‘I know,’ I told her. ‘I’ll help you tonight, maybe we can get you some new followers.’ My phone rang; the car was waiting for us downstairs. I couldn’t help comparing her to Kavya. This life wasn’t new to Latika; she knew the drill; it wasn’t exciting.

‘The car is waiting for us.’ I downed my drink before picking up my clutch. Latika followed suit.

In the car to the club, we chatted briefly, but I couldn’t speak much, I needed to monitor my stats and go through the evening’s itinerary. Latika seemed content, chatting to her boyfriend and scrolling through her social media.

When we reached the club, we saw hundreds of people standing around, waiting to enter. The music from inside was loud—we had been able to hear it when turning into the street. We got out of the cab and were greeted by the club owner. He extended his hand and leaned closer so that I could hear him over the noise of the crowds, who were anxious to get into the club and start their evening.

‘So, you will cut the ribbon and then we will escort you in.’ I nodded in acknowledgement, feeling overwhelmed. ‘Once inside, you will do a thirty-minute meet and greet in the VIP area with our competition winners, and then the rest of the evening is yours.’

‘Thanks,’ I muttered, trying to smile through the anxiety I could feel building inside me. I felt out of my depth, like I didn’t belong. This was something I had wanted for so long, and now that I had it, I wasn’t sure if it really was everything it was cut out to be. I forced the thoughts out of my head, trying to focus on the task at hand. Cut the ribbon, take some photos and then the rest of the night was mine.

The ceremonial scissors felt heavy in my hand, as I cut the ribbon to the cheers of the party-goers who were blocked off by a velvet rope. Inside, I was handed a glass of champagne and shown to the VIP area. The sweet bubbles burned my throat and stomach, but soon, the familiar warmth took over.

‘I love you!’ A girl entered the VIP area, clutching her phone, which was already open on my social media profile.