My eyes fill with tears, because while Aiden is a thoughtful and rather romantic man, he doesn’t often choose to talk about his emotions. When he does, it’s always for a reason and a chill begins to creep up my spine, one vertebra at a time.

‘We were headstrong, weren’t we?’ I admit.

Everyone said it wouldn’t last because after A-levels we both hoped to be able to apply for a place at university. Even at that stage, it looked unlikely we would be heading off in the same direction, and everyone knows long-distance relationships don’t fare well, in general. But while the thought of being apart was terrifying, we never doubted each other for a second.

In hindsight, what were the chances of staying together through all of that – but we did. It turned out that absence really does make the heart grow fonder and each time we met up it was truly exhilarating.

Aiden scans my face and I wonder what he sees.

‘Would you change anything?’ he levels at me. ‘You’ve overtaken me career-wise and I realise I held you back. You turned down a dream job offer in London without a second’s thought so we could buy this place and finally begin putting down roots. No wonder your dad took a while to forgive me and accept that you had settled for less than you deserved.’

He knows that isn’t strictly true. I needed to be close to my family at that time for lots of reasons and putting down roots here was the right thing to do. Is this upset about my recent promotion? I wonder. I hope this isn’t about who earns the most as that would be disappointing. If Aiden’s ego is that fragile, then I’m doing something very wrong. He means everything to me – more than money, more than a job title and he doesn’t know me at all if he thinks those things matter.

Aiden’s work role has evolved and he might not have a pile of diplomas to put on a wall, but he has a very marketable range of skills. Skills that come naturally to him because he inspires people to care. That’s why he’s perfect to motivate the whole team when it comes to fundraising. He’s indispensable, but I know he doesn’t perceive himself in that way and it saddens me that he undersells himself and his abilities.

I can’t avoid answering his question, but it’s hard not to sound cross. ‘No, of course I wouldn’t change a thing. Why would you even ask a question like that?’

Swiping away my tears, a strange mix of feelings stir within me. Is he trying to say I’m the one who has changed?

He sighs and it’s a gut-wrenching sound. ‘I don’t know how to explain this feeling of… what if?’