Kiara's parents being happy and in love above.

raison d'être

(n.) a reason for existing

Two blissful weeks of romantic dates, mind-blowing sex and secretly dating People magazine's 'Sexiest Man Alive' and Kiara was about as close to being in heaven as she could be. Vijay constantly teased her by claiming this was just the honeymoon phase to which she would simply bring up his dating history, effectively shutting him up. To be completely honest, she thought he might've taken to messing with her in an attempt to distract himself from sobriety. As promised, her best friend had maintained his agreement to limit drinking only to social occasions so his grumpier persona could be attributed to the missing pocket flask of bourbon. She was proud of him but knew that it wouldn't be a problem.

One thing about Vijay was that he always liked to stay in control. After growing up with a father like his, most experiences seemed poisoned to him so he made it his mission to learn to relish everything but never give those vices power over you. It was for that reason that Kiara knew he wasn't an addict, just habitual. He had made it a habit to wear this mask of the quintessential Bollywood actor– egotistical, sexually labile, recklessly drunk or drugged up and unintelligent. In reality, he was the complete opposite but only to those who bothered to look beyond his façade.

What had been the start of an amazing day came crashing down the minute Kiara realised today's date. Descending into a well of misery and despair, she curled back under her covers but not for long as Vijay shoved his way into her room. Knowing what today meant to her and already predicting her current mood, he made it his mission to keep her busy before she spiralled into depression. 

While filming remained relatively uneventful today, her despondent mood had not gone unnoticed as Jeffrey, Poorna, Emilia and Milo shot each other concerned looks every time she zoned out. It was midday when shooting ended as Kiara rushed her goodbyes with everyone and immediately got straight in her car to drive away. The remaining cast members were left speechless as they watched her leave and turned to gape at Vijay for and explanation but he simply shook his head, warning them not to press the issue before leaving to meet Nargis.

While Vijay was in no mood to deal with his girlfriend, he knew where Kiara would likely be headed and so needed his own distraction to prevent himself from smothering her. It was while the couple was midway through something rather unsavoury that a call interrupted their nefarious activities. Having been transferred to her voicemail every time he called her, Chris began to worry and in a moment of desperation, stole Vijay's number from Sebastian's phone to check in.

Vijay sighed and answered the phone, "You have two seconds to convince me before I hang up. Why are you calling me?"

On the other end, he could practically hear Chris' anxiety, "I was just checking if Kiara was with you?"

He remained silent for a few seconds before bursting out in fits of uncontrollable laughter as Chris grew increasingly frustrated, "Why are you laughing?"

Wiping away tears of laughter, he responded, "She's not with me but I'd recommend leaving her alone today."

"Why? Is she okay?"

"Yeah," he sighed, looking at his phone as if picturing Chris on the other end and feeling slightly bad for toying with the lovestruck idiot; "check your phone."

Chris frowned, reading the address he texted, "Where is this?"

"That's where she is."

"Thank you! I'm heading over now and sorry for th–"

"Stop. Just be careful with her."

"You said she was fine."

"She is... she's just fragile."

Vijay's warning still lingering in the back of his mind, Chris arrived at the cosy wooden cabin and knocked on the front door. He shifted from one foot to another nervously as he waited for Kiara to appear at the doorway. After what felt like the longest five minutes of his life, she opened the door wearing the most heart wrenching expression as surprise registered in her eyes but her expression remained unchanged. Staring at each other for a few heavy seconds, they simply took in the sight of each other as every thought and feeling seemed clear on the other's face.

He bundled her tiny form up in his arms, exhaling in relief, "Don't be mad at Vijay, I was annoying enough to get it out of him. Now tell me why you're hiding out here."

Shaking slightly, she spoke softly, "It's my mother's birthday today."

Proceeding cautiously, he carefully asked, "You don't really talk about your mom."

"What's there to talk about? She's dead."

"She lives on in here," he pointed to her heart before continuing; "Being gone in body doesn't mean she's gone in soul."

Crumbling into Chris' arms, Kiara trembled as violent sobs wracked her body. Pulling away and frantically wiping at her face, she mumbled an apology and rushed to the toilet. While she was more than comfortable around him, she never cried in front of anybody. There was no shame in tears but she couldn't help feeling overly exposed when someone saw her in that state. By the time she returned to the living room, it was empty as she looked around to find where he had disappeared to. Finally spotting him sitting outside in the garden, she walked over to sit beside him on the wooden swing and wrapped a thick blanket around for them to share as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

He sighed deeply and kissed the top of her head, "I didn't know today was your mother's birthday."

She responded in a clipped tone, "It's not really something I advertise."

"Do you want to tell me about her?"

Gripping the fabric of Chris' sweater as if it were her lifeline, Kiara stayed silent for a long while.

He gently loosened her grip, clasping her hand between his own as he softly coaxed, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but it might make you feel better."

She exhaled a heavy breath then spoke, "It's been thirteen years since my mother passed away. She was my best friend, you know. We could talk about nothing for hours on end. In the worst of situations, one hug from her was all it took for me to know everything would be alright."

Kiara took a shuddering breath and angrily wiped away tears as they rapidly fell, wetting Chris' sweater.

He pulled her closer, rubbing her arms comfortingly as she continued, "Of course we had our arguments, but we could never stay mad at each other for long. My mum was happiness incarnate ... she breathed life into everything and everyone around her."

"So you're exactly like her."

Brushing away her tears, Kiara looked up at Chris with wide innocent eyes as he nodded in affirmation.

She swallowed before proceeding, "Sometimes she was childish, but it came with a blissful ignorance that allowed her to find joy in any situation. She was honest to a fault. Never could hide how she truly felt. And so beautiful. She had the most stunning smile... it made the world brighter. I wanted to be just like her. God, she was so smart. Determined to accomplish all her ambitions and she never let anything prevent her from doing so."

She let out a strained laugh as she remembered, "My brother and I used to joke about her love for all things sparkle. I remember not being able to find her in the crowd of parents at my high school graduation but he just said, 'look for the walking disco ball and you'll find her'."

Picturing the woman Kiara described, Chris chuckled quietly and remained silent as he sat with her while she cried until all her tears dried out. It took all his effort to refrain from giving in to his urge to steal her away and protect her from anything that could hurt her. Each tear she shed felt like a blade to his heart but he knew she needed this.

After sitting through 'The Lion King', 'Jab We Met' and the entire 'Planet of The Apes' trilogy, Chris' patience was thinning as Kiara flipped back and forth between various genres of film in an attempt to influence her mood. She couldn't understand exactly how she was feeling and when in doubt, music or film helped her decipher these feelings. Grabbing the remote from her hands, he switched off the TV and pulled her up with him towards the garden outside.

She pouted, "I was just getting to the good ones! The 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' and 'The Ugly Truth' CDs are right there."

He dropped a football at his feet and smiled hopefully, "I've really been looking for a good football coach."

"Looks like you're in luck. I happen to know an amazing coach," she laughed.

"You don't say?"

"Yeah and bonus, she's gorgeous."

The corner of his lips twitched in humour, "Really? Well I'm off the market so doesn't matter to me."

Hiding her smile, she retorted, "Bummer. The girl holding your heart must be stunning, intelligent and incredibly talented."

With each adjective, Kiara took a step closer to Chris until they were practically nose-to-nose as he raised a brow at her suggestively. He barely had enough time to react when she flicked her foot out and dribbled the ball away from him, laughing maniacally as he chased her. An hour later, he was on his knees wheezing as his lungs burned and yet he still failed to steal the ball from her but not from lack of trying. Feeling bad for his bruised ego, she slowed and rolled the ball slightly too far out of her reach while pretending not to see her mistake. His eyes sparked with victory as he lunged from behind her and stole the ball, shooting it into the makeshift goal. Yelling out in excitement, he ran back and forth from one end of the garden to the other ecstatically.

She brought her hands to her face and giggled at his animated retelling of his win, "Did you see that? Oh my god, did you see that?"

Nodding, she laughed, "Yeah, I did!"

"I was like whoosh," he pretended his two fingers were legs and re-enacted his goal; "then bam, he shoots and he scores!"

Wrapping his arms around Kiara, Chris ran up to her and carried her as he spun them around. By the evening, his enthusiasm had finally died down as she reluctantly returned home with a sappy smile plastered across her face. Texting Vijay to let him know she was back home, she stripped out of her clothes and freshened up before changing into her soft cotton pyjamas. A soft knock sounded at her door and she frowned, trying to remember which of her friends would politely knock instead of barging in or shouting. Opening the door and finding her best friend on the other side, she practically flung herself at him as he fell back a few steps before stabilising himself and hugging her back just as fiercely.

Remaining at her doorstep, he gently asked, "Are you feeling better?"

Hugging herself, she quietly mumbled, "Yeah."

"Eyes. I need to see eyes," he demanded.

Her eyes connected with his, "For what?"

"So I can get lost in them– what do you think?"

Her dimples made an appearance as a smile threatened to escape, "You coming in?"

He scuffed his shoes on the ground, "No," he shrugged and brought her hand up to kiss it; "I just wanted to check you were okay."

She softened, tightening her hold on his hand, "Thank you for today."

Frowning, he pretended not to understand, "What did I do?"

"Chris."

"I knew he'd make you feel better," she looked at him adoringly before he ruined the moment, snorting with a shit-eating grin on his face; "I mean, the man looks like an Aryan wet dream to me but I guess that's what works for you."

Chasing Vijay down the block as she slapped at his back, Kiara shouted every insult under the sun at his retreating form. His only response was to laugh as he raced towards his house and managed to slam the front door before she got in. He stood by the window and waved, only serving to further infuriate her as she flipped him the bird and trudged back to her house. As soon as she returned home, her phone rang with his name lighting up on the screen.

She frowned in confusion but still answered, "Why are you calling me?"

"Sweetheart, I wasn't sure if you'd eviscerate me so this was the safer option," he quipped.

"I wouldn't have but anyway, what's up?"

"Remember that movie I wanted to produce? The one I spoke to YRF for?"

Holding her breath, she whispered, "Yeah..."

"They just called me back to tell me I secured the rights to the script!"

Her heart practically burst out of its chest as she jumped up and down excitedly, "Oh my god! I can't believe it! I'm so proud of you, Jay!"

Unable to control her excitement, Kiara whipped her door open and ran out onto the street only to find him doing the same thing. Without a care in the world of who was watching, they looked at each other for a few beats then met in the middle as she threw herself into his open arms. Kissing him all over his face, she squeezed him tighter upon seeing the suspicious wet sheen in his eyes and knowing he was trying to control the emotion fighting to surface. They pulled apart after a moment as she gave him more encouraging words before immediately scrolling through her phone to give her dad and Karan the good news. They of course reacted in kind, promising to visit whenever they had the time and offering their assistance whenever Vijay required it.

Since Vijay would film his last scene for this season tomorrow, it was logistically feasible for him to fly back to India for the new project. He was set to travel at the end of this week as Kiara made plans to come see him the minute her last scenes had been filmed. When she began shivering from the frosty night air, he ushered her back into the warmth of her house while she shouted parting words of affirmation as he simply smiled and shook his head. The last thought he had before drifting into a rare nightmare-less slumber was how lucky he was, not for the family he was born into but the family he chose.

The days leading up to Vijay's departure, she slipped into a monotonous routine of fourteen hour shoots and sleepovers with her best friend as they tried to savour the remaining few days they had together before he spent the next few months on his new project. She suspected she was still in denial and would likely remain so until the moment she watched him get onto the plane. It wasn't that this was the first time they were apart but that it was the first time they were in completely different countries. 

While having travelled to other countries for movies, they never truly spent over a month in separate countries so they would have to learn to make do with FaceTime calls and letters. Most people didn't know this about her but like the romantic she was at heart, communicating through letters was a method she truly treasured. Finally the dreaded day rolled by as she sat on his suitcase while they waited in the driveway for Sanjay to arrive.

Observing her foot bouncing up and down nervously, he knelt before her and placed his hand on her knee to stop the movement, "I'm a phone call away, sweetheart."

"I know," she distractedly replied.

"No matter what, you say the word and I'll fly over right away. Hell, I'll fucking fly the plane myself if I need to."

"I know."

Sitting back on his haunches, he playfully added, "And while you're at it, you could go a little easier on Chris."

"I kn– wait what?"

He laughed as she gaped at him, "The man is crazy for you and anyone with half a brain can see it so stop taking him for granted."

"I'm not! I just don't want to lay all my cards on the table."

"Sweetheart, he's practically an open book. You wouldn't lose anything by returning the favour."

"Only my heart," she muttered under her breath.

"Woman, your brain works in confusing ways and I somehow idiotically think you really do love him."

She paused, looking at him in surprise, "I think I do love him."

"Nice to know," Chris said out of nowhere.

Startling them as he appeared behind Kiara, Chris' voice had them both screeching with Vijay going as far as actually dropping to the floor. She placed a hand over her heart as she turned to look at him over her shoulder, cheeks reddening as an embarrassed blush spread across her face.

To top it all off, Sanjay had the absolute worst timing and arrived just in time for Vijay to quickly hop up off the ground, "That is my cue to leave," hugging her tightly as tears threatened to escape, he huffed a laugh; "Good luck, sweetheart."

She flicked his head but pressed a sad kiss to his shoulder before breaking away and muttering, "Traitor."

"Just for that," he stepped back and pointed between her and Chris before holding up his phone as Sanjay quickly packed his suitcase; "would you two lovestruck idiots just stand together so I can photograph the happy couple? I'm worried the on-flight entertainment might be shit."

Somehow Vijay had managed to make this situation more awkward if that were possible as Kiara swatted him away and shoved him into the car. He pecked her cheek, giving her one last meaningful look before the car drove away. Waving behind him, she laughed at the sight of her best friend pressing his face up against the window to maintain his view of her. She hadn't even realised tears were flowing down her face until Chris reached out and wiped a few away before bringing her to him in a comforting hug.

When the depressing mood slowly dissipated she looked up to find him already looking at her, smirking, "So you love me, huh?"

Slapping his arm, she quickly walked away as her cheeks flamed in humiliation, "Shut up. I don't recall that being said."

"Yes you do, don't take it back."

"No, no, never said–"

"I love you, too."

Stopping in her tracks, Kiara slowly turned as her face split into a wide grin while Chris nervously scratched the back of his head. Running up to him, she leaped into his arms and crashed her lips into his passionately.

He smiled into the kiss, arms encasing her waist as he held her closer, "Kiara Mathew, I am unequivocally, wholeheartedly, senselessly in love with you."

Twenty seventh chapter already? Damn time flies fast!!