Kiara in her little pink crop top above.

la vie en rose

(n.) life through rose-coloured glasses

It had been weeks since Kiara's date with Chris, days in which her mind had taken to reliving that night. Her thoughts were plagued with memories of his hands searing across the skin of her thighs, the scent of cinnamon, hearts beating wildly in unison. She touched her lips, shaking her head in an attempt to try and forget as a blush reddened her cheeks. It both excited and scared her that she was growing this attached to him in such a short span of time. It was starting to get worrying. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Vijay throwing suspicious glances her way, most likely understanding the subject of her wistfulness was her new mystery man.

 Breaking her away from her pensive state, he smirked, "He didn't fuck you into oblivion yet, right?"

"What?," she squeaked.

"Your mystery man."

Slapping his arm, she huffed, "Shut up."

"Fine, fine. I know you well enough, sweetheart. You're old school."

"Well, gee thanks. Now I feel like a relic."

He winked, "Don't worry, I'm always here to dust you off if need be."

Laughing as they drove into the Arts District to a restaurant well recommended by their peers, Kiara and Vijay stepped out of the car as Jimmy and Sanjay surrounded them to push reporters and paparazzi away.

From beside her, one of the reporters shoved his camera in her face and shouted, "Are you two on a date?"

She furrowed her brows but pushed forwards as Vijay turned to smirk at the reporter, who apparently still didn't get the hint and pressed, "Oh, I get it! You're probably just friends with benefits."

Unable to hold in her shock, she scoffed, "That's an awfully invasive question, don't you think?"

He stiffened as the reported nudged him with a familiarity they didn't share, "Of course she can't admit it but just between us guys, did you get the goods?"

Sensing Vijay's explosive reaction, Kiara whipped around to face the swarm of paparazzi and reporters as cameras flashed all around them, no doubt realising a money shot was in the making. Body still fraught with tension, she willed herself to relax as an easy smirk slid into place and she rested her elbow on his shoulder.

"Women can do anything men can do," she interjected sweetly, waving her fingers in the direction of the man in particular who had spoken up; "and I hate to state the obvious but I don't think you could wear the heels I do while you did it."

A few chuckles erupted from the crowd and Kiara smirked as the reporter's cheeks reddened. Good, she was glad. He should've thought twice before presenting such an intrusive question.

Vijay made no attempt to hide his satisfaction, releasing a loud guffaw as he shoved the reporter and leaned forwards to mock, "Just between us guys, how did your misogynistic ass take that?"

Ignoring the reporter's outraged response, the two of them made their way into the restaurant as Kiara linked her arm with Vijay's. People at the restaurant turned to survey them, recognising their faces as they ignored the few that pulled out their phones to subtly take photos of them. At this point in their careers, privacy was a luxury neither of them possessed so they had taken to enjoying the present without allowing others to interfere in their happiness.

 He pulled out her chair, bending to whisper in her ear, "I forgot to tell you but you look fit as fuck."

She rested her head on her fist, "Well aren't you just a regular Shakespeare."

Moving to sit across her, he flamboyantly shook out the napkin and lay it across his lap, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

"Why yes, kind sir," she raised a brow and took a sip of water.

"Thou art hot as fuck."

Almost spitting out her water, Kiara swatted Vijay's arm and frantically tried to calm the coughing fit her lungs threatened to start. They joked around some more as dinner was eventually served and she rolled her eyes as the waitress' gaze lingered on him for longer as usual. Tucking into the dishes before them, she let out a small moan of satisfaction as the fragrant spices in the pesto sauce touched her tongue.

 Pretending to be scandalised, he gasped, "Young lady, noises like that should only be saved for one's bed chambers."

Playing along, she fanned her face, "Good sir, your reaction only indicates your lack of experience eliciting such noises from a woman."

"So that's how it's going to be, huh?"

Turning her nose up, she smiled, "Yup."

Commotion sounded from outside the restaurant and Vijay flicked his eyes to the entrance, recognition flaring as he put down his utensils. Someone walked up, stopping behind her as she angled her face and glimpsed his white sneakers. She slowly trailed her gaze along his muscled legs clad in black jeans, across the broad expanse of his chest straining against the form-fitting navy shirt and to the steel blue orbs trained on her face. Chris smirked, as if sensing her attraction to him, while Robert's eyes ping-ponged between them, gradually understanding the unspoken relationship between the two.

Interrupting whatever trance the two were in, he chuckled, "Fancy seeing you two here. Date night?"

She leaned back in her seat and snorted, "Not you too."

"I'm just messing with you. How's the food?"
Vijay perked up, "Better than your humour apparently."

"What can I say, I like to smile at people who don't like me," Robert smirked.

"Another shitty joke. That's what spending too much time with a stick up your ass does to you."

Strings of tension grew taut as Robert wait a beat before letting out a surprised laugh. Even Chris turned to watch his friend in shock, having prepared for a biting quip, but he playfully hit Vijay on the back and brushed off the insult.

She flicked Vijay's nose, "This is why you don't have any friends."

He scrunched his face at her, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"People say I'm emotionally unavailable," she retorted, blinking innocently as Chris choked on his laugh.

Kiara and Vijay smiled at each other, never admitting it but always knowing with every fibre of their being that they were one another's platonic soulmates. After catching up, Robert and Chris moved to sit at their reserved table as they waited for the rest of their friends to join. By the time she was halfway through her pasta, the restaurant was packed full as the sounds of overlapping conversation amongst various Marvel cast and crew members travelled from their table across the room.

The remainder of the evening was spent with her and Chris shooting each other longing glances. As much as she tried to disguise her attraction to him with aversion, Vijay knew her like the back of his hand and almost immediately discerned her fascination with the striking actor. He waited a moment for her attention to drift back to him before glancing pointedly at Chris' table then giving her a knowing look. Holding her breath for a few seconds, she waited for the interrogation but frowned when one never came. 

Overlooking his ambiguous mood, the environment remained relatively light-hearted as they finished up their meals. Politely waving goodbye to their fellow actors, they made their way out to the car in silence. Vijay momentarily wondered whether he should release the questions floating around his head but knew that nothing would come of it. So he closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. When he opened his eyes again, he let all his worries go with that breath. When the time came, Kiara would speak to him herself. The two best friends bid goodnight to one another and separated to their respective houses Deciding he was feeling rather tired of acting responsibly for one night, he scrolled through the abundant list of women in his contacts and chose a random number to text.

The next day, Vijay awoke with bleary eyes and a pounding migraine as he read the clock and jumped out of bed upon realising it was already well past noon. His room smelt of cheap perfume and sex as he groaned, groggily shuffling to the kitchen to fetch some aspirin and water. Unlocking the front door, Kiara strolled past his shirtless form in search of the toffee popcorn he stocked up for her and tossed the floatie folded into the shape of an airplane at him. His face was the picture of guilt as he quickly tugged on a shirt while she filled a small bowl with the snack. She sank into the sofa in front of him, recoiling when she felt something cold and rough press against her thigh.

 Holding up the denim booty shorts previously wedged under the sofa, she quirked a brow, "Forget something?"

He squirmed, "Um–"

"And don't tell me it's yours, that ass is too big to fit into these."

Twisting to look at his backside, he gasped, "Take that back!"

She crossed her arms, "Who's is it?"

Scratching his head, he mumbled, "It's, um, Candi's"

"I'm sorry, I think I missed that. Did you say Ca-caannn-caannd–"

Unable to make eye-contact with her, he huffed, "Candi!"

"Candi."

"Candi," throwing the shorts onto the floor in annoyance, he clarified; "with an I."

She sarcastically quipped, "Candi with an I. Sounds like the embodiment of classy... with an I."

He nodded in acceptance, "Alright, give it to me. I'm a disgusting pig, couldn't even hold up one month..."

Looking surprised, she crossed one leg over the other and sat back, "Well, hello there. Somebody's brain finally made an appearance. How do you feel?"

"What's it to you?"

"Evading the question," she tapped her chin mockingly; "solid tactic– not my first choice, but a good strategy nevertheless."

"Kiara."

"You look upset."

"I'm not. I just don't appreciate this ambush."

"All this passive aggressiveness is giving me hives."

Putting his hands on his hips, he narrowed his eyes, "Get out."

She gasped, "Would you look at that? A breath through!"

He took a steading breath and moved towards her but she grabbed the blanket off his couch and held it up in front of her, stopping him in place, "Blankie? Don't worry, this is a safe space."

Getting annoyed with Kiara's antics, Vijay picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder as he began walking towards the front door. She slapped his back, kicking and screaming until he eventually put her down in fear of the neighbours thinking someone was being murdered.

He rubbed his forehead in frustration, "Truth. No holding back."

Kiara mulled over the entire situation and while Vijay was technically cheating, she had no doubt that Nargis was doing the same. The two of them were sex fiends and on a good day, they slept with each other but otherwise, their relationship was relatively open. At least it was for Nargis but she placed a lot more restrictions for him. It was one of the reasons Kiara felt so unsure of the longevity of their relationship.

She sighed, "Nargis said yes knowing this side of you. Accepting it. Chances are, she already expected this."

Looking at her with uncertainty in his eyes, she reassured, "Apart from your obvious lack of standards, I don't see why she'd have a problem with it when she does the same thing."

He shrugged, "Eh, fuck it. This is starting to cause more problems than it's worth."

Already tiring of this conversation, Kiara shook her head and turned to leave as she realised repeating the same argument to Vijay wouldn't make a difference unless he finally confronted Nargis with the facts. Unfortunately, his irrational fear of loneliness prevented him from making any decisions that may ruin the fragile system his relationship functioned on. She could only wait and hope he would realise the absurdity of his logic without her prompting.

Throwing her hands up, she spun around and walked away, "Okay, okay. You win. I'm leaving."

He half-heartedly muttered, "Well colour me impressed, you're backing off without any convincing from me?"

She raised a brow, shooting him an unimpressed look, "That would be all the shades of I don't give a shit."

Bringing a hand up to his mouth, he gasped, "You kiss your man with that mouth?"

"Who said I had a man," she winked.

Vijay's boisterous laughter trailed Kiara out the house as she left, pulling her phone out when it vibrated to alert her of a new text message.

Chris: Fancy a dance with me?

Kiara: You any good?

Chris: Maybe.

Kiara: Well, look who's being all mysterious.

Chris: Is that a yes?

Kiara: No.

Chris: Why can't you ever just let me flirt with you?

Kiara: Because you'd stop if I made it easy.

Chris: One day that smart mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble.

Kiara: I am trouble.

Chris: And don't I know it. Pick you up at 8!

Placing her phone to charge, Kiara looked at her reflection in the mirror as she observed the cheesy grin plastered across her face. God, she was so whipped. She had learnt a long time ago that believing the rumours was the fastest way to kill any trust. Yet, she couldn't help but feel wary after hearing those surrounding Chris' apparent womanising ways. Intuition told her that he was honest but instinct forced her to remain uneasy and maintain those high walls surrounding her heart. Shaking her head to clear the negative thoughts, she considered his wording and narrowed down the location to either a club or bar. Sifting through her wardrobe for something sexy but still socially acceptable to wear in public, she grabbed a bright pink crop top and a layered brown miniskirt. 

Finally out of her sweatpants and into something a little more glamorous, Kiara slipped out of her dressing gown and moved to change into the chosen outfit. Out of nowhere, Vijay barrelled into her room holding up his phone as he attempted to form out an appropriate breakup text.

He paused, noting her half-naked state as she stood in fuchsia lace lingerie, "For fuck's sake, must you test my restraint?"

Huffing out a laugh, she tugged the miniskirt over the curve of her ass while he pretended not to enjoy the view, "Is it working?"

"If destroying my appetite before dinner was your goal, then yes."

She pulled on her crop top before bending over to slip on her stilettos seductively and winked, "Okay, from now on I'll just tempt you after dinner."

Throwing his head back, Vijay squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled deeply before taking a step away as he backed down for once in his life. For whatever reason, Kiara was in a flirty mood and today was simply not the right time for him to play along. He feared his lack of relationship commitments would end in a night of bad decisions– one their friendship simply wouldn't recover from. Acting out sex scenes on camera was one thing but playing out those emotions in reality was a whole other monster in itself and he wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot pole.

Holding his hands up in surrender, he simply shrugged and walked back out of the house, "Alright, sweetheart. You win, I'm leaving. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"That's barely any restriction then," she snorted.

"Shit, don't do anything I would do."

"That's more like it."

An hour later, Chris' sleek black sports car rolled up outside as he stepped outside to hold the car door open for Kiara. She slid into the car, hugging her coat closer to her body as she tried to conserve her body heat. Getting in beside her, he quickly increased the heating to warm her up before driving away. She watched him from the corner of her eyes, taking in the chiselled cut of his face and basking in the warmth of his scent– rich cinnamon and something uniquely him. He brought those steel blue orbs to her face, smiling softly as they sat in comfortable silence. 

Never in her life had she ever imagined silence could be comforting but somehow with him, all her discomforts evaporated. He hummed along absentmindedly to the generic country song playing softly in the background as she hid her smile, amused at how utterly American he looked. The man was dressed in flannel, wearing Chuck Taylors and bopping along to country songs.

Upon reaching, they kept their heads lowered in an attempt to remain unnoticed as they entered the rustic bar on Hollywood Boulevard. Low lighting only added to the cosy atmosphere as music throbbed and vibrated across the dance floor, pulsing against Kiara's skin. Sweat-covered bodies writhed against each other to the beat of the song as smaller groups of people lounged on surrounding tables. Chris brought her to the back corner of the bar, ordering a beer as she asked for some apple juice.

Noting his incredulous expression, she held up a finger, "I don't drink. Problem?" 

Halting the small chuckle from escaping his throat, he shook his head, "No, ma'am." 

"Good."

He leaned back in his seat, "You're cute when you're bossy, you know that?"

"I've been called much worse."

The waiter returned with their drinks, placing the beer bottle in front of Chris and laughing as he gave Kiara her glass of juice.

She raised a brow, instantly intimidating the waiter, "Don't even."

The waiter shrugged and backed away as he laughed, "If you don't mind me asking, why don't you drink?"

Considering her answer, she mumbled, "I like to be in control."

Taking a large swig of his beer, Chris stood up and held his hand out to Kiara in a silent offer to dance. She stared at his extended hand for a moment then sighed and slipped her hand into his, damning the consequences to hell. He pulled her up, bringing his hands to her waist to stabilise her as she stumbled into his chest.

Smiling sheepishly, he winced, "Would you believe me if I said that was an accident?"

Narrowing her eyes, Kiara grabbed Chris' hand and tugged him after her onto the dance floor. Trying his hardest to keep his eyes from trailing down along her alluring form, he trained his eyes on the back of her head and let her take the lead. Almost as if feeling his gaze, she added an extra sway to her hips then stopped abruptly in the centre of the dance floor. Raising her arms above her head and bringing them down to track along her body, she swung her hips to the beat and ran a hand through her glossy black locks. She danced hypnotically as he watched her, mesmerised by the woman before him. 

Ruffled hair and fire in her eyes, Kiara was the embodiment of wild and carefree. A whirlwind threatening to sweep Chris up in her madness. She brought his hands to her waist, pressing her back flush against his chest as her enticing floral perfume invaded his senses. The lighting was dark enough to keep their identities hidden so they didn't have to worry about prying eyes unless someone looked closely. He subtly angled his head and inhaled her scent deeply, closing his eyes as they moved to the rhythm of the song. His hands caressed the soft skin of her waist, leaving a trail of fire along it's path. Looking over her shoulder at him cheekily, she ground her hips against his crotch as he released a strained grunt.

 Struggling to communicate, he groaned, "You're playing with fire, trouble."

Warmth blossomed in Kiara's chest and she decided she rather liked it when Chris called her that. Unable to maintain his composure when she kept rolling her hips, he spun her around to face him and held her body tightly against his. She brought her face impossible close to his and gently grazed her hand along the planes of his abdomen and chest, enjoying the noises she managed to elicit from him. She could've sworn a camera shutter sounded from somewhere beside them but was too lost in the clear blue pools of his eyes to pay any mind.

Exhaling heavily, she sniffed, "I'm a pyromaniac. Deal with it."

He choked out a laugh, "Burn, baby, burn." 

Sixteenth chapter doneeee... not sure how it is so far but super proud!