Chris looking like a snack above.

morosis

(n.) the stupidest of stupidities

The door opened to reveal Ranbir grinning from ear to ear as he welcomed Kiara and Vijay into his house. Her eyes were still adjusting to her environment, vision hazy after being bombarded by cameras flashing in her face. As soon as they entered the house, he gave Vijay a bro-hug before letting the notorious Casanova mingle with the crowd.

Focusing his attention on her, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand, "Long time no see, Kiara."

Her eyes crinkled as she chirped, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Well, I'd prefer not to test the theory again."

Locking arms with Ranbir, Kiara walked further into the house as familiar faces around them smiled and waved. She perked up as soon as she spotted Sonam and excused herself from him to catch up with one of her closest friends in the film industry.

Sonam embraced her in a warm hug, "I know we literally just saw each other but God, have I missed you."

Leaning back, she held onto Sonam and gasped mockingly, "My, my, I didn't know you felt so strongly."

Throwing her hand up to her forehead, Sonam turned away jokingly, "I just couldn't hide my feelings anymore."

"Well, honey, I love you too."

They squealed and hugged each other, jumping up and down as Anand watched them incredulously, "By all means, act like I'm not here."

Kiara laughed and leaned in to hug him, "It's great to see you too."

He snorted, "I don't think she's even shown me that much love."

They spoke for a bit before Anand got caught up with another friend and Sonam quickly dragged Kiara away to interrogate her.

Sonam gave her a knowing look, "Now, spill."

She innocently shrugged, "I don't know what you want me to say."

"How about your date with Chris Evans?"

"Who?"

Huffing with annoyance, Sonam quirked a brow, "I can smell your bullshit from a mile away. Spill."

"He's sweet, intelligent and he makes me laugh."

"I'm sure his good looks don't hurt either."

She flushed, "Yeah..."

Clasping her hand, Kiara smiled, "I'm happy for you. If he's the one responsible for that look on your face, he's a keeper."

"What look?"

"Love."

Kiara froze, hearing what Sonam said but not truly registering the significance. They snickered, teasing each other as they walked around and engaged with the other partygoers. As they were speaking to Arjun Kapoor, another fellow actor, Kiara spotted Anand creeping up behind Sonam. She nodded as he held his finger to his mouth, telling her to keep his wife distracted, then snuck up behind Sonam. He pecked her cheek and hugged her from behind, pleasantly surprising her as she closed her eyes and curled into his body. They were the picture of blissful adoration.

Kiara sighed wistfully, "Stop being so sweet. I swear I'm getting diabetes."

She startled when Vijay slung his arm across her shoulders, "One day we'll find something like that."

With a glint in her eyes, Sonam said, "You already have, hun."

She frowned, "Do we have to remind you that we're best friends?"

"I didn't mean you two."

Flustered by the implication of that statement, Kiara spluttered a cough as Vijay raised a brow at her reaction. Choosing not to prod her for more information, he simply brushed off the comment and let her steer the direction of their conversation as she eventually left the happy couple in search of Ranbir to say her goodbyes. 

Not one for niceties, Vijay simply nodded in farewell and followed her out. Trying her hardest to keep him upright and lucid before the paparazzi, she tried to maintain her composure and avoided stumbling as she carried the brunt of his weight to their car. Only after ensuring he was safely tucked into bed in his home did she relax and drive back to her own. In her slightly tipsy stupor, she shot Chris a text message that she'd be sure to regret in the morning.

Kiara: Since you're Captain America, does that mean you could do me all day?

Unable to stay awake long enough to read Chris' reply, Kiara's eyes fluttered closed as she vaguely saw her phone screen light up with his message. She found herself blushing and giggling like a schoolgirl the next morning upon reading his response.

Chris: Only if you agree to be my lady liberty.

Remembering what she had texted him, the smile dissipated as Kiara groaned in embarrassment. She hid under the covers and muffled her scream of annoyance with her pillow. Finally stopping her wallowing, she lifted her head from under the covers and went about her day in hopes that ignoring her text interchange with Chris would make it disappear altogether. Today was her last day in India before they travelled back to continue filming in America so she planned to make the most of it. Feeling homesick, she decided the day would be best spent visiting relatives. It had been over two years since she last visited them and while she had never done so without her father, she found herself missing the comforting chaos of family. 

Samuel was one of ten siblings, the youngest of four brothers and coddled by his six sisters. His father had ingrained hopes and expectations for him to become an engineer, much like majority of the Indian population, so he ran away from home to pursue his dreams of becoming a lawyer the second he turned eighteen like the rebellious teenager he was. Cut to a few years later when he returned home after somehow working his way to Hong Kong to build a career and his father instantly arranged for him to get married. That was the day his life changed forever, the day he met the love of his life. Snapping out of her thoughts, she conference called her father and brother, filling them in on her plans for the day.

Karan laughed, "Kunju, you barely speak to them as it is. Won't you feel awkward going without Appa?"

She huffed, "Yeah but I just miss how busy and chaotic they are."

Her father snorted, "Vijay isn't more than enough chaos for you?"

They spoke for a little longer before Kiara headed over to her aunt's house for the reunion with Jimmy, texting Vijay to let him know she'd meet him at the airport tonight. She knew her cousins would most likely joke about her need for a bodyguard while her aunts and uncles would be gossiping about her. At this point, she had grown used to the throes of hushed whispers that followed her everywhere whenever she deigned to attend family reunions. Still, it didn't prevent the nervous butterflies swarming her stomach as she thought of all the ways this could go wrong. 

Kiara took a steadying breath then stepped out of the car, looking to Jimmy for his silent support. Knowing how it would appear to her conservative relatives, he refrained from reaching over to squeeze her hand in consolation and instead gave her a barely imperceptible nod to encourage her. As usual, her aunt's door was wide open and welcomed anyone inside so she strolled in and looked around. Almost instantly, everyone but her family started gossiping with some people going as far as to even sneak photos of her.

Ignoring them, she smiled upon spotting her aunt and exclaimed, "Mema*!"

They spoke in Malayalam as Beena, her aunt, embraced her, "It's been so long since you visited!"

Melvin, her cousin brother, side hugged her as he joined the conversation, "How can she visit when she's too busy saving the world?"

Rolling her eyes, she playfully shoved him, "The offer goes both ways, you know? You can visit too."

Jaya, her oldest aunt, handed her a plate piled high with food, "Eat up. You're too skinny as it is."

She whined, "Ammi*!"

Much like Kiara's father, her oldest aunt scarcely showed much feeling and instead spoke roughly in a mostly disinterested manner. Sitting with the rest of her aunts to eat lunch, she made polite conversation as they prodded her for information on their favourite celebrities. There were only a few relatives she enjoyed spending time with– Ammi, Mema and a handful of cousins, but majority almost seemed to speak to her solely to fish for gossip.

One of her aunts spoke obnoxiously loudly, "Kiara, you've got to hurry up and get married. Your biological clock is ticking!"

She frowned at the elderly woman, "Don't worry about me, I've still got plenty of time."

Another woman piped in, "That white boy you're walking around with can't be trusted," she said, referring to Chris; "Don't forget, they don't value marriage as much as we do."

Holding in her sarcastic retort, she gritted her teeth, "Thank you for thinking of me but I can take care of myself."

Answering one exhausting question after another, Kiara managed to make it through four hours with her relatives before finally reaching her limit. She hurried to stay on schedule, saying her goodbyes before leaving to return home and pack for her flight tonight.

Jimmy chortled as he saw the annoyed scowl on her face but she raised a finger, stopping the words from leaving his mouth, "Don't even."

By the time Kiara had finished packing, cleaning and locking up her house, she had barely an hour to reach the airport on time so Jimmy hightailed it and probably broke a few laws while he was at it. Upon arriving at the airport, she stopped every few seconds to sign autographs and pose for photos as she made her way through the crowd towards the entrance.

Vijay smirked, "I don't know why you try so hard to satisfy everyone."

"Unlike you, I don't feel the need to make everyone hate me," she quipped.

"Let them hate. Just as long as they spell my name right."

Rolling her eyes, Kiara handed her passport to the staff member at the check-in desk as Vijay followed in suit. They made their way to the gate, reclining in the waiting area as they tried to keep to themselves. People around them instantly noticed the two superstars, whipping out their phones to secretly record videos and trying their hardest to eavesdrop on conversations. He rested his head on her shoulder, dozing off to take a quick nap before boarding time. Scrolling through Instagram out of boredom, she paused on Chris' account and debated for a moment before pressing the follow button. Within minutes, he followed her back and messaged her.

Chris Evans: If I remember correctly, you said sliding into my DMs was entirely too excruciating.

Kiara Mathew: Still standing by my word.

Chris Evans: This is you standing by your word?

Kiara Mathew: Well, you are the one who sent a DM first.

Chris Evans: Touché. What are you doing now?

Kiara Mathew: Jay and I are waiting in the airport. We're flying back today.

Chris Evans: Good, I missed you.

Kiara smiled at the message, typing out her response as her finger hovered over the send button. She considered how she felt before shaking her head to stop overthinking and sending the message.

Kiara Mathew: I missed you too.

Kiara Mathew: Ooh, got to go! My flight is boarding.

Nudging Vijay awake, Kiara quickly sifted through her handbag for her passport bag as he yawned and sleepily lugged his backpack up. Finally settling into their plane seats, she gradually drifted off to sleep. He looked over, smiling softly as she adorably scrunched her nose and mumbled something in her sleep. Leaning across the aisle, he kissed her forehead before nestling into his seat and falling asleep. They were knocked out the entire flight, drained of energy after a busy week in India.

Twenty-three hours later, Kiara and Vijay found themselves in the backseat of their car as Sanjay and Jimmy sat up front. She browsed her Instagram page, viewing her friends' stories when one photo stopped her short. She gulped, crossing her legs to contain the uncomfortable heat pooling between her legs upon seeing the shirtless mirror selfie Chris posted. Rivulets of sweat ran down his broad chest, tracking along the sharp planes of his abs and disappearing into the grey sweatpants hanging low on his hips and doing little to hide the sizeable bulge. 

Quickly locking her phone and chucking it into her handbag, she took a steadying breath and crossed her arms as she looked out the window. Vijay peered at her, clocking the tension straining her body as she tried breathing in and out to calm her heart rate. He smirked, knowing that reaction well. He'd been the cause of that reaction in enough women to know that she was turned on.

She turned her deep brown eyes towards him, scoffing when she saw the glib expression on his face, "Stop looking so smug."

He laughed, "Not bad, Evans. Not bad at all."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your body language says otherwise, sweetheart."

"Oh, shut up." 

Unpacking and flopping into her bed, Kiara sprawled out and stretched her fatigued muscles as she tried to cool the heat permeating her body. Huffing in annoyance, she changed into some workout clothes and hopped onto the treadmill in an attempt to expend her restless energy. 

A two hour workout and cold shower barely created a dent as Kiara released a heavy breath before changing into a floral summer dress and grabbing the keys to her car. Staying out of the paparazzi's sight, she drove to Chris' house and parked a short distance away. She knocked on his door, turning away as she watched the street in case anyone lurked by. The door opened and she spun around only to come face to face with a shirtless chest, trailing her eyes down along his chiselled torso and coming to stop at his sweatpants. Those damn grey sweatpants. 

His eyes darkened upon seeing the thinly veiled lust simmering beneath her chocolate brown gaze when she was suddenly on him, crashing her lips to his. He groaned as her hands tangled heatedly in his hair and lightly pulled at the strands, taking the last shred of self-restraint he had with it. One of his hands trailed up her body while the other gripped her waist firmly, pressing her body tightly against his. Soft curves against hard muscle.

He pulled away and breathlessly whispered, punctuating each word with a kiss, "Best. Greeting. Ever."

Throwing her head back to laugh, the sound died in Kiara's throat as Chris left teasing butterfly kisses along the column of her neck. His hands where everywhere and nowhere at once, stroking and grazing sensitive spots on her body but barely touching the area she needed him to. Cupping her face as he kissed her passionately, she trailed her hands down his chest and felt as each of his muscles tensed when she passed. His hands moved up her smooth toned legs, searing her skin as she fiddled with the waistband of his sweatpants. He released a strained moan when she gripped him firmly, pressing his forehead against hers as he breathed heavily.

Making eye-contact with her meaningfully, he asked, "Are you sure?"

There was something so endearing about the fact that despite Chris' lustful state, he controlled himself to gain consent as the veins in his neck strained with the effort.

Kiara trailed wet kisses along his neck as he tried to control his breathing then looked into his eyes, "Surer than I've ever been."

That was all the answer Chris needed as he pulled Kiara's body against his, bringing his hands under her ass as he lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his torso as he walked them into his bedroom, lips nipping and licking at her exposed skin. Gently tossing her onto his bed, he took a moment to admire the beautiful woman before him as she smiled at him lovingly. Tugging her dress up above her head and throwing it onto the floor, he inhaled sharply as his gaze finally fell onto what she was wearing.

In dark blue lacy lingerie and matching heels, she looked exactly like the mischievous vixen she was as she grinned impishly at him, "Going to leave me hanging, hero?"

Taking his time, he stroked her cheek and looked at her seriously, "I'll never leave you hanging, trouble."

That was all the warning Kiara needed as Chris pounced, pleasuring her until she could do nothing but moan and cry out in ecstasy.

*Ammi: Malayalam term for father's oldest sister

*Mema: Malayalam term for father's older sister (but not oldest)