I called my parents before the taxi came to take us to the airport.

It was early, but I needed to hear their voices. It was like a compulsion.

Time had passed me by and I hadn’t seen either of my parents since I was discharged from hospital. I never usually left it so long to visit them, or have them come to me, but they were happy I was in the throes of romance and wanted to leave me to it.

“I’ll see you both when I get back,” I said.

Angelo stared at me. He looked worried.

“Goodbye, Ella,” my mum said.

I was certain I heard a sob.

“We’ll miss you,” Daddy said, sounding equally emotional.

“I’m only away for a week,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “Stop it, you two.”

I said my own farewells and hung up before climbing out of bed and rushing straight into the shower.

The two and a half-hour flight to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport was uneventful.

I slept fitfully but was aware Angelo had held my hand all the way.

We both had an early start and I was tired. I wasn’t in the mood for idle chit chat, but he didn’t seem to mind. If he did, he kept it to himself.

I felt so close to Angelo, like I’d known him all my life. He was easy to talk to, never pushed me, and best of all, he understood me perfectly.

I was exhausted by the time the plane landed. It was that same exhaustion that floored me nearly two weeks ago.

The short flight felt like I’d flown around the world.

Once again, fatigue held me in its tight grip.

Angelo looked at me, his eyes full of concern.

“How are you feeling now, Ella?”

“Tired if I’m honest, but once I get out into the fresh air, I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t like to admit defeat, do you?”

“Not a chance,” I replied. “I’m enjoying life right now, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“You know, we can go straight to the hotel, and rest for the night. The sights can wait.”

“Are you crazy?” I said. “No way. I’ve wanted to visit Sweden for years, and now I’m finally here, both of us are going to make the most of it.”

“So, let me get it right, the chances of you taking it easy are…?”

“Slim to none,” I replied. “I’ve always been stubborn, and besides, life is for living, and this the most fun I’ve had in years, thanks to you, my gorgeous man.”

He smiled at me and I melted.

If ever there was purity in a single person, Angelo had it in spades. He enveloped me with a tenderness I’d never have expected from this giant of a man.

“As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

I felt a tsunami of emotion, like it had rushed around my body in a matter of seconds. I was warm and tingly inside. “I must have done something right in my life for you to have been sent to me. It feels like I’ve known you forever.”

“Do you believe in guardian angels?” He asked off the cuff questions all the time, like he was testing me.

“I’m not sure what I believe in to be honest. Why do you ask?”

“Maybe I’m your guardian angel, did you ever think of that?”

I was waiting for the punchline, but he was remarkably straight faced

“It’s a romantic notion, but I’m a great believer in fate.”

“Oh?”

“Throughout life, a person learns to be the best version of themselves, and fate throws all manner things in the way, that’s what I think, anyway.”

“That’s an interesting theory for a sceptic, Ella.”

“I believe this life is a test. It’s how well you do in the practice run which defines the next life.”

He seemed surprised by my reasoning. “So, you do believe?”

“Some of it, yes. I like to believe that when the body dies, the soul moves on to another place.”

“Where do you think that place is?”

“Nobody has ever come back to tell us.”

“But, if you had to hazard a best guess?”

“I believe we were created by an evolutionary process, and humanity will continue to evolve into something entirely new, but somebody, or something out there gave us a helping hand. I will never believe we are the only beings in existence.”

“Interesting.” He appeared to mull over my beliefs. “Do you believe you have a soul?”

“Yes,” I said. “We all do.”

“And what do you think happens to the soul once it casts off its mortal shell?”

“I think the soul leaves the human body and returns to its spiritual home. Call that place what you want.”

“Heaven?”

“If that’s what you want to call it, yes.”

Suddenly, I felt very uncomfortable with all this talk of death.

“What are your opinions on Heaven?”

“The idea we all end up in Heaven is a bit too cozy for me to swallow.”

“How so?”

“It’s a nice thought, but if Heaven is a real place, we’re not meant to know about it.”

“Do you think we all get to go to heaven?”

“If we all believed we had a free pass, there would be anarchy, but I’ll hedge my bets on that one for now.”

“I think you’re right, Ella.”

“Hey, I’m happy to be proven wrong when the time comes.”

I leaned in to kiss him, feeling that surge again.

“And when your time comes, do you think you’ll accept death and happily move onto the next phase of your journey?”

“Who knows?” I said, shuddering at the somewhat depressing subject of my own mortality. “Does anybody truly accept death?”

“If they aren’t frightened of it.”

“I think we’re all frightened of death, Angelo.”

“But would it make it easier for you to accept if somebody was with you to guide your way? A guardian angel perhaps?”

“If only.” I loved that romantic idealism. “But I think when I close my eyes, there will be a long dark tunnel with a bright light at the end, and then, a big set of golden gates.”

“Are you sure you’ve never read the Bible?”

“I prefer Harry Potter. It’s way more believable.”

“Blasphemy,” he said, trying to keep a straight face.

“Look, I know you believe, and I would never want to offend you.” I wanted to choose my words carefully. “It’s adorable you have so much faith in something you can’t see, but for me, personally, it would depend if I felt I’d achieved everything I’d set out to do. If I had, maybe I’d welcome death with open arms, eager to see what the next life would bring.”

“What if you didn’t have that choice?”

“There’s always a choice, Angelo. It’s about making the right one.”

“You are wise beyond your years.”

“There’s more to me than just a pretty face you know.”

His face flushed red.

“So it would seem.”

“Now, let’s stop this maudlin talk and move our arses. The Captain has turned the seatbelt signs off and most of the passengers are already on the tarmac.”

I moved like the wind, surprised by how quickly the exhaustion lifted from me. The less time I spent thinking about it, the better.