Keeping Secrets

Chapter 5

Gaurav decided to talk to Maya next. She seemed reserved, but something told him that she would be able to bring up the cracks and rifts everyone else ignored so that they could believe their friendship was perfect. When Maya got to the details of the first game they had played the previous evening, he realised he was right.

The multitude of beady, boho charms, bracelets and bangles in her hand clinked like chimes as she nervously tucked a loose curl behind her ear.

"Ruby can be a little self-centre's sometimes. She lives on that Chatsnap app, and that's all she cares about," Maya reluctantly laid context for what she was about to bring up next.

That's what Gaurav wanted to hear! He was getting exhausted of the picture-perfect friendship that this group was pushing from the get-go. The justice that Nikki's unrecognisable body screamed for was far more important than how a bunch of youngsters wanted the world to see them.

"Once Ruby got the game going, it started out with some simple, fun questions and dares, but things changed quickly once the camera came out. Her questions and dares started to get more... wicked, like..." Maya hesitated a little, perhaps thinking of the right words to quote an instance in favour of what she had just mentioned. Gaurav just waited patiently, allowing the silence to get awkward.

"Like, she asked Nikki to kiss Ryan for a dare, and that was really mean because everyone knows that... they... they're just.. best friends and they already get this a lot. I mean, Ryan even has a girlfriend, right? I don't know what Ruby was thinking. She went on about how they should kiss and give themselves a chance. She said some nonsense about letting the world decide if they had chemistry or not. I think Ruby is one of those people who just need the excuse of being drunk!"

Maya paused briefly, perhaps wondering if her entire testimonial so far had sounded like pent-up resentment, but quickly dismissed it like an intrusive thought and continued, "Everyone was pleading with her to cut it. Finally, Ryan just walked away into the villa and Nikki ran off into the woods crying. Even Kevin, who is the most patient person in our group lost his temper on Ruby for thinking it's cool to entertain her online friends at the expense of other people who clearly didn't enjoy it. When Nikki did not come back for a little over five minutes, Kevin said he will go find her, and I joined him, and I think Aryan stayed back trying to talk sense into Ruby.

By the time we cheered Nikki up and returned, Ruby had already apologised to Ryan and brought him back to the party. She came running with teary eyes and hugged Nikki, telling her how much she loved Nikki and how she could never hurt her. She apologised and said that she was just joking. Nikki, of course, forgave her before her own tears had dried. It was that easy to mend things with Nikki. She was a little too kind and loving. I can't imagine why anyone would ever want to hurt her?" Maya had started out as if it were a rant but seemed to get more careful with her words after the brief pause she had taken.

Gaurav passed her some water and waited for her to take a sip before asking, "So what happened after you all came back?"

"We had another drink and chose to play something more lighthearted."

The rest of her story lined up with Kevin's. She had spent quite some time talking to Anushka in the gazebo until she and Kevin had taken Nikki upstairs, after which they had come down to join the others for a dance.

Maya also made it clear that the only people she could doubt were the boy band, whom she did not know at all or the villa staff, particularly the manager, Raghav, who, in her words was "a total perv"

"I'm sorry you had to face that. Can you tell me what he said or did exactly?"

Maya's demeanour changed suddenly. She became quiet and her face fell. "He... he had a picture of Anushka and me drinking, with a particular focus on my plunging neckline, and was trying to extort money saying cheap things about how dangerous it could be for us, as girls if anyone saw it. Thankfully, Kevin and Aryan handled it, and we did not see him or his crew for the rest of the night"