The sun was peeking through the clouds as Nathan and I strolled through the park, hand in hand. It was one of those rare, perfect autumn days - not too cold, not too hot, with a gentle breeze rustling the colourful leaves above us.

"Fancy a go on the swings?" Nathan asked, nodding towards the empty playground.

I grinned. "Race you there!"

We took off, laughing like kids. Nathan, with his long legs, reached the swings first, but he graciously let me have the better one - the one that didn't squeak quite as much.

As we swung back and forth, I closed my eyes, enjoying the rush of air on my face. For a moment, I could almost forget about the hospital visits, the treatments, the constant worry. Here, with Nathan, I was just a normal teenager enjoying a day out with her boyfriend.

"What are you thinking about?" Nathan's voice broke through my reverie.

I opened my eyes to find him watching me, a soft smile on his face. "Just how nice this is," I said. "Being here with you, doing normal stuff."

He reached out, catching my hand as our swings synchronized. "Yeah, it is nice, isn't it?" He paused, then added with a cheeky grin, "Even if you are a bit slow."

I laughed, letting go of his hand to give him a playful shove. "Oi! I'll have you know I can be fast. You just have unfairly long legs."

We swung in comfortable silence for a while, the rhythmic creak of the chains oddly soothing. Then Nathan spoke again, his voice softer this time. "Hey, Beth? Can I ask you something?"

I slowed my swing, looking over at him. "Course you can. What's up?"

He was staring at his feet, scuffing them in the woodchips below. "Do you ever think about... you know, the future?"

My heart did a little flip. The future was a tricky subject for me these days. But looking at Nathan, his face all earnest and a bit nervous, I couldn't bring myself to brush off the question.

"Sometimes," I admitted. "Do you?"

He nodded, finally meeting my eyes. "Yeah. Quite a lot, actually." He took a deep breath. "I think about us, you know? What we could have."

I felt a lump forming in my throat, but I swallowed it down. "Oh yeah? What do you see?"

A slow smile spread across his face. "Well, for starters, I reckon we'd move to the countryside. Get away from all the noise."

I found myself smiling too, caught up in his vision. "That sounds nice. We could have a little cottage with a garden."

"Exactly!" Nathan's eyes lit up. "And we'd have a dog, of course. A big, friendly one that likes long walks."

"And cuddles on the sofa," I added, warming to the idea.

Nathan nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely. And maybe... maybe we'd have a couple of kids?" He said it like a question, watching my face carefully.

I felt a pang in my chest, thinking of the future I would never have. But looking at Nathan's hopeful expression, I couldn't bear to burst this beautiful bubble we were creating.

"Two," I said decisively. "A boy and a girl."

Nathan's smile could have lit up the whole world. "Perfect. What should we call them?"

I laughed. "Blimey, you're getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?"

He shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. "Just planning ahead. Come on, there must be some names you like."

I thought for a moment. "Well, I've always liked the name Lily for a girl."

Nathan wrinkled his nose. "Lily? Nah, too flowery. What about... Sophia?"

"Sophia?" It was my turn to make a face. "Sounds a bit posh, doesn't it? How about Alice?"

We went back and forth like that for a while, suggesting and rejecting names, laughing at some of the more ridiculous ones. It was nice, in a bittersweet sort of way, imagining this future we would never have.

Finally, Nathan held up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. We've got time to figure out names. The important thing is, we're agreed on the countryside cottage with a dog and two kids, yeah?"

I nodded, trying to ignore the little voice in my head reminding me that I might not have as much time as we were pretending. "Yeah, sounds perfect."

Nathan must have sensed something in my voice because his expression softened. He reached out, taking my hand again. "Hey, you okay?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Nathan stood up, gently pulling me to my feet and into his arms. I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent.

"It's okay," he murmured, stroking my hair. "We don't have to talk about the future if it's too much."

I shook my head, pulling back to look at him. "No, it's not that. It's just..." I trailed off, not sure how to explain the mix of emotions swirling inside me.

Nathan cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs gently wiping away tears I hadn't even realised were falling. "Beth, listen to me. Whatever happens, whatever the future holds, I'm here. Okay? I'm not going anywhere."

I nodded, managing a watery smile. "I know. I love you, you know that?"

"I love you too," he said, leaning in to kiss me softly.

We stood there for a while, the rest of the world fading away. But as we swayed gently, almost like we were still on the swings, I remembered something. The research I'd been doing, the idea that had been growing in my mind.

I wanted to tell him. God, I wanted to tell him so badly it felt like my chest might burst. But every time I opened my mouth, the words got stuck somewhere between my heart and my lips.

"Oi, Earth to Beth!" Nathan's voice cut through my thoughts. I blinked, realizing he'd been talking to me. "Where'd you go just now?"

I forced a smile, hoping it looked more convincing than it felt. "Sorry, just... thinking."

Nathan pulled back and looked down at me. "About?"

This was it. My chance.

Just say it, Beth. Tell him about the donation. Tell him how scared you are.

"I was just thinking about what you said before," I heard myself say instead. "About the future."

Nathan's face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, this cottage of ours. Where's it going to be, exactly?"

Nathan offered me his hand. "Come on, I'll show you."

He led me over to a grassy hill overlooking the park. We flopped down side by side, and Nathan pointed at the horizon.

"See that? Right there, that's where our cottage is going to be."

I squinted, playing along. "All I see are trees and Mrs Henderson's roof."

Nathan nudged me with his shoulder. "Use your imagination, you numpty. Look past all that. See the rolling hills? The little stone cottage with smoke coming out of the chimney?"

And suddenly, I could see it. Or maybe I just wanted to see it so badly that my brain filled in the gaps.

"Yeah," I said softly. "Yeah, I see it."

Nathan grinned. "Right, so in the mornings, we'll have breakfast in the garden. Well, when it's not pissing down rain, which let's face it, is most of the time in the Scotland."

I snorted. "Sounds lovely. Nothing like soggy toast to start the day."

"Oi, cheeky! I'll have you know I make excellent toast. Only slightly burnt."

We laughed, and for a moment, I forgot about hospitals and pamphlets and all the words I couldn't say.

"What else?" I asked, not ready to let go of this dream just yet.

Nathan lay back in the grass, pulling me down next to him. "Well, we'll have the dog. Or several of them I should say, knowing you."

"Of course," I agreed. "I might adopt the whole shelter."

"Naturally. Oh, and we'll have a vegetable patch! You can grow all sorts of stuff, and I'll try to help but probably just end up pulling out half your plants thinking they're weeds."

I turned my head to look at him, taking in his profile against the setting sun. He looked so earnest, so hopeful. My heart ached with how much I loved him, and how much I wanted this future he was describing.

"Nathan," I started, my voice barely above a whisper. "I need to tell you something."

He turned to face me, his expression softening. "What is it, love?"

I opened my mouth, the words about organ donation on the tip of my tongue. But looking into his eyes, full of love and hope and dreams of our future, I couldn't do it. I couldn't be the one to bring reality crashing back down on us.

So instead, I said, "I love you. So much it scares me sometimes."

Nathan's face broke into a tender smile. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "I love you too, Beth. More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone."

I smiled up at him. "What did I do to deserve you?"

He grinned, dropping a kiss on my forehead. "Just lucky, I guess. Now, come on. I reckon I can beat you to the slide."

As we reached the slide, both of us out of breath and giggling, Nathan caught me around the waist and spun me around. "Told you I'd win," he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Oh, please," I retorted, trying to keep a straight face. "I clearly let you win. It's called being a good girlfriend."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, in that case, I suppose I should be a good boyfriend and let you go down the slide first."

He made a grand gesture towards the ladder, but as I moved to climb up, he suddenly scooped me into his arms. I let out a surprised squeal that quickly turned into laughter as he carried me up the steps.

"Nathan! Put me down, you big lump!" I protested, half-heartedly swatting at his chest.

"As you wish," he said with a grin, and before I could react, he'd plopped me down at the top of the slide and given me a gentle push.

As I reached the bottom, I turned to see Nathan coming down right behind me. He hadn't quite judged the speed right, though, and ended up tumbling off the end, landing in an ungraceful heap at my feet.

For a moment, we just stared at each other in stunned silence. Then we both burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Oh my days," I gasped, clutching my sides. "Your face!"

Nathan pulled himself up, brushing woodchips off his jeans. "Yes, yes, very funny. I meant to do that, you know. It's called a stylish dismount."

I snorted. "About as stylish as a three-legged elephant doing ballet."

He lunged for me, but I dodged out of the way, still giggling. "Catch me if you can!"

We chased each other around the playground, ducking under monkey bars and weaving between seesaws. Despite everything, despite the illness and the worry and the uncertain future, in that moment I felt truly alive. My cheeks hurt from smiling, my lungs burned from running and laughing, and my heart felt so full it might burst.

Finally, Nathan caught up to me near the climbing frame. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, both of us panting heavily.

"Gotcha," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear.

I leaned back into him, feeling the steady thump of his heart against my back. "So you have," I said softly. "What are you going to do with me now?"

He turned me in his arms, his expression suddenly serious. "This," he said, and kissed me.

It wasn't our first kiss, not by a long shot. But something about this one felt different. Maybe it was the heightened emotions of the day, or the lingering adrenaline from our chase. Whatever it was, I felt it right down to my toes.

When we finally broke apart, I was breathless for an entirely different reason. Nathan rested his forehead against mine, his eyes closed.

"I love you, Beth Reid," he whispered. "So much."

I reached up to cup his face, my thumb tracing the line of his cheekbone. "I love you too."

Eventually, Nathan pulled back slightly, a small smile playing on his lips. "You know, I've been thinking about those names."

I laughed, the solemnity of the moment broken. "Oh, have you now? Come up with any winners?"

He nodded, his face comically serious. "Oh yes. I've got it all figured out. For a boy, how about... Engelbert?"

I stared at him in disbelief before dissolving into giggles. "Engelbert? Are you having me on?"

Nathan grinned. "What? It's a perfectly respectable name. And for a girl, I was thinking... Brunhilda."

I shoved him playfully. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

He caught my hands, pulling me close again. "Ah, but you love me anyway."

"God help me, I do," I said, shaking my head.

We made our way over to a grassy area near the playground, flopping down side by side. The late afternoon sun was warm on our faces, and I could hear birds chirping in the trees nearby.

Nathan propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at me. "You know, all joking aside, I really do think about it sometimes. Our future. The life we could have together."

I felt a lump form in my throat, but I swallowed it down. "Yeah?"

He nodded, his eyes soft. "Yeah."

I laughed, picturing it. "It sounds perfect. What stuff would we do though?"

"Well, on weekends, we'd go for long walks in the countryside. Maybe have picnics by a lake or something."

"That sounds lovely," I said softly, allowing myself to get lost in the daydream.

"And in the evenings," Nathan continued, his voice low and warm, "we'd sit out in the garden, watching the sunset. Maybe with a glass of wine. And we'd talk about our day, or make plans for the future, or sometimes just sit in comfortable silence."

I felt tears prick at my eyes, but they weren't sad tears. Not really. "It's a beautiful picture, Nathan."

He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. "It is. And you know what? I believe in it. I believe in us. Whatever happens, Beth, I'm not giving up on that future. I'm not giving up on you."

I reached up, threading my fingers through his hair. "I'm not giving up either," I whispered. "On the future, on us, on anything."

As the sun began to set, painting the sky in brilliant shades of orange and pink, Nathan and I lay there in the grass, talking and laughing and dreaming. We talked about everything and nothing - our favourite childhood memories, our most embarrassing moments, our wildest dreams.

And for those few precious hours, cancer didn't exist. Hospitals and treatments and uncertain futures faded away. It was just us, just two teenagers in love, with the whole world ahead of them.

As the first stars began to appear in the darkening sky, I knew we'd have to head home soon. But for now, I was content to lie here, my head on Nathan's chest, his arms around me, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

Whatever tomorrow might bring, whatever challenges lay ahead, I knew one thing for certain: this moment, right here, right now, was perfect. And no one, not even cancer, could take that away from me.