The trek up the mountains wouldn’t have been particularly difficult if it wasn’t for the stifling heat and humidity. The truth was that they were more like reasonably big hills rather than real mountains. The sun was now shining brightly, though, and it was tough going because of this.

I had salvaged some clothes from the yacht the first day and they had dried out fully while spread over a small bush, so we were decently dressed for the first time in days. It felt strange to climb a hill on a tropical island with a dress shirt and pants on. At least I had decided not to salvage the bow ties and cravats from my wardrobe.

The most noticeable difference in our appearance was down to something deeper and far more significant, though. Something between us had changed and it genuinely felt as though we had reached a new, mature stage in our relationship and in our lives.

We helped each other climb up the difficult parts of the path without complaints and we discovered more about each other’s lives as we chatted on our regular breaks to drink water and rest our tired legs.

I opened up like never before as we sat together looking down at the bay where we had spent our first days as shipwrecks. It all seemed so long ago already, even after just a few hours of climbing.

I told Jessie how my wealth and privileged upbringing had isolated me from the rest of the world. For so long I had felt as though I was barely a part of the human race, unable to share my feelings with other people because I thought that no-one could possibly understand me.

While I explained this the thoughts were coming to me for the first time in my life. I was literally telling Jessie the thoughts at exactly the same time that they occurred to me.

She listened in silence, nodding occasionally and at other times grabbing my hand to show that she understood. We finished the last of the supplies of food and water that I had salvaged, so we were going to have to find some signs of life on the other side of the island or else I was going to have to get very good at hunting or scavenging very quickly.

Yet, we were relaxed and almost care-free for the first time since we had met.

When we reached the next stop on our climb she sat down on my knee and I caressed my hair.

She rubbed my neck and later gave me a foot massage that brought my feet back to life again. I had never felt someone care for me so tenderly and honestly before.

I bent down and kissed Jessie.

“Here?” She whispered the word in my ear as I lifted the t-shirt over her head.

“Where better?” She pulled down the zip on my pants and started massaging me. How was it that she always knew exactly what to do to drive me wild with uncontrollable passion?

It just felt right as we made love high up on the hill with a view of the beach where we had fought and argued before finding the common ground that brought us together.

Her hands were all over me and mine were all over her. Unlike on the yacht, we were relaxed and caring with each other rather than wild and out of control.

As my breathing returned to normal she put her head on my chest and sighed.

“I felt detached from the world before as well.”

“You did?” It was an incredible feeling to realize that it was something else that we shared. I would never have guessed that this vibrant, attractive woman had suffered from the loneliness that had plagued me at times before meeting her.

“Uh huh. I just felt as though I... couldn’t connect with other people on anything other than a superficial level. I tried but I didn’t know how to do it.”

“That’s exactly what I felt.”

“Isn’t it weird how we found each other?”

“Hey, don’t forget that it was me that found you.”

“No way. You were just drifting along until I found you and took you under my wing.”

I could sense panic falling over me as we reached the summit. This experience has been the most unexpectedly enlightening and thrilling of my life. I had to confess that I never wanted it to end but it couldn’t go on forever.

Would it be better to stay here together with nothing but each other’s company or else find a way back into the real world again? Right then I would have voted for at least a few more days of being shipwrecked and in love than being comfortable but risk losing this spell that had weaved its magic over us here.

“There’s a town down there.” My heart sunk as Jessie said the words but I tried to smile and look pleased.

“I wonder if there’s a good restaurant with seafood and nice wine.”

“And a hotel with a shower.”

“And a store with clothes for sale.”

“Yeah, you’ve got some great t-shirts, Adam, but I think I will lose my mind if I have to wear any of them for one more freaking day.”

I looked down at her and tried to capture the image in my mind. The sight of her on the beach and on this hill with my baggy t-shirt on was going to be one of the most memorable things I saw in my whole life. Some strands of her famously messy hair were plastered against her face and she was irresistible.

A couple of hours later we were on the main street, the only street really, of a tiny town by the sea. It was presumably the capital, as it was the only sign of life we had seen until now, but if that was the case then it was one of the sleepiest capitals on the planet.

Luckily, I had a few of the dollar bills I had rescued from the boat in my hand. It felt weird to have to count out my money and budget carefully rather than just hand over a shiny card but it felt good too.

“I guess I can call my uncle and Joe now, to get us rescued.”

“Have you not a gold credit card we can use to go wild in the stores here?”

I looked around at the deserted streets and at the only store in sight. It seemed to sell nothing more than tinned food, bottled drinks and some rather sad-looking vegetables.

“It’s platinum but I fear that might be a cash-only establishment.”

“Let’s just hope I don’t see too many exciting things that catch my eye then.”

“Well, those tins of tuna do look very tempting. Shall we go in and make the call now before our wild shopping spree?”

Jessie nodded in agreement but did I see a hint of sadness in her eyes? For half a second I thought that she was going to tell me not to do it. I would have agreed instantly but the moment passed without either of us saying anything more.

The old guy in the local store had a payphone tucked away in a small kiosk. We squeezed in and I dialed my uncle’s number. There was barely enough room for the two of us. I put her arm around Jessie’s waist and pulled her closer.

He sounded mightily relieved to hear my voice.

“Where the heck are you, Adam? I’m going to send a helicopter to bring you home right now”

We hadn’t even thought to ask the guy in the store the name of the island or the town. I looked at Jessie and tried to read her mind. She smiled at me and I felt my heart leap with an insane thought.

I knew she was thinking it too.

“Adam! Where the hell are you? You’re needed back here to sign some papers and go to a meeting with a business delegation from Asia. Your trip is officially over as of now.”

I carried on looking at Jessie and she carried on smiling. Her eyes had a bright new light in them that I had never seen in anyone before. I was sure that mine did too, as our new-found happiness reflected off one of us onto the other and back again.

The feeling of being at the start of something special and crazy sprung up in my heart and made me smile back at her like a madman. My uncle said something else but I never heard a word of it.

She grabbed my hand that was holding on to the phone and we hung up together before embracing right there in the cramped little phone booth. Our sense of freedom was now complete.