He came back up and put the small box he was holding to one side – and the expression in his eyes as he turned to me made my heart twist. Alex. Oh, Alex. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me; his heart was beating as hard as mine was.

“No, wait,” he murmured suddenly. Straightening up, he reached across me for our pile of clothes, fumbled in the pocket of the grey trousers he’d been wearing.

“Here, sit up,” he said softly. I did, the sleeping bag slipping off me with a rustle. I saw a flash of silver in his hand, and my eyes widened.

“You kept it,” I whispered. I reached up to touch the cool facets of my pendant as he fastened the chain around my neck. My fingers clasped around it tightly. “I thought you’d – throw it away, or—”

“I tried to. I couldn’t leave it behind.” He kept his hands on my neck for a moment, his forehead resting against mine. “Willow, things feel more uncertain than ever now,” he said finally. “But I love you. For as long as I live – if that’s fifty years from now, or just next week – I’ll love you.”

I could hardly get the words out. “I love you too,” I said. I kissed him, our lips lingering together. Then I swallowed, my hand on the back of his neck and my crystal gleaming between us. “And...let’s stop talking for a while, okay?”

When I woke up, it felt like early morning; the blue nylon sides of the tent had a faint glow to them. I was lying in Alex’s arms, our bare limbs entwined. I lay without moving for a few minutes, gazing at the rise and fall of his chest; the curve of his dark eyebrows. I kissed his tattoo gently, loving the feel of his warm skin. The pain of the ruined city was still there, like a heavy weight inside of me – but now there was this new joy too. The night before had been...well, let’s just say it was worth waiting for. Very, very worth waiting for. And it showed every sign of being something that would get even better.

I stretched across Alex and found my clothes, squirming in the sleeping bag as I put them on. Drowsily, he opened his eyes and stroked my arm. “Where are you going?”

“Just outside for a minute,” I kissed his cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

The morning air hit me coolly as I crawled out of the tent, zipping it shut behind me. The truck sat a little way off – no one else was awake yet. I started down to the stream...but then I saw a break in the trees and stopped. Though I hadn’t noticed it the night before, you could see Mexico City from here too.