I lay on the sandy beach spluttering and coughing. I had no idea where I was but it was clear that we had hit land that neither of us had ever seen.

It had taken me an eternity to reach the beach. I was a strong swimmer thanks to all of the family’s private pools but I now felt my body tired and aching after the struggle against the tide.

My ears were ringing and my mouth was dry and salty. I tried to get up but something was holding me down. When I eventually managed to turn around I saw a large piece of wood pinning my leg down onto the sand.

“Jess! Jess!” My voice came rasping out, hoarse and feeble. Oh God, where had she gone? I would never be able to forgive myself if anything had happened to her because of me.

What if the island was populated by wild animals or savages? Were there even still savages that lived on islands in this part of the world? I wished that I had learned how to read maps and sail properly before leaving home.

I think I lost consciousness for a few minutes or maybe a few hours. Anyway, when I opened my eyes again I looked around the beach in panic. There was a bundle of clothes over at the other side of the beach that I thought hadn’t been there before.

Was that my t-shirt that Jessie had been wearing? I thought I could see her tousled blond hair on top of it.

I struggled like a man possessed and finally managed to get the wood off my leg. There was blood on my thigh but I ignored it and limped towards Jessie.

God, please let her be okay. I had never had a reason to pray before but I found myself doing it now. I wanted her to be okay more than anything ever before in my whole life.

As I got closer I could hear that Jessie was groaning slightly. She was in pain but at least she was alive.

I somehow managed to lift her up to carry her further up the beach and then laid her out under a palm tree. My leg was hurting but I was drawing strength from some inner reserve that I hadn’t even known existed until now.

She looked so small and helpless in my big t-shirt that I swore to myself there and then that I would protect her from all dangers even if it meant putting my own life at risk. I had no idea what to do to help her, so I just stood over her and looked, while desperately praying to the heavens.

By the time the first light of day appeared I was still crouched over her. I hadn’t moved all night long and now I was rewarded by the sight of her eyes slowly opening. There was a confused and hurt look in them that was painful to see.

The first day passed uneventfully. There was no sign of people or of wild animals on the island and Jessie still hadn’t spoken. My leg wasn’t too badly injured after all, while Jessie appeared to be more shocked and exhausted than hurt.

As Jessie got stronger I left her alone for a few minutes to go and gather some wood. I had no idea what to do with the wood but gather wood was the first thing that people always seemed to do on survival programs so it had to be worth doing.

It was something to occupy my mind and my hands. In some way, it worked, as I felt slightly soothed when I had finished the task.

The island was pretty and at any other time, I would have been happy to spend some time on it. We had landed in a big bay with a long sandy beach and some trees behind it. Mountains rose behind the trees and it was anyone’s guess what was on the other side.

It looks like Paradise but felt like Hell right now.

I was trying hard not to panic at the thought of being stuck here for days or weeks. How long could we survive here with very little food or drinking water? My phone was no longer in my pocket but the battery had died last night anyway, so there was no way of getting in touch with anyone who could help us right now

How long would it be before Joe or my uncle started looking for us? How would they even know where to start?

When I had finished gathering some wood I went over to check out Jessie. Her eyes were open but she still looked a bit weak and sickly, which was only to be expected.

I tried to hold her hand but she pulled it away from me. What the heck was wrong now? Hadn’t I been looking after her since we got here?

“Hey Jess, let me hold your hand.”

“This is your fault. You took me out on a boat that you couldn’t sail and that had no radio on it.”

I felt more ashamed of myself than at any other point in my life. She was right, it was all my fault.

I had let my hormones take over and sailed her out of Buenos Aires with thinking of the dangers for even one second.

It was all I could do fight back the tears of bitterness and helplessness. Every time I got close to her something went wrong that put us all the way back to square one.

“I…I’m going to set up camp over there. To give you peace.” I tried to sound strong and decisive rather than pathetic but I knew right away that I had failed.

“That’s right. Run away from your problems. That’s all you spoiled brats can do. You cause problems and break people’s heart then wait for someone else to clean up the freaking mess.”

Did she say that I had broken her heart? It was a tiny piece of hope to cling to as I walked away. If I had broken her heart then it meant that there was still hope of repairing the damage.

It was too late to turn back now but maybe, just maybe…

It seemed such a tiny, fragile glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, but it was all I had to hold on to as I tried to work out what to do next.

I used some of the wood to set up a temporary shelter. It wouldn’t withstand any heavy winds but it would probably be okay for a day or two.

Jessie was up and about now but was too proud to ask me for help or even to speak to me.

People thought I was the luckiest guy in the world and it was an image I was happy to go along with. Yet, right now I felt far from being lucky.

I had been shipwrecked on a beautiful island with the only woman I had ever….the word “loved” came into my head but surely it was a mistake.

I had often thought I was incapable of loving or being loved. Could it be that Jessie has caused such an incredible change in my life after so little time?

The waves lapped against my feet as I wondered what life on this island would bring us now.