Jay raised his hand with a playful confidence and declared, "But I'm looking good, right?"
Esme's eyes narrowed slightly, and she tilted her head as she gave him a quick but scrutinizing once-over. Her expression was a mix of amusement and exasperation. "You're looking like a 25-year-old man," she said, her tone teasing yet blunt.
Jay's face instantly shifted to one of shock, He blinked, stunned by her assessment.
"What?" he sputtered, still processing her words. "I'm only turning 19!" His disbelief was palpable. How could she, of all people, mistake him for being so much older? Being called 25, at the ripe age of 19, felt like an insult to his youthful spirit.
He caught himself before finishing his retort. "You're looking like 25—" he began, but the words dried up in his throat as he really looked at her. She wasn't 25. She wasn't even close. Esme was pulling off something far younger, something effortlessly youthful.
