‘Coffee’s ready.’ I reached over and grabbed the box.

‘Where have you been sleeping?’ She looked around the room at the piles of unworn clothes and letters littered across the bed.

I shrugged. ‘Here—I just move everything when it’s time to sleep. Come, the coffee will get cold.’ I led her out of the room, placed the unopened box of protein bars in the ‘to try’ box, and sat down to drink my coffee. I would need the caffeine and alcohol if I was going to make it through the day, sorting out the mess that had become my life since the festival.

As we cleared up, Kavya and I spoke about how my following had grown. Eventually she relented, handing me back my phone when I whined that we could film an unboxing. I dressed her in some of my already reviewed clothing, put on an outfit sent by a leading brand, did her makeup and mine, and recorded the unboxing of a new diet sweet that was on the market. Within forty-five minutes, I had enough material to satisfy five new brands.

Happily, I shared how brand deals worked with Kavya, although I wasn’t entirely sure how it worked myself. At this point, I felt I was in too deep, that I might drown in my new fame. But failure was not an option. This was my life now, and I would not allow the one thing I had been dreaming of for so long to slip through my fingers because of laziness. After our third cup of coffee, I began to worry that Kavya could smell the alcohol on my breath. I suggested we eat, and she offered to go to the nearby restaurant to get some food. As the door closed behind her, I downed a quarter of the bottle of vodka in my cupboard. I picked up a handful of the appetite-suppressing sweets and chewed through them to mask the smell. When she got back with the takeaway containers, I was buzzed again, the sweets giving me the energy boost I needed. We sat on the living room floor, laughing while we ate and packed clothing and makeup into boxes. Eventually, I was able to convince her that I was tired and wanted to call it a day. Standing up from where we sat on the floor, I swayed.

‘If I didn’t know better, I would swear you were drunk,’ Kavya said, laughing at me. I laughed too, and dismissed my swaying as being lightheaded from getting up so quickly. She picked up her box, promising to return during the week after work. Closing the door behind her, I leaned back. I was drunk and tired. I needed an energy drink to help me get through the night: I needed to edit my work, post for my brands and make sure that my schedule allowed for me to get out and capture some decent shots.

I opened the kitchen cupboard and poured some vodka into my coffee cup, checking my phone to pass the time while the kettle boiled. The content from today was doing well, and some of the brands had replied with positive feedback. There was a club opening in a week, and the owners wanted me to attend. I sent back my standard gushing response, and made a note in my online calendar the way Kavya had shown me. I smiled as the message popped up, saying I would be reminded twelve hours before the event.