It’s Jesse. He looks like he has just got out of the shower; his hair is wet and he smells of shower gel.

‘Hey,’ he says. ‘OK if I come in?’

I nod. ‘Of course,’ I say, sitting down on the bed.

‘How was your shopping trip? Get everything you need?’ he asks.

I nod. ‘It was fine. Good. Thank you.’ I feel wary. Jesse seems nice but I don’t know him at all and I feel like I need to be careful what I say around him. He says he’s pleased I’m back, but is he really? Maybe he might be jealous? After all it’s been him and his mum all these years as far as I understand. It must be weird to suddenly have to share her with someone else. Especially someone like me who is being welcomed back like the prodigal son. Or prodigal daughter. He might not want the disruption in his life. I wouldn’t blame him.

‘What’s that?’ he asks, inclining his head towards the tape which I had forgotten I was holding.

‘Oh.’ I blush, putting it back down on the bedside table. ‘It’s nothing. A tape I picked up when the social worker took me back to my house. I don’t think I’m supposed to have it, but I wanted something which was mine from … before.’ I probably shouldn’t tell him, but it slips out. It’s exhausting having no one except psychologists and social workers to talk to about anything. Lonely.

He nods. ‘I can understand that. What’s on it?’

‘I don’t know. I haven’t got anything to play it on. I wasn’t supposed to take anything from the house. I only took this.’ I feel myself go even redder. ‘I’m not even sure why. It was probably a stupid thing to do.’

‘Can I have a look?’ Jesse holds out his hand and I pass it to him. ‘Wow. I didn’t realize these things still existed.’

Suddenly an image flashes into my head of lying on a blanket with someone next to me, touching me, and a feeling of … of … I’m not sure what. And then in another instant, it’s gone.

Jesse is frowning at me. ‘You OK? You seemed to zone out for a few seconds there.’

‘Yeah.’ I don’t want to tell him about the image I saw. It probably wasn’t even a memory. It was probably nothing. My mind isn’t exactly reliable these days. ‘I was just thinking about what might be on the tape,’ I lie.