‘No,’ I shouted back. ‘I slept through my alarm. Put the kettle on, won’t you?’ I walked into the bathroom. Closing the door behind me, I turned the tap on to mask the sound of what I knew was coming. Leaning over the toilet, I emptied the contents of my stomach. Hours-old alcohol burned my throat with every heave. I flushed and sprayed the bathroom with a room freshener. I quickly brushed my teeth and applied some makeup before I headed out to Latika in the kitchen. She was leaning against the counter, phone in hand, and a big smile on her face.

‘New guy?’ I asked, while I took out the mugs for the coffee.

‘Is it that obvious?’ She smiled. ‘And this one treats me right! Three sugars please, a bit of a rough night,’ she said, winking at me, insinuating that I should know how she felt.

‘So, I was thinking,’ I stirred the freshly made coffee and placed it in front of her, ‘I have this club opening on Friday; do you want to come with me?’

She clapped her hands in excitement.

‘Yes, of course!’

‘Okay, so let’s go to the market today, see if there’s anything you like, and I can decide on your outfit.’ She eyed me, and I wondered if I had overstepped.

‘Are you sure? I mean, wouldn’t you rather take someone who has a bigger following?’ I couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not. I missed Kavya, missed knowing exactly how to read her reactions.

‘I didn’t mean to offend you, Latika, I just …’ I trailed off, trying to find the words that would help her understand what I didn’t. ‘I like to dress people up. It’s always been my thing. You know, take their style and elevate it to the next level?’ She burst out laughing. This woman has far too much energy for this early in the morning, I thought.

‘No offence was taken,’ she said, lifting her hands in a gesture that was a little too much like Gaurav. ‘I would love to accompany you, and I would love to have you dress me. It’s just that I’m a little short on cash. Moving out of Gaurav’s and into my own place has knocked me a little bit, and I don’t have much savings to spend on new outfits.’

‘Oh please,’ I said, shaking my head at her, ‘as long as you aren’t insisting on Louis Vuitton, I have you covered.’ She grinned at me.

‘Right,’ I announced. ‘Let me get dressed, and we will hit the market.’ I walked out of the room, shouting for her to make herself comfortable.