‘Can you imagine what he’s thinking, getting this message out of the blue at one in the morning?’ I say, and we’re both helplessly laughing, the kind that moves into hysteria the more you try to stop it, the kind that is impossible to explain to anyone not there in the moment with you.

‘See, I think this proves I don’t care about what other people think,’ Jesse says.

‘No, it doesn’t. The idea of not being cool terrifies you.’

‘I’m not cool though,’ he says.

‘Oh please. You only say that because you think a cool person would never admit to being cool. That a cool person wouldn’t identify with the word cool at all. Which is true, a cool person wouldn’t, but someone worried they’re not cool also wouldn’t.’

‘Help, I’m trapped by your logic.’

‘Just accept my psychological assessment and adjust your life accordingly.’

‘Okay, but you know what wasn’t on my list of flaws?’

‘What?’

‘Making fun of other people’s TV shows.’

‘Oh that’s on there. It’s just not in your top three. It’s, like, number twenty-two on the list.’

He laughs. ‘How long is this list?’

‘It doesn’t have a definite end point yet.’

‘I think the fact you are too scared to put on a TV show in front of me tells me you are the one actually afraid of what others think.’

I sit with that for a second. Damn. He’s probably right.

‘Okay. Fine. You win. But I’m only afraid of your judgment because girls are taught to be ashamed of the stuff they like. I’ll put on my show.’

‘Do I get to know what it is before you press play?’

‘No.’

‘Brooke,’ he says, and I determinedly squash down my body’s reaction to how cutely he says my name.

‘Fine. It’s The Vampire Diaries. A show I have rewatched every year since I was twelve. It’s very important to me, on an emotional-support level. And I don’t want to hear whatever you’re thinking,’ I say. I am trying to sound very stern.

‘I’m not thinking anything,’ he says.

‘I saw your face when I said the word vampire and then also your face when I said the word diaries.’

‘My face was neutral!’

‘Your face was not neutral.’

‘I won’t ruin your vampire-journal show, I promise,’ he says, grinning.

‘You will ruin it. Saying that, right then, already puts you right on the edge of ruining it.’ I fold my arms.

‘What if I watch one episode with you, and show you how non-judgmental I can be?’

‘No.’

‘Just the pilot.’

‘The pilot is quite bad,’ I say.

‘So skip to a good episode.’

‘I don’t ever skip the first episode. I love the first episode.’

‘You just said it was bad.’