I’m just as fascinated with the coral as I am with the fish, and there seem to be more fish up here, closer to the sun. They’re smaller, and a lot of them have a silvery sheen, which glints in the sunlight as they dart around our bodies. For a moment I wish I’d brought my camera, but then Hugh grabs my hand and directs my pointer finger towards a crevice. He’s spotted something.

Together we take turns diving down to gaze at a reclusive lionfish. Lionfish are not native to the Great Barrier Reef, they’re invasive and detrimental to the native fish species, but there is no denying they’re beautiful – every single one of their spines is perfectly striped reddish brown and white. The lionfish we’re looking at is mesmerising, but we keep our distance – both of us know they’re poisonous. After a while we tire and flip on our backs to rest, snorkels in hand.

Hugh’s free hand grabs mine. I feel my entire body jolt with energy. My thoughts race. What am I doing? How have I forgiven him so quickly? But we have to keep holding hands so we don’t drift apart on the waves. I don’t have a choice but to enjoy our bodies knocking together gently, both of us staring up at the sky. We float over a crest that is so big it flips both of us onto our backs, and suddenly our limbs are intertwined. The saltwater makes us both float easily. Our faces are inches from each other.

I can see each individual drop of water flecking his face. One catches on his impossibly long eyelashes. His eyes are bright aqua, the same colour as the water, and I’m close enough to count the gold flecks around his irises. His face is mesmerising. I bite my bottom lip, suddenly self-conscious that he’s looking at me as closely as I’m looking at him.

As if we’re in slow motion, he brings a thumb to my bottom lip and frees it from my teeth.

‘Are you cold?’ he asks.

I realise I’m shaking, but I’m not cold. ‘No,’ I breathe.

Hugh runs his thumb over my lip and down onto my chin. Slowly, he wraps his fingers around the back of my neck. My entire body flushes with pleasure. Looking into his eyes is so powerful I feel like I could explode, so instead I focus on his shoulders, which are rising just inches above the water, and I watch as the tendons of muscle that wrap around his neck flex. I remember how it felt to have my face tucked into the crook of his neck and I yearn for it. The muscle in his jaw pulses.