‘Yes, please,’ she sang from my dresser. I walked to the kitchen and poured her a single and myself a generous amount of vodka, splitting the energy drink between the two of us. I walked back into the room, feeling like my body was a heavy, lifeless weight I had to drag around.

‘Here,’ I said as I placed her drink in front of her, ‘let me help you.’ I reached for a sponge to blend her foundation and got to work on the rest of her face. When I was done with her, she examined herself in the mirror and squealed. I almost choked on my drink at the high-pitched sound.

‘You’re jumpy,’ she said, looking at me with what I thought was genuine concern.

‘I’m fine,’ I said, trying to sound convincing, ‘just a bit of a headache. Nothing that two aspirin and a good night out can’t fix.’ I winked at her with a devilish grin to hide my discomfort.

‘Oh, yes,’ she replied, slipping on her dress. ‘This party is going to be amazing! And I have already seen that Gaurav will not be attending, so you and I are free to be ourselves the whole night.’ I leaned forward to help zip her dress up. She stepped back, motioning for me to examine her.

‘I have the perfect jacket to go with that.’ I hopped off my bed and took out a black high-necked biker jacket. I searched through my costume jewellery and gave her a pair of light blue drop earrings and some matching stack bracelets, telling her to wear the boots instead of the pumps. When she was done, I changed into my outfit for the evening—a full-length gold jumpsuit with a low-cut V-neck and a cut-out back. I wore my high gold wedges and kept my jewellery to a minimum, only wearing a black cuff bracelet that would match my black clutch.

‘Oh my god, Jhanvi, you look amazing!’ Latika said as I came back into the bedroom. The energy drink and vodka were beginning to work, and I felt my energy levels begin to rise.

‘Would you take a picture of me?’ I asked as I handed her my phone. ‘I’ll return the favour.’ I posed and posted the first photo of the evening, making sure that the promoter and the club were tagged. This was a huge deal and would lead to bigger sponsorship and brand deals.

‘No, no. Turn your arm inward,’ I directed Latika while I took her photos. ‘Like this, see?’ I showed her how her arm should be placed to give the illusion of length and slimness. ‘Look here,’ I swiped between two photos that showed her pose versus mine. She looked at me, shocked.

‘That’s a massive difference!’