you been."

Maggie felt herself becoming more calm and relaxed as they walked through the woods. The peaceful darkness enveloping and protecting them like a blanket. His voice soothed her.

"We're going to Japan in a couple of weeks."

Maggie gazed at him proudly.

"I'm proud of you you know."

Noel blushed lightly.

"And I'm proud of you. Always will be."

Maggie wasn't sure how, or of she even should, bring up relationships. Or the status of their own relationship. Were they friends again?

"I really am sorry for freezing you out you know. And I'm sorry for just showing up in your life again...like this."

Noel shook his head.

"I always sort of imagined you would...somehow. Appear-I mean. And here you are."

Maggie smiled.

"Yeah? Did you really?"

Noel shrugged.

"I mean I hoped. London's a big place. And here it's so tiny, boring in comparison. I mean I must be dead boring compared to people you met down there."

Maggie raised her brows.

"By people do you mean lads?"

Noel flushed slightly and shrugged.

"Well, maybe, did you?" He asked.

Maggie could tell he was being far too casual about this. It was subtle but she knew he was pretending to not really care when in actual fact he did.

Maggie shrugged.

"A few lads yeah. Fit lads. Way fitter than you like." She teased.

Noel drew her a scathing look and she laughed.

"Nah. They were all wankers. Fit. But no chat. Boring as fuck. There was never anything to talk about. I never felt like I was excited to go see them or talk to them. I guess deep down it was my fault because I was sort of always comparing them to...well...you." She admitted honestly.