Kiara and Vijay goofing off above.

saudade

(n.) a nostalgic longing to be near something or someone that is distant

The wrap party for the second season of Enlightenment was well on its way as the group were playing a drunken game of truth or dare. Poorna, being the one of the few sober members, tasked herself with the extremely important duty of gathering video evidence of everyone for future blackmail. Rules were that each person had to answer truth or dare and once completed, they could choose whoever they wanted to ask next.

Pointing at Kiara, Milo quirked a brow, "Truth or dare?"

She ran a tongue over her teeth, "Dare."

"Are you sure, darlin'? I'll give you one more chance to back out."

"Oh, Milo, you're projecting your fears again. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

Everyone oohed as a few people nudged him, warning him about riling her up, so he smirked in that crooked way of his, "I dare you to... call up the last person you spoke to and tell them you've been arrested. Put them on speaker!"

Wrinkling her nose in distaste, she pulled out her phone and scrolled to find Tyler's name, "Okay, here goes nothing."

"Wait, wait, wait! It says Chris was the last person that called."

"Yeah well you said the last person I spoke to and since that was a missed call, the last person I spoke to was technically Tyler."

He waved his hand dismissively, "Gah, you and your lawyer talk! Fine, call him."

Shoving Milo playfully, Kiara waited for Tyler to pick up and rubbed nervously at her wrist. She tried to mask any panic she felt, refusing to show any signs of discomfort as Milo raised his brows at her in challenge.

Steeling her nerves, she held her breath when Tyler picked up groaned on the other end, "Jesus, princess, when I signed up to be your personal trainer I didn't think you'd wanna workout this late."

Putting on her best teary voice, she answered, "Tyler."

"Uh oh, not calling me asshole? This must be serious," he said, eliciting snickers from the group as she shushed them.

"Tyler," she tried, voice wavering again as she put on her best performance; "I've been arrested."

There was a pause as he tried to figure out the best thing to say, "What the fuck am I supposed to do?"

She gaped as he added, "Oh, do you need me to beat someone up?"

"Well–"

"Or is it a contract killing?"

"What? Are y–"

"Doesn't matter, I wouldn't do it anyway."

"Please ju–"

"Shit, I didn't mean that to be in like a 'I don't care about you' way but more a 'let's find alternative solutions' way."

"Oh, tha–"

"I should be doing more. I should–"

Finally losing her patience, she screamed, "Tyler!"

At this point, everyone was laughing out loud and barely bothering to hide it so she put him out of his misery, "It was a joke. I'm not really in jail."

Letting all this sink in, she waited a beat before he shouted, "You bitch!"

"Language and I'm still your employer."

"Don't care and that doesn't make it any less true."

She laughed, "I'm hanging up so yell at me later."

Cutting the call, Kiara glared at Milo as he clutched his belly and laughed with tears in his eyes. The remainder of the evening held relatively the same mood as they messed around with each other, daring and learning more about one another.

As she was getting ready to leave, Emilia sidled up to her, "So when are you flying?"

She smiled wistfully, "At the end of the week."

"Aww, we have to hang out after. I feel like we haven't hung out as much recently."

"I'd love that!," she paused and turned to hold Emilia in place by her shoulders; "Okay, it's a date. You're sleeping over at mine the day after I get back and I won't take no for an answer."

Emilia snorted, "Who'd ever be stupid enough to say no to you?"

"You'd be surprised."

The two women hugged each other goodbye as Kiara returned home, feeling somewhat lonely without Vijay pestering her the minute he heard her car enter the driveway. It had been nearly a month since he left and Chris was busy on the promotional tour for Avengers Endgame, which meant hours of texting and FaceTime calls so she was left to her own devices. That of course meant stirring up her favourite kind of trouble– destroying conniving, borderline psychotic, wannabe criminal politicians in favour of the tragic survivors of their power-hungry methods. 

Kabir had reviewed and sent over a stack of different movie offers with his comments, majority of which Kiara read through this morning but there was still a large pile of proposals to look through. Deciding to postpone her work for tomorrow, she prepared for bed but not before sneaking in a quick call with Vijay to check in as she texted Chris goodnight.

The following morning was a blur of activity as she began with an intense workout, profusely apologising to Tyler for the insensitive prank Milo dared her to perform the other night, but the day gradually slowed by lunchtime. She had just cooked and feasted on a wonderful meal of baked salmon with tomato salad and was currently in the process of eliminating movie projects she felt were unsuitable to her tastes as she flipped through various scripts and dove into the psyche of her potential characters. She would have to audition of course but most casting directors gave her an idea of which character would best suit her so she ran through their lines and experimented with how they made her feel beforehand. 

Settling on a bundle of five scripts, Kiara excitedly let Kabir know her preferences for him to choose two final projects out of her selections and contact the casting directors to confirm an audition date. She glanced at the clock, realising it was well into the afternoon, and gasped in shock at how fast time flew by. Pulling out her phone, she kicked her feet up and reclined on the couch while texting Chris.

Kiara: Guess what?

It took Chris a few minutes to respond considering he was now in Tokyo so the time difference meant it would be evening.

Chris: Hello to you too, trouble.

Kiara: I read the most incredible script and I'm auditioning the day after tomorrow!

Chris: That sounds awesome. You feeling nervous?

Kiara: Yeah, I don't know if I can do this one.

Chris: Stop doubting yourself, I guarantee you'll be fine. Tell me what it's about.

Kiara: Well it's based off the Shiva trilogy book series by Amish Tripathi so we'll essentially be doing the first book, 'The Immortals of Meluha'.

Chris: Hold up, let me search that up. Don't mind me and my white-ness.

Kiara: Stop... you? I never noticed!

Chris: Haha very funny. Okay go on.

Kiara: It's this historical epic fiction about these mythologies in Indian culture so like the legend of Shiva, Ganesha and Sati.

Chris: Whoa, sounds intense.

Kiara: Yeah, it's predicted to be the biggest pan-Indian film production so far.

Chris: Even better. What about the director? Have you spoken to him? It's always a good idea to see if his creative style matches yours.

Kiara: We've worked together before so I trust him.

Chris: That's great, I think you'd be perfect for the role.

Kiara: Really?

Chris: Kiara, you're one of the most talented actors I know so of course I think so.

Kiara: Have I told you that I love you?

Chris: Not enough times and I love you too.

Giggling at their text exchange, Kiara quickly called Vijay to let him know when she planned to fly over and before long, the two best friends were goofing off and catching up on each other's days. While the administrative and planning stages of producing his new film were tedious, he thoroughly enjoyed conceptualising the storyboard and themes. Managing to complete interviewing and hiring the film's production team, he was now working towards casting the appropriate actors for his characters. He refused to tell her anything about the project, claiming he wanted it to remain a surprise, and thus she respected his wishes so steered clear of any prying questions. The curiosity killed her but she endured, knowing the end result would be worth it.

Stepping outside for some fresh air, Kiara noticed her neighbour shuffling around in his garden. Arthur was a lonely elderly man who often spent time waddling around his garden and strolling slowly down their block. From what she knew, he was a retired engineer married to one of Hollywood's starlets from the 1950s. Much to his despair, his wife had passed away over a decade ago and now it was just him.

Kiara ambled over to him cautiously, "Hey, Art."

Looking startled, he reeled back, "Kiara! What brings you to my parts of this town?"

"Offering you some friendly advice. Those orchids should be moved where it'll get more sunlight. They'll wilt over there."

He smiled, "Thank you. Have you got a lot of experience with plants?"

"Not really but I'd love to help!"

Arthur examined Kiara for a second then nodded as she got down to her knees and started digging in the soil without a care for how dirty she got. He smiled at her free-spirited nature and joined in, grabbing the plant pots to transfer into ground.

"Come here, Art," she gestured at him to come over and squat beside the rosebush as she cupped a bud; "Give them some love. You have to speak to them once in a while."

"Speak to them?"

"Yeah, so they don't get lonely."

He gave her a puzzled look so she demonstrated, "Here, watch this. Hey, my name is Kiara and this here is Arthur but I call him Art. I'm helping him get you and your friends moved into this marvellous new space."

Snorting, he looked at her quizzically, "Okay so you introduced yourself to the plant. Now what?"

"Did you see that?"

"What?"

"It's as if they stood a little straighter, grew a little brighter, bloomed a little more."

"That's absurd!"

The breeze swept through and the roses swayed against her hand in response, "See, they say 'hi' back."

He shook his head and mumbled, "Women, I'll never understand them."

Patting the fresh soil around the newly transferred roses, she chirped, "You know, daisies are my favourite flowers. Well, they're not really flowers... more like weeds."

He gazed at her with sad eyes, "My wife loved daisies," she paused to look at him, not with pity but understanding, as he continued; "You actually remind me a lot of her."

She laughed, "Was she annoyingly persistent and optimistic too?"

"No, she was beautiful in both body and soul."

The two chattered for hours on end as they worked through Arthur's garden, planting various plants around. Kiara stood and dusted off her pants as the sun set and moonlight began to shine across the street. Promising to stop by for dinner when she returned from India, she hugged him goodbye and returned home as a warmth settled in her chest when she recalled the stories of love and friendship he narrated of his time with his wife. 

Due to fly early tomorrow morning, Kiara planned to set out later tonight so made quick work of packing her suitcase. Rushing out into her driveway at a little past midnight with her suitcase dragging after her, she quickly tossed it over to Jimmy's awaiting arms as he helped pack it into the trunk before dropping her off at the airport. Due to previous family commitments, he was scheduled to fly in the day after her so would also take care of some last minute security details for her trip.

Unfortunately, the man seated beside Kiara on the plane was too busy sneaking photos of her in what he presumed was a subtle manner so she spent the entirety of the flight trying and failing to relax. Every time she drifted off to sleep, she thought she heard a camera shutter and sprung back awake. It was tiresome having to remain so vigilant in public and maybe it was vain of her to worry about the way she looked but with all the pressure from society regarding her appearance, it was impossible to prevent their opinions from affecting her. 

Yes, Kiara was a strong woman who prided herself on never letting others dictate her choices but that didn't mean she didn't notice the side-eyes and hushed whispers. She read all the reactions online, whether it be the hateful comments on her face being too 'round' or the insecure jokes about her 'stubborn' attitude being the reason why she couldn't keep a man interested. The gossip ranged from insults targeting her body to her personality and while it was challenging, she was thick-skinned so knew how to block out the negativity. 

The minute her plane touched down, Kiara breezed through immigration and baggage collection as she barely contained her excitement to see Vijay. Camera flashes blinded her when she emerged from the arrivals section as other travellers gaped and whipped out their phones to take selfies with her. A good fifteen minutes passed and the throng of fans were still surrounding her, gradually increasing in size as she strained her neck to look over the crowd for him. One minute she could see nothing but an endless sea of strangers and the next he was there, parting the sea as he moved towards her. 

Shoving past people until there was no one between them, the two best friends paused for a moment before embracing tightly as tears flowed down their cheeks. Neither one cared that cameras were flashing around them as paparazzi captured the moment to analyse and comment on later.

Unlocking his door, Vijay held it open as Kiara walked through and spun around to look at his house. While she was feeling awfully jet-lagged from her flight, hunger overcame her need for sleep so they resorted to sleeping over at his house for the night.

Watching as he measured out the right quantities of various ingredients to make his famous nachos, she quirked a brow, "You're sure the math is correct, right?"

He scoffed, "That better have been a rhetorical question."

"For your sake, I agree."

Shoving Kiara playfully, Vijay combined the ingredients onto a baking tray and slid it into the oven. He shook his head at her as she jumped around to a playlist of the greatest musical hits in 2000s and joined in, dancing horribly while they lip synched the lyrics. Eventually tiring themselves out, he plated and served the nachos before flipping through the TV channels and stopping at the sports channel. They cheered and shouted at the screen for the next ninety minutes of the football match and by the next morning, her voice had practically disappeared as she croaked out minimal words. 

News of her arrival in India had spread fast as she drove home and settled in while he proceeded to attend various storyboarding meetings. Given that she hadn't bothered to unpack anything, Jimmy was already hard at work to ease the transition as he fixed and cleaned up around the house.

It was well into the afternoon when Kiara and Jimmy finally arranged their belongings and familiarised with the house. She was currently engaged in a serious game of Cluedo as their casual hangout session had somehow transformed into a Criminal Minds episode. A stocky balding man waddled up the pathway to her house, tugging his pants as his belt strained against the width of his protruding belly, with an army of men in button-up shirts and brown khakis following obediently. He wore a self-assured grin, noting the doorbell but choosing to disruptively knock at her front door instead. Interesting. He clearly enjoyed being the aggressor. If the fervour with which he shoved his glasses up his nose was any indication, she understood that dismissing this man would be a challenge. 

Waiting a few more minutes to rile the man up, Kiara watched gleefully as his cheeks puffed with fury. Still, she remained patient and smirked as he began demanding she answered the door. She opened the door and guarded it, her hip cocked as she aimed a disinterested expression at him, noticing the staff ID card that read, 'assistant commissioner'.

His confident expression wavered slightly as she calmly explained, "Yell all you want, Commissioner, but you can't enter without touching me and that would only lead to assault charges. But you already know that, so do us both a favour and tell Amit that he should call off his dogs."

She was poised, staring the inspector down as his jowls shook with fury, "Stop acting like a petulant little girl. Show some respect."

She wagged her finger at the inspector when he tried to barge past her, "Touch me and the world sees your actions. I'll go live."

He froze, looking around for a recording device as she smiled, "I'm offended that you think I'd be daft enough to leave it in plain sight."

"I received a complaint suspecting you of tax evasion by investing in immovable properties," he growled; "This is an official raid so when I find that damning evidence, I'll send your pretty little ass back to Hong Kong or America or wherever it is you think you belong."

Kiara couldn't believe it. The BJP were resorting to such desperate measures simply because she had spoken to Rahul. Him being a ruling member of the Indian National Congress (INC) meant they could take no chances and as such, feared the power her support would provide. In reality, she had no intention of supporting either party and even less intention to step into politics.

"Lodging a complaint against me yourself simply so you can plant evidence is illegal, Commissioner. If you let Jimmy search your people, then I have no qualms with them stepping onto my premises," she retorted, wearing a sweet smile but daring him with her eyes.

Jimmy grinned menacingly– at least Kiara supposed you could call it that. It was more a flash of teeth but it had an equal effect on the group of men. He folded his arms across his chest, as his muscled biceps strained against the tight fabric of his black shirt, and towered over the shorter man while they observed each other wearily.

The commissioner flicked his beady eyes to her and barked, "Your man needs to keep you on a tighter leash. Since you claim to have nothing to hide, move."

Refusing to let his comments affect her, she shrugged, "Let him search your men, and I will."

"I'm not letting you search anyone," he scoffed.

"Then I apologise, but I won't let anyone in my house."

The commissioner took a step back, his eyes narrowing to slits as Kiara gestured to the gates before slamming the door shut in his face. Leaning against the door, she placed her palm against her chest in an attempt to try still her racing heart as she listened to the distant sounds of his footsteps walking away.

Jimmy patiently waited, guarding Kiara carefully in case she needed him to step in. He understood that in times like these, his silent stability was more than enough support for her. Exhaling heavily, she steeled her nerves and called her father to update him on the situation. With his advice she formed a more concrete plan, setting all her plays into motion in the event that either politician decided to react negatively. She considered calling Vijay but decided not to disturb him and opted to text him instead. 

Having been incredibly proud of the effort Vijay made these past few months to work on his new project, Kiara wanted to ensure none of her problems influenced his progress.While he was keen on production work and thus was ecstatic to receive an opportunity to produce his own film, this meant greater responsibility and having to relocate for a few months. Their friendship was built on strong foundations and was accustomed to withstanding such hardships so though she would love nothing more than to pick up the phone and call him, she knew it would cause unnecessary tension and thus decided against it. 

Following the events of that afternoon, it was safe to say Kiara was pissed off. She had in no way incited any retaliation from either political party considering no further action had been taken to undermine any of their work within the past few months. So while the demonstration Amit had so clearly organised with the commissioner was meant to intimidate, it instead fuelled her determination to take him down. Trevor, being the well-connected businessman he was, already caught wind of the staged tax raid and immediately took the first flight out to India. He was currently angrily pacing back and forth in her living room, enraged that someone would even attempt to threaten someone as well-intentioned as her.

Turning to face her, he fumed, "This is taking it too far."

She tried to calm him, "I completely agree."

"So let me do something about it."

"No."

"If you just let me scare him a little bit, he'd back off."

"That's not the right approach."

"What is then?"

"Something more tactical."

"Fuck's sake!"

"Be logical."

"I am!"

"No you're not. This is you being emotional."
"I can't help it. He targeted my family."

"You're upset. I understand. But don't take my silence for inaction. We can retaliate but do it logically."

He paused in surprise, "We? You're letting me help out for once?"

Smirking, she shrugged and walked past him as she bumped into his shoulder, "Can't have all the fun, can I?"

The two friends spent the entire day moving through each of Amit's businesses, whether it be bars, hospitals, manufacturing companies or shipyards. Stepping into the dilapidated liquor store, Kiara gestured to Trevor to leave the army of bodyguards behind so as to keep the store owner relaxed. They walked up to the older gentleman, as she noted his nervous tic of readjusting his glasses.

She held up the photo of Amit and spoke in Hindi, "Have you seen this man before? He should've been around this area within the last few days."

Barely glancing at the photo, the store owner grunted, "Nope."

This time Trevor asked, "Are you sure?"

"It's a liquor store. I don't remember everyone that comes around."

Reigning in her irritation, she smiled politely, "He's a well-known politician so I would've thought his face was memorable."

The man chewed his gum and perversely scanned her body as she refrained from the urge to shield herself, "Sorry. You look a lot like Kiara Mathew, anyone ever tell you that?"

"I've heard that once or twice before. Thank you for your help."

The muscles in his jaw strained as Trevor simply nodded and directed a bone-chilling glare at the man before placing his hand on the small of Kiara's back to ward off any unwanted stares.

An idea sparked in her mind as she quickly turned back, "Sorry, one more thing. Could I speak to the general manager here?"

The man sighed in annoyance, "That would be me."

"So you're the one who makes all the tough decisions. Who to fire, who to hire and who to bribe."

He tensed, "What are you trying to say?"

"You see, I'm a lawyer which means when someone is suspected of skimming off receipts, I start digging through records. Since you've got nothing to hide, you wouldn't mind showing me your records, right?"

Stammering, the store owner shifted nervously, "W-wait, I thought you only wanted to know about that p-politician."

"Yeah but tax evasion also falls under my jurisdiction," she turned to look at Trevor; "and winning a case like that would look absolutely amazing on my resume, don't you think?"

His face split into a dark grin, "Absolutely."

Raising a brow, she faced the nervous man again, "You have record books, right? I'm not one to take away a man's bread and butter but we'll have to shut this store down if you don't have the appropriate paperwork."

The man pointed at the photo, "Let me see that picture again."

They smirked, pulling up Amit's photo as the store owner revealed every dirty secret, squealing like the guilty little pig he was. Trevor handled the rest, assuring Kiara he would personally deal with Amit so no one else would come to harm.

He gave her an impressed look, "I didn't know you had it in you to threaten a man so thoroughly, babe."

She winked, "There's a lot you don't know about me, Ant."

"If you weren't so in love with acting, I'd be on my knees begging you to work for me."

"On your knees, huh?"

He leaned in, "I mean, I'd get on my knees for other reasons too."

She laughed, "What makes you think you can handle the cost?"

"I'm well endowed."

"You couldn't afford me."

"Babe, you forget that I'm filthy stinking rich."

"And you forget that I'm stubborn as a goat."

The two friends smiled at each other as they separated into their respective cars and drove in opposite directions­– Kiara back home and Trevor to follow his new lead on Amit's whereabouts. She returned home to find a thoroughly enraged Vijay as her best friend stood in the centre of her living room with his hands on his hips and foot tapping angrily.

Aiming his glare at her, he growled, "You get attacked in your own home and don't even bother to tell me?"

She widened her eyes, "I didn't want to distract you."

"That shouldn't be your concern. I can still work and be your best friend."

"It has nothing to do with our friendship."

"It has everything to do with our friendship. Sweetheart, you can't make those decisions for me."

"I just wanted the best for you."

"At the cost of your own well-being? Being concerned for your safety is an acceptable distraction!"

"See you do think it's a distraction!"

"For fuck's sake."

They huffed, breathing heavily as the silence extended for a few minutes. Both Kiara and Vijay knew they were both in the wrong but couldn't bring themselves to be the bigger person and take the first step.

Finally growing tired of the animosity, she sighed and clasped his hands, "I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to try and make decisions on your behalf."

He nodded, "You're forgiven."

She gaped and slapped the back of his head, "That's it?"

Laughing, he ran around the living room and jumped over her furniture as they chased each other, "What else is there? I've got nothing to apologise for!"

Eventually the two best friends tired one another as he flopped onto the couch beside her and hugged her petite form to his side, "Fine. I suppose... I'm sorry I yelled at you."

For the remainder of her time in India, Kiara had no idea what Trevor did but somehow Amit had backed off and steered clear of her. With no further unwarranted raids or intimidation tactics unleashed throughout the week, she found herself growing more and more homesick for India. Being back here reminded her of why she loved her national fans so much. Their absolute commitment and dedication to both her and the philanthropic work she did made any hardships she faced worth it. No other country had a fanbase as devoted to an actor as the one in India, where they were often revered and respected in any community. 

When it was time to head back to America, Kiara pushed through the tears and forced herself to turn away from Vijay as thousands of Indian fans accompanied her to the airport for her send-off. Chris had been a godsend throughout the entire day, texting her frequently to keep her spirits up and being available to call at any given time. He had finally returned home from his press tour which meant plenty of time for them to spend together before she embarked on her new movie project. While she had yet to find out who her co-star and male lead would be, she was ecstatic to have successfully earned the female lead role as this movie explored themes and current events she was extremely passionate about.

Almost getting to the big thirty! Please don't forget to vote and comment!!!