I get out of the car and follow him over to an old wooden farm gate. He climbs up and over in one smooth movement, dismounting on the other side with the agility of a cat. Then he holds out a hand.

“Need help?”

I walk to where the gate meets the fence and unlatch it, opening it to walk through. “No, thanks.”

He stares at me for a moment before starting to laugh. He does it naturally and unashamedly and I watch in delight. If I had to describe him, I’d say he’s a man’s man. He is physically large but not in an obvious way, just a vibrant larger-than-life kind of way. He exudes vitality, and next to him I feel almost wraithlike. Like I am fading out of this world and, as much as I try to hang on, my fingers are slipping.

Seize the day.

You only regret the things you didn’t do.

“Well, that just made me look a bit of an idiot, didn’t it?” he says when he quietens back down to a chuckle.

“How old are you?” I blurt out without thinking.

His eyes widen with his surprise at the question, but he answers. “Thirty-four. You?”

“Twenty-eight. Just. Are you married?”

“No.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Am I auditioning for something here?”

“Just answer the question.”

“No. Not anymore. We broke up a few months back.”

“Sorry to hear that.” I’m not, though.

“Anything else you’d like to know?” he asks. “Only we really should get on with the photo shoot.”

“One more question.”

“OK.”

“It’s a big one,” I warn. “And you have to promise you’ll answer honestly.”

He looks at me curiously. “OK.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

I like that he doesn’t answer immediately. That he respects me enough to give the question his proper consideration. “Yes, once.”

“What was it like?”

He looks down and starts fiddling with his camera, adjusting settings or something, and I think I’ve gone too far. That he is trying to think of a polite way to tell me to mind my own business.

“It was both amazing and awful,” he says finally.

“Awful? Why?”

“Because when it’s over, when it all goes wrong, you think you’ll never survive.”

“But you did.”

“I did.”

“So is it true what they say? That it’s better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all?”

“I’m not sure. And that’s me being honest.”

I sigh deeply. “Thank you.”

“Do you question all guys like this?”

“Only the cute ones.” I smile sweetly.

“OK. Come on,” he says, looking down to hide a smile. He jerks his head. “There’s some old farm equipment on the other side of the field under that big tree. I want to get a few shots there. And then over amongst the flowers.”

I’m so conscious of him walking beside me that I don’t look where I’m walking and trip on some uneven ground. He quickly places a hand on my arm to steady me.