‘Close your eyes,’ he says softly.

I hesitate, and then close my eyes.

He gently touches the tissue to the side of my eyelids, and softly dabs. His knuckles brush my skin. I swallow. I’m scared I’m blushing. What is wrong with me?

‘Okay,’ he says.

I open my eyes. He’s still very close to me.

‘Wait, let me…Look up,’ he says. His voice, quiet and close to me like this, makes goosebumps appear on my neck. I hope no one notices.

He dabs under my eyes too, so gently the tissue barely seems to be touching my skin.

‘Done,’ he says, and picks up a phone and takes a few photos.

‘Should I smile, or what?’ I say.

‘Wait. One more second.’ Jesse steps forward again and moves a piece of my hair, pushing it back off my forehead. I don’t like the way his hands on my forehead make me feel. No. That’s not right. I very much like the way it makes me feel but I also don’t like that it makes me feel that. I’m flustered now. I just need him to stay a good metre away from me.

Clearly I need this date. My hormones have gone awry.

‘Look over there and think about Damon Salvatore,’ Jesse says.

His casual little Vampire Diaries reference makes me smile against my will.

‘Got it!’ Harper says, looking over Jesse’s shoulder.

And sure enough, there’s a picture of me, my face thoughtful and smiling, looking not at the camera but somewhere near it. Candid and relaxed. A portrait but not a portrait.

‘Jesse, you did it!’ Harper says. ‘Stunning! I’m sending it to you, Brooke. And you, Pen.’

‘Perfect,’ says Penny, receiving the picture on her phone. ‘I’m sending it to Henry right now.’

Later, in bed, I look at the photo. I do look good. I look like me, in a way that feels personal, vulnerable, honest.

I think about how it felt when Jesse touched my face, the smell of his hoodie, his voice when it was quiet and low, and then I push those thoughts away.

17

17

I’ve agreed to go on a date with Henry.