Oliver sighs and gets to his feet. ‘Okay, I’ll get the camera set up.’ He fetches the equipment from my cupboard and starts to fiddle with the el-cheapo tripod stand.

I go to the bathroom to check my hair, smooth down the fuzz. Maybe I should try to look a little older in the videos. I put on some mascara and gloss. Better.

Before I head back to Oliver, I open Stella’s page again. She’s posted a short video of her talking to a crowd of hundreds at a university.

A red notification pops up telling me someone’s liked my comment. Clicking on her name—Issie Yam—I see she’s a vegan, judging from her pictures and shares. She looks about my age, and she volunteers at an animal rescue and fosters kittens and cats who would otherwise be on death row. I press Add Friend.

Finding Stella meant finding an entire social media universe, and I went down the rabbit hole into the online animal rights movement. I click back to the Activists Unite group again and hover over the sign to join. Should I?

Yes.

My heart beats faster as I hit the button, and a page pops up asking me a series of questions about my background in activism.

‘What’s taking you so long?’ Oliver calls.

I put my phone away and return to my bedroom, taking a seat on the bed.

Oliver perches next to me, siting close so we both fit in the video frame. His thigh presses against mine. The camera’s facing us, bedroom light on and curtains closed to stop the backlight; a towel’s squished under my door to reduce unexpected noise. I’m wearing a new T-shirt featuring an elephant and the words Born to be Free, along with my usual cut-off shorts. Oliver’s in a grey singlet and his usual whale-tail necklace. His hair’s grown longer and is flipped to one side, surfy style.

He nods. We count silently to three, smiling into the camera, and then I start.

‘News from the animal world! My name’s Sky and—’

‘I’m Oliver.’

‘This week we’ve discovered—what have we discovered, Oliver?’

We’re going for the ping-pong dialogue effect.

‘Wait, hold on. You’re in the shadow.’ Oliver repositions the bedside lamp. Meanwhile, Bella scratches the shag rug before curling up on it. We start again, from the beginning.

‘What have we discovered, Oliver?’

‘Well, Sky—’ he looks at me; his expression is so adorable, ‘we’ve found out …’ I bite my lip, trying not to smile. Oh my god, I love him; I just can’t say it. Not until he does. ‘… We’ve found out all about crustaceans. Hold on.’ He jumps up and stops the camera. ‘Let’s do that take again.’

He re-sets the camera and I kiss him quickly. ‘Ready?’