Time is never time at all / 2

A few months ago, Nicola had been talking to him as they
walked from a party at Sighthill to one at Wester Hailes.
They had been having a good crack, becoming detached from the
rest of the group. She had been very responsive, and Spud had
chatted freely, high on speed. In fact, she seemed to be
hanging on his every word. Spud wanted to never get to that
party, wishing that they could just go on walking and talking.
They went down into the underpass and Spud thought that he
should try to put his arm around Nicola. Then a passage from
a Smiths' song, one he'd always liked called: 'There Is A
Light That Never Goes Out', came into his head:

and in the darkened underpass
I thought Oh God my chance has come at last
but then a strange fear gripped me
and i just couldn't ask

Morrissey's sad voice summed up his feelings. He didn't put
his arm around Nicola, and his attempts to chat her up were
half- arsed after that. Instead, he jacked up in a bedroom
with Rents and Matty, enjoying blissful freedom from the
anxiety of wondering whether or not he'd get off with her.

(Da Trainspotting)