The moment I knew: ‘He put down the camera and asked permission to kiss me’

‘He was the whole package: tall, handsome and charming, with a great sense of humour and a geeky side that matched my own’: author Susan Hayes with Craig at the Malahat Skywalk in British Columbia, Canada, in 2023. Photograph: Supplied

When 2023 rolled around, I was ready for a change. I’d spent the Covid years locked down in Victoria, Canada. I had quit my day job at the end of 2019 to write full-time and travel, only for the world to shut down.

During those long, lonely years, I kept myself distracted by playing an online game. Nothing fancy, just a phone game about surviving a zombie apocalypse. It was a bit of fun and a way to connect with people from around the world. One of those people was a fellow named Craig.