me a hand to hold, ‘I can see the way, come with me.’
‘I don’t need to hold your hand,’ I told him.
‘Yes, you do,’ he said firmly, ‘otherwise I’ll lose you. Come on.’
I did as I was told and my knees felt even wobblier as I slipped my hand into his, but I didn’t think that had anything to do with the cosy confines of the market, because they didn’t feel any stronger once we had eased our way out and were standing in the slightly less cramped spot on the steps with the best view of county hall. The only thing it could have been was his close proximity, but I wasn’t prepared to consider what that might mean.
‘How’s that?’ he asked, letting go of my hand, but still standing close. ‘Do you feel any better now?’
‘Much,’ I lied, my cheeks flushed from the cold and my fingers tingling as a result of having his hand wrapped around mine. ‘Heaps better, thanks, Finn.’
‘It was a squeeze in there,’ he said, looking back along the crowded rows, ‘it’s not usually as busy as this.’
‘I haven’t been able to cope with being boxed in since one of my cousins locked me in a cupboard when we were playing hide and seek,’ I blurted out. ‘I was only little, but I’ve never forgotten it.’
I don’t know why I’d felt the need to justify what had happened. It wasn’t usually something I talked about. Working outdoors practically guaranteed wide-open spaces and it had been a while since I’d been affected by the impact of my relative’s nasty little prank.
‘In that case,’ Finn tutted, ‘I’m not surprised you found it a bit much.’
Thankfully there wasn’t time for me to further overshare as the rest of the Nightingale Square gang edged their way up the steps to stand near and around us and a cheer went up as Santa’s sleigh arrived at the front of county hall having finished its tour around the city streets, where it had further fuelled everyone’s excitement for the evening’s entertainment. Music started to play somewhere and the noise level seemed to increase tenfold. Fortunately, I felt fine with the sky, rather than the canopied market, above me.
‘Is that your phone?’ Poppy asked, giving me a nudge as she went around with a bag, collecting everyone’s rubbish.
I had no idea how she could have heard it, but I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. A text from Chloe had just landed, asking where we all were. There was no way I would be able to see her, or her me for that matter, so it was time to enlist the help of the tree, as Ryan had called him, again.
‘Finn!’ I shouted above the din. ‘Chloe’s somewhere in that direction, I think. Is there any chance you can spot her?’ I knew it was a long shot. ‘Or could you maybe wave that way and she might be able to pick you out.’
By some miracle, the plan worked and within a few minutes she joined us, laughing as she told everyone how she had spotted Finn’s hand waving above the crowd and used him as a human satnav to reach us.
‘You’re coming in handy with those great bear mitts of yours tonight, mate!’ laughed Ryan, clapping Finn on the back.
‘What does that mean?’ Chloe asked, turning to look at me.
‘No time,’ I said back, pointing to where a group of people had stepped out on to the county hall balcony and were preparing to start the countdown.
Lights, fireworks and more music filled the next couple of hours and as wonderful and exciting as it all was, I was grateful to be standing among friends. I had no idea what I’d been doing at Broad-Meadows on November the twelfth the previous year, but I knew for certain that it didn’t involve anywhere near as many people or as much noise.
‘You look as if you’ve had enough,’ Lisa laughed, unaware of how I was really beginning to feel. ‘Are you going to head back with us? Some of the others are stopping off at The Dragon en route, if you fancy it, the lucky buggers.’
The Prosperous Place crowd grew even larger as we walked back because Poppy and Jacob were joined by their friends Lou and Colin, who ran shops on the street next to Nightingale Square, and most people had bags of various sizes which further added to our bulk. I still wasn’t ready to start my Christmas shopping