‘It wasn’t. It was just a regular swallow.’

I press play, and then, the throat noise again.

I hit pause. ‘No! I can’t do this. We’ve just started and you are already ruining it.’

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m trying not to. It’s just…’ Jesse presses his lips together, like he’s trying to suppress a smile or stop words coming out of his mouth.

‘What.’ I fold my arms again. For god’s sake.

‘I didn’t realise there would actually be vampires writing in diaries.’

‘That is the title.’ I can hear how huffy and defensive I sound. How dare he make me huffy and defensive about my own show.

‘I thought it was more symbolic than literal.’

‘Well, it’s not.’

‘Okay.’

‘Can you deal with that?’

‘Yes. I have accepted the diary writing and will not be commenting further.’ He adjusts his glasses.

‘Good.’ I press play again, then immediately hit pause, because it’s suddenly bugging me.

‘Since when do you wear glasses?’

‘Since I was sixteen.’

‘I’ve never seen you wear them.’

‘Well, my eyesight isn’t that bad. And I usually wear contacts during the day.’

‘Why?’

‘Well, it’s easier to run in contacts and less hassle, I don’t have to worry about forgetting my glasses and, I guess, I look kind of dorky in the glasses.’ He looks a little flustered, like he didn’t mean to say that last bit. There it is. Hello, ego.

I almost say I told you so, but I swallow it down.

‘You don’t look dorky,’ I say, without thinking.

He grins, and looks at me in exaggerated wonderment.

‘I think that’s the first nice thing you’ve said to me. A compliment from Brooke.’ He sighs, put his hand on his heart. ‘Wow, wow, wow.’

‘It was hardly a compliment.’ Now I am flustered. I don’t like being accused of giving compliments. He knows about my favourite comfort show and my exploding cyst and I’ve now said something too nice, and the whole night is practically ruined because I am being exposed and he is not.

‘What was it then?’

‘I was just stating a fact.’

‘It’s a fact that I look good in glasses?’ His eyes are wide with delight.

‘I didn’t say that. But yes. Most guys do. And girls.’ He is not special. I like glasses. The right pair of glasses can elevate everyone.

‘I think that’s definitely a compliment.’

‘Well you are free to take it that way.’

‘I am going to.’

‘But just so you know, I don’t consider it to be. And as the compliment giver, I really should be the one to know.’

‘Noted. But it’s still going in my compliments journal.’

‘Go for it.’