As far as I can tell she’s on her own, but I guess she’s probably not. I can only see her. I’ve only ever had eyes for her.

She looks older, and I know she’s nearly seventeen now. She looks happy and glowing and perfect. She’s wearing a long skirt and a white shirt and a cool coat, and her hair is longer than it was before. She walks with a confidence she didn’t have when I was colonizing her life.

Can I do this? Can I step back into her world? No, I can’t. I turn away, but it’s too late. She’s seen me. And the smile that breaks out across her face is the sun, the moon, the ocean, the planets. It’s my everything. She is my everything.

She’s at my side in seconds. I press stop after Jarvis says, ‘Life could have been very different,’ and take the headphones off.

‘Is it you?’ she says. ‘Joe? Is it actually you?’

I can’t stop smiling either. Why haven’t we been doing this every day?

‘Yes, it is,’ I say. ‘Sorry.’

‘You idiot!’ she says. ‘I’ve stood outside that door in Beachview so many times. But I always thought you told me not to come and so I didn’t go in. Look, I really have to go to class, but shall I come and see you this afternoon?’

‘Yes! Yes, yes, yes, please. Did the baby arrive OK?’

‘Yes! He’s perfect.’

We grin at each other. I try to kiss her. She shifts over so she’s right in me. Then she jumps up and runs off into the building, turning back to wave.

Hours later she runs into the cupboard and does her very best to hug me. I do my best to hug her back. The universe slots into place. This is how things should be. My world is infinitely better.

‘So,’ she says. ‘What’s up?’

‘Tell me about the baby!’

She does, and the fact that he’s Raffy Joe makes me want to cry. She laughs. ‘Joe, what other middle name was I going to pick?’ She tells me about Zara and Coco, how much they’re in her life now. I love to think about the real-world connections that have come out of Ariel and me. I tell her that I say hello to her mum every week and her eyes fill with tears.

‘Right,’ she says. ‘You came to find me for a reason. What is it?’