“Yeah, we’re good, thanks,” James tells him. He looks at me for confirmation. I nod.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Wait and see.”

“Never heard of it. Is it far?”

“Not long to go—another twenty-five minutes or so and you’ll see for yourself.” Toby’s voice crackles. “Just relax and enjoy the view.”

James is so close I can see flecks of brown in his green eyes and the fine lines that crease his skin when he smiles, which he does every time he looks at me. It’s contagious, so I smile back before turning to look out the window. We are low-flying over a forest, a carpet of green that stretches as far as I can see. Undulating hills and ranges shape the land, and if I look really hard, in the distance I can see the blue line that is the ocean.

“You guys been together long?” Toby asks.

“Oh, we’re not a couple like that,” I splutter, while James looks amused.

Toby’s voice is surprised. “Oh. Sorry. I just thought…”

I turn my head to look out of the window, embarrassed. Is it that transparent? That I like James? Because I do like him. I like him more and more every moment I am with him. He makes me forget everything and just focus on the moment we are in. I decide to follow suit and just enjoy this adventure with him, concentrating on the breath-taking views out of the window and the feel of my hand in his.

“We’ll be landing in a minute,” Toby says eventually. “Everybody still belted in?”

“Yes,” James confirms.

“Good. Might get a little dicey as we go over this last hill,” Toby warns, and he’s barely finished saying the words before the helicopter drops a few feet, taking my stomach with it. Involuntarily, I clutch James’s arm and pull myself close. He puts an arm around me and in spite of my fear I’m struck by how right it feels to be so close to him. It’s like I have been searching for this sense of belonging my entire life, and now I’ve found it. Here, with him. And the cruelty that it has happened now, when I am dying, is almost too much to bear.

James sees the tear that trickles down my cheek and wipes it away with a thumb, his skin rough and scratchy. Then he taps my shoulder and points out the window.

I gasp. We have made it over the top of the hill, and below us, nestled among miles and miles of native forest, are a series of tree houses, with a clear area of grass to one side that includes gardens, a pool, and the helicopter landing pad. It is the kind of thing you see in romantic movies.

“What is this place?” I ask in wonder. “I had no idea this even existed.”

“That’s the beauty of it,” James answers. “Not many people do.”

Toby gently lands the helicopter on the helipad and we wait until the blades stop spinning to dismount. A woman is standing a few meters away, in a white shirt with black vest and skirt. Her hair is pulled into a tidy bun and her makeup is artfully applied. She is immaculate, and I feel like a hobo next to her.