Page 26 of I Knew You Were Trouble

Half an hour later, Ravi Bala is sitting in a chair in Meredith’s room, with Meredith applying some make-up to his face, after Duncan hooked him up with his microphone. After some deliberation on lighting, I’ve decided to close the curtains, the lights we’ve powered up focused purely on Ravi from the waist up. The contrast between his shirt and his dark skin is striking, and I can envisage the interview in black and white on a wide screen.

‘So how are the guys today?’ Meredith is asking. ‘You enjoying the Four Seasons? What’s going on with everybody?’

Ravi gives a shrug. Observing him over the brief moments that I’ve managed over the last week, I’ve come to see him as the shyest, sweetest of the bunch, with a beautiful, dimpled smile.

‘Korean…’ Ravi hums. ‘Right now, all we do is learn Ko-re-an and rehearse that damn track.’

‘Yeah? For “Gangnam Style”?’ Meredith laughs whilst Duncan works around me. ‘Who’s got it down?’

I look back down at my list of questions, not quite sure how this will pan out, yet I’m interested to catch any updates. Since the night in Tokyo, Aidan McArthur has virtually blanked me, as though pretending I don’t exist. I should be glad, yet his image has taken up permanent residence in my brain, taunting me, threatening to leave my next project for Silverpix, and my career, hanging by a thread.

Ravi grins. ‘I mean, I gotta hand it to Cal. Like, he has no idea what he’s actually saying but man, that guy can really mimic the original. But hey, guess he had it down as a kid, right? That’s why we’re doin’ it. He’s got Miller truly worried. It’s like Miller can’t get his tongue around all the pronunciation, you know?’

‘Miller’s tongue’s probably been otherwise engaged,’ Duncan mumbles under his breath.

Ravi laughs. ‘That’s no lie. He always did like our trips to Asia.’

‘You think he prefers Asian girls, to like… Western girls?’ Meredith asks.

‘If a girl shows willing, I don’t think he cares what nationality she is.’

Duncan lets out a snort of contempt, holding his light metre in the vicinity of Ravi’s hairline.

‘Uh, Lexi?’ Ravi asks, shifting in the chair. ‘Do I get the questions in advance?’

‘If you don’t mind, I’ve decided not to share them first,’ I tell him, softening my tone. ‘I’ve been refining them for a few days though. You’re the first interview, so… you’re the guinea pig, sorry, Ravi.’

‘That’s cool,’ Ravi replies. ‘I mean, Ziggy came in at breakfast and said one of us had to go, and Aidan said we weren’t doin’ it, but then he and Zig got into this argument about Silverpix and money and stuff… and Ziggy said we had to, and no one else volunteered… I mean, I was the only one to put my hand up so…’

I blink at him. ‘You mean, Aidan’s still telling everyone not to come to me for an interview?’

‘I mean, he is, but Zig overruled him. I think Cal said he would go next, but the other three…’

His voice tails off and I feel my heart sink. I tried making peace with Aidan and look how that turned out. Yet still he’s trying to tear me down.

‘Uhm, Lexi, I was wondering,’ Ravi says. ‘I was thinking… I wondered if we can avoid the topic of, you know… me and… girls.’

I look him in the face. A key issue I planned on asking each of the boys about is relationships, particularly with the opposite sex. I glance back down to my notes. ‘Sure, I can leave that out if you want. We don’t have to get into any specifics. It was more of a general question.’

Meredith finishes what she’s doing and Ravi shifts in his chair. ‘I’d rather not talk about that stuff, that’s all. My mom’ll be watching.’

I make a point of scrubbing out one question with my pen to make him more comfortable. ‘Sure. It’ll just be me and you. Dunc, are you done?’

Duncan beckons me over to the video monitor he’s set up. I nod at the image of Ravi displayed.

‘Ravi, I have to ask that you remain relatively still throughout. Otherwise, you’ll go out of frame.’

When Ravi flashes a cheeky smile and nods in agreement, I turn back to Duncan. ‘Can you take Meredith downstairs for a coffee or something? Come back in about ninety minutes? Or I’ll text you.’

‘Nay problem,’ Duncan says and I smile towards Meredith, who gathers up her things. Duncan makes a couple of final checks to the equipment, and when they are gone, I lock the door.

‘Ravi, before we begin, can I ask your opinion on something?’ I ask.

‘Sure.’

‘It’s about Aidan,’ I say. ‘I wanted to ask why you think he’s… so against me being here. Why he doesn’t seem to trust me.’

Ravi gives a shrug. ‘I mean, he’s not really said anything. Aidey’s one of the good ones, you know. We all look up to him.’

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