‘Shall we?’ He took her hand and walked into the club. Radhika felt a familiar surge of anxiety as she wondered if she would fit in with the crowd, but was reassured when Madhav held her hand tightly as they climbed the dimly lit stairs.

There were over three hundred people dancing to incredibly loud music in the club. A few couples sat on couches, enjoying their drinks. There were single people at the bar, too, looking around for prospects to hit on as the night progressed. Madhav looked at Radhika closely as she ran her manicured hands, with fingernails painted red, through her brown hair. Her hair curled around her face and her swanlike neck.

‘Gosh! I am not made for these parties,’ she said, looking at the girls dancing on the floor. Most of them wore short clothes, had coloured hair and flaunted expensive accessories.

‘Ms Counsellor, as you said, we go to places for ourselves, not to fit in with other people. Happiness is not in the place or the people, it is within us. So let’s dance! Nobody is going to judge you here.’ Madhav looked into her eyes and Radhika felt her insides unclench.

‘I seriously doubt the kind of therapist you are if you’re so anxious about a silly club. Smile please,’ he said, putting her at ease.

They walked towards the bar. ‘I will have a tequila shot. What about you?’ Madhav looked at Radhika. She seemed to be at a total loss. She gawked at the different brands of alcohol on the shelves.

‘Umm, well, I don’t drink,’ she mumbled.

‘What? Tell me you are lying,’ he said.

‘I mean, I used to, but it’s been a long time.’

‘Let’s just let loose tonight, Radhika,’ he said and asked the bartender for two tequila shots.

They looked at the people dancing and grinding to the latest hits. ‘It all seems so pretentious sometimes. These expensive clothes, the make-up . . . just to project a certain image,’ she said, in a deprecating tone.

‘Not tonight, please. We should discuss these things during our next meditation session.’ She snickered as the bartender put down two shots in front of them.

‘Bottoms up?’ he asked. She nodded as he counted down from three and they knocked back the shots. He laughed as she rubbed her chest at the burning sensation.

‘One more?’ he asked and to his surprise she said yes. They had three shots, screwing up their faces at the strong aftertaste.

The DJ changed the music to old-school tunes and ‘Love Hangover’ by Diana Ross came on.

‘We have to dance to this,’ she said and turned towards the floor.

‘Are you the same Radhika? Or is this the alcohol talking?’

‘Oh just come on!’

‘Oh no! Dancing isn’t my thing,’ he said.

‘Let’s let loose tonight, Madhav!’ She winked at him and took off her heels.

‘But I look dumb while dancing,’ he whined.

‘Just follow my lead,’ she said. He couldn’t say no after hearing the excitement in her voice, so he followed her to the dance floor.