Vijay looking like the hottest highlighter working out above.

tacenda

(n.) things better left unsaid

Planning to laze around all day, Kiara had just plopped herself onto the couch when Vijay barged into her house wearing the most obnoxious neon sports shorts. He rested his hands on his hips, comically tapping his foot in frustration as he narrowed his eyes.

She blinked up at him and innocently shrugged, "Well hello, judgy."

"Hello, lazy," he quipped.

"I'm digging the outfit... highlighter chic?"

"I was going to the gym."

"Nargis bail on you?"

"She's got a date with Tiffany."

"Let me guess, your black Amex card is footing the bill."

"You know my tastes run expensive."

"I'd be more worried about her tastes than yours," she huffed before cautiously breaching the topic; "She's practically a walking red flag."

Winking at her, he retorted, "Good thing my favourite colour is red."

He examined her clothing and the surroundings, "No plans, huh?"

"Nope."

"Boredom or distraction?"

Silence extended long enough that he thought she might not have heard him but then she turned to face him, her bottom lip wobbling, "Distraction."

Sighing dismally, he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom, "Get dressed."

Changing into yoga pants and a sports tank top, Kiara slipped on her sneakers and hurriedly rushed outside where Vijay was waiting for her. They strolled into the gym, tugging their baseball caps low to obstruct the view to their face. Deciding to focus on legs today, she settled on doing some weights as he offered to spot her. The steady burn in her thighs and rivulets of sweat running down her back worked wonders to keep her mind busy, most likely what he intended for when dragging her to the gym. 

By the end of their two hour workout session, her muscles were sore but the ache in her chest hurt a little less. Still, there was too much agitated energy in her body and she needed an outlet to relieve it so she bid goodbye to him but stayed in the gym for a little longer.

Wandering around as she explored the gym, Kiara stumbled across some sort of secluded training centre on the lower ground floors. She figured it was likely the staff headquarters, given the restricted access and 'private training room' signs but curiosity got the better of her so she continued moving through as the sounds of men cheering grew louder with every step. She slipped past the crack in the doorway, craning her neck around to search the area and wrinkling her nose in disgust as the acrid stench of sweat and testosterone permeated her senses while the shouts and chants became deafeningly loud. 

Ignoring the curious stares, Kiara forced herself to remain nonchalant and unfazed as she pushed her shoulders back and confidently cut a path through the crowd of rowdy men. A large boxing ring in the centre of the room contained two fighters sparring with each other as she stood ringside and studied their movements. One of the fighters was remarkably nimble for a man of his stature as he manoeuvred around his opponent's fists. While his opponent clearly had the size advantage, this fighter's technique likely gave him the element of surprise. 

A child's voice rang out from beside her as she turned to find a boy no older than seven struggling to keep his little body up against the ringside barrier. Hearing him cheer, the nimble fighter whipped his head around as his eyes frantically searched the room. His face split into a wide grin as soon as he spotted the little boy, unintentionally creating the perfect opportunity for his opponent to knock him down. She moved to warn him a second too late, wincing as fists connected with the fighter's body and he doubled over. 

Quickly shielding the little boy from seeing any more damage, Kiara smiled down at him and attempted to distract the child. The final blow to the fighter's head had him sprawled out trying to catch his breath as the little boy shoved against her to try peek at the fallen fighter, who she learned was his father.

Enraged at the other fighter for taking such a cheap shot, she impulsively yelled, "You didn't play fair!"

The man turned and looked down at Kiara, eyes scrutinising her appearance with little regard for the insult. She reigned in the disgusted shiver threatening to roll down her spine as she took in the greedy manner of his gaze as it tracked down her body. The nimble fighter slowly came to his senses, rolling out of the ring as he came to her side and grabbed his son. Eyes still trained on the other fighter, she scowled as the cocky bastard smirked. From his reaction, she figured he recognised who she was and frowned as he squatted to her level.

Slowly leaning forwards, he grinned, "Oh, by all means, step into the church."

The room quietened as hushed whispers anticipated the outcome of their silent stare down. By now almost everyone had recognised Kiara and a few people had their phones out, subtly taking pictures of her. 

She defiantly stood her ground, knowing she could easily take down anyone here if she felt like it, "Forgive me father, for I have sinned."

She felt a gentle tug on her hand as the little boy flashed a toothless smile at her while his father warned, "Knock it off, Tyler."

Tyler chuckled, raising his arms in surrender, "Looks like little miss superstar's into it."

For whatever reason, Tyler wanted to provoke Kiara, but she wouldn't take the bait. If there was one thing she had mastered, it was control. Giving him the fakest smile she could muster, she squeezed the little boy's hand and politely nodded at his father before turning to walk away.

Just as she reached the door, Tyler spoke up again, "Come on, baby, don't be like that!"

The other fighter gritted his teeth and threw his arms up in frustration, "Dude."

"It's okay," she said, patting his shoulder as she stepped up and entered the ring.

Stripping his sweat-soaked shirt off, Tyler turned to stretch as Kiara closed her eyes for a second to focus on breathing and relaxing.

He interrupted her warmup, "You're Kiara Mathew, right?"

Already annoyed by him, she spoke in a clipped tone, "Yeah."

Amused, he continued to ask, "How do I spell your name again?"

She narrowed her eyes, "What, you planning to Google me?"

"Maybe. You ever box before?"

They both cautiously circled each other as she remained completely unaffected by his prodding, "Sure. Here and there."

He tried to aggravate her again, "I bet it was your personal trainer? Oh wait, I know... girl scouts!"

For the briefest moment she felt her cool façade waver, showing brief displeasure at his statement, but she quickly slipped back into her detached demeanour, "Home."

He perked up a little, "Let me guess, Vijay Kapoor or your dad?"

Giving him her meanest glare, Kiara clenched her hands into fists and raised a brow as her eyes gleamed with mischief, "Looks like you've already researched me."

For a second Tyler tilted his head almost as if he was picking apart Kiara's act. Like he could see right through her and understood just how skilled she was.

Then he shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and winked, "Thoroughly."

Tyler went to take a swing but Kiara quickly grabbed his hand, flipping him over with her legs over his head and kept him locked in position until he tapped out. She finally let him go, trying to hide her smile as he gasped for breath. 

Spinning on her heels, she slipped under the ropes and hopped out of the ring, "Barely lasted a minute."

He spluttered from behind her, "You need a personal trainer?"

She quirked a brow, turning to face him, "You offering?"

Finally catching his breath, he smirked, "Take this as my job interview."

Evaluating his technique, she realised he probably wouldn't have taken it easy on her and that was what she so badly needed so she nodded, "You're hired," warmth flickered in her eyes as she grew slightly fonder of him; "I'll tell the front desk. Tyler, right?"

Forehead puckering as he tried to decipher her, he leaned against the ropes, "Yeah."

Without looking back, Kiara raised her arm and waved goodbye as Tyler shook his head and chuckled. Beautiful and likeable– that much was expected, but this rebellious spitfire wasn't what he anticipated when he realised the People's Actress had snuck into the staff quarters. 

Returning home and freshening up, Kiara finally slumped into the couch with her lunch as she settled in for an afternoon of Supernatural reruns. By the evening, her eyes began drooping with fatigue so she sprung off the couch and tried to remain active to prevent falling asleep. Scrolling through social media, she was pleased to find no videos of this morning's interaction with Tyler and figured he had somehow convinced all his colleagues to delete the evidence. 

Her good mood was short-lived as she came across a Daily Mail article flashing paparazzi shots of Chris and a gorgeous brunette actress with the caption 'Chris Evans, 37, takes Ana de Armas, 30, out on a date to local pub in England'. Her chest tightened at the thought of him moving on and while she knew it was hypocritical considering the reason behind their breakup, her heart squeezed in pain every time she pictured him with someone else. Locking her phone and tossing it onto the coffee table, she curled up on her couch and tucked her knees into her chest as the first few tears flowed down her cheeks. 

Love had done nothing but hurt her so Kiara promised herself a long time ago that she wouldn't cry for another man. As much as she tried to reason away her fear of commitment with excuses of maintaining Chris' safety, the truth of the matter was her inability to trust easily. She thought back to her relationship with Leon and while not entirely his fault, it had fractured something in her.

Kiara waited in Leon's living room, constantly monitoring the time, as she left her fifth missed call only to be met with his voicemail. She had worriedly rushed over to his house as soon as his friends notified her they were concerned about his state and spent all night frantically searching for him before resigning to wait in his house. She watched dejectedly as the light of dawn poured through the window and warmed her skin with its golden touch. Upon hearing the jingle of his house keys, she sprung out of her seat and swung the door open. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms tightly around him, shaking slightly, but he shoved her off and stumbled into the house.

Her heart sank as she smelled the whiskey in his breath and words tumbled from his mouth in a flurry of barely distinguishable syllables, "Whatareyoudoinghere?"

Gently coaxing Leon towards his room, Kiara took off his coat and removed his shoes along the way.

She tried not to concentrate too much on the slurred insults he was spewing at her as she tucked him into bed, "Go away. Didn't you hear me? Go away!"

She tenderly caressed his cheek as she softly spoke, "This isn't you."

Leon rolled over and elbowed Kiara away, inadvertently slamming her into the bedside table.

She yelped, lifting her jumper to check the newly formed bruise on her hip, but he just gave her an impassive look and angrily muttered, "For fucks sake."

She flinched, unable to hide her hurt as she tried to reason, "This is just the alcohol talking."

He propped himself up on his elbows and belligerently listed off, "You think you're smarter than me, you never listen to me, you're always looking for reasons to leave me."

She frowned as he sardonically mocked, "But yeah, it's just the alcohol."

Kiara sat in silence, processing what had just transpired. As the saying goes, a drunk mind speaks the sober heart. Having prided herself on her emotional intelligence, the realisation of how oblivious she had been depressed her.

Leon distantly mumbled, "You don't even know how you make my life a living hell."

She timorously lowered onto the floor beside him and grasped his hand as he aimlessly stared into space, "How about we go to bed, huh?"

He turned to face her, realising she was still knelt beside him, "Get out."

Pulling his hand away, Leon accidentally shoved Kiara onto the ground as another bruise formed on her olive skin but he continued shouting, unaffected by the abuse he was inflicting on her.

He argumentatively bellowed, "Didn't you hear me? I don't want to fuck you!"

Kiara shrank away and quickly stood up, scurrying out of the room and shutting the door as she rested her head back against it. Her thighs and hips were stinging from where they were bruised and scratched up but she kept reminding herself that Leon didn't mean to hurt her. He was barely lucid so it wasn't his fault– if anything, she was to blame for pressing the matter. She pressed her hand against her heart and tried to slow her breathing, feeling the hysterics coming on. Closing her eyes and fisting the bottom of her jumper, she attempted to still her shaking hands and repeatedly chanted, "don't cry", under her breath. 

Giving herself a few minutes to recollect as her emotions ran amok, Kiara took a deep breath and re-entered the room to find Leon sluggishly attempting to get back into bed. She mutely helped him under the duvet and pressed a gentle kiss onto his forehead. His arm shot out to grip her jumper as if begging her to stay. Slack-jawed and slumped, he remained unmoving for a long time, clinging onto her jumper before eventually releasing as he drifted asleep. She couldn't find it in her to leave him in his current state so decided to stay but curled up outside on the couch in his living room.

A few hours later, Kiara woke up panicking when she struggled to breathe but soon realised Leon had settled beside her on the couch last night, unintentionally suffocating her as he cuddled her. She gently removed his arm from around her abdomen as she slipped off the couch and tiptoed into the kitchen. Preparing a small breakfast for him, she padded back over to him and carefully sat on the arm of the couch.

He rubbed his eyes groggily and beamed at her, "Did you make me breakfast?"

She softly ran her fingers through his hair and smiled, "You haven't eaten all day."

He seemed lost for words as he looked back and forth between her and the breakfast before unsteadily sitting up, intensely observing her, "Does it ever get tiring?"

Her smile dropped as her eyes flitted around timidly, "What do you mean?"

He paused, gazing meaningfully into her eyes, "To smile despite all the pain you've experienced. To constantly keep those around you satisfied. You never fail to make me forget all my unhappiness."

His eyes watered as he continued gazing at her in awe, "Despite all the shit I've put you through, you never for a moment gave up on loving someone like me, someone who's never felt love before."

She relaxed, tilting her head as she tentatively smiled, and he brought his hand up to caress her face, "No matter how offended you are, always look at me in that beautiful way only you can."

He suddenly dropped his hand as an unexplainable sadness overshadowed him, "Never stop looking at me so beautifully, okay?"

She frowned, confused as to why this sounded like goodbye, and tapped his nose before bringing a forkful of scrambled eggs to his mouth, "If you eat, then yes."

Leon didn't speak for the next hour as he quietly ate breakfast and placed the now empty plate back in the kitchen.

He returned and took Kiara's hands in his, kneeling before her as he said the words that sent her spiralling into agony, "I can't be with you."

Kiara's face twisted in confusion as she cupped Leon's face and gently stroked his stubble.

She didn't fully understand the implication of his words and assumed he was simply torturing himself over his behaviour last night, "We've been over this. I forgave you."

He moved his face away, bringing his hands up to his head as he agitatedly paced in front of her, "Stop being so fucking nice!"

She frowned at his adamant outburst, beginning to grow apprehensive as to why he insisted on being punished, "I-I'm sorry?"

He laughed in disbelief, "Your sorry? Well, gee thanks. That fixes everything."

She looked at him through tear-filled eyes, "I wasn't aware anything needed fixing."

"We do!"

"You don't mean that."

"We're dysfunctional! Okay? Fucking toxic! We just keep bringing each other down!"

Momentarily questioning if her sleep deprivation had caused her to misinterpret what Leon said, Kiara reeled back. The idea of him breaking her heart so cruelly was unfathomable. When everything else was in doubt, the one thing she knew with absolute certainty was how he felt about her.

He knelt before her and hesitantly clasped her hands, "Look, I-I'm sorry. I just can't anymore. I need to focus on myself. My career. And right now you're only getting in the way of that."

She willed herself to remain firm, seeming to look through him and not at him, as he brought her hands up to his mouth, gently kissing them, "I need to clear my head. Can we talk later?"

Kiara remained in place, unwilling to look at Leon, and rigidly nodded. He stood up to leave the house and stopped, gripping the door handle as he turned to look back at her. Frustratedly running his hand through his hair, he exhaled heavily and exited the house. She didn't know how long she sat there like that before finally breaking down as her body wracked with sobs.

Done with the twenty fourth chapter!!! Yayyyyy!