Kiara and Vijay rushing to get ready above.

kilig

(n.) the feeling of butterflies in one's stomach

Kiara leaned into the backseat of Emilia's car to retrieve her bag, then stepped out, letting a slow breath chase away the fluttering unease in her chest. She knew the voices inside her head wouldn't vanish, not completely, but that didn't mean she would stop trying. At the door, her courage wavered and she turned to see Emilia standing there, full of life and mischief.

"Go on, bitch! Show them who Sakshi fucking Harrison is!," she called, waving like a commander sending her into battle.

Kiara laughed softly, a thread of warmth winding through her nerves. She squared her shoulders and faced the door, the camera gliding closer, then stopping as her knuckles met the wood. The crew murmured behind the lenses, adjusting lights and focus, but she remained still, savouring the quiet tension.

"And that's a wrap!" the director shouted.

The alarm blared briefly, signalling the end of filming for the day, and the room exhaled in a collective cheer. Emilia and Kiara hugged, the sound of rainbow confetti erupting around them as Hadley wheeled out a cake, gathering everyone into the celebration. Kiara pressed her hands to her chest, eyes glistening, acknowledging the crew's tireless work. Applause rang through the room as candles were blown out, cake sliced and small pieces passed around.

Later, Kiara sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against Vijay's chest while he idly played with his phone. Emilia and Henry flanked them, enjoying their slices. Poorna and Jeffrey had finished their scenes earlier in the week, going home with the promise they would appear at the premiere afterparty. Vijay's phone buzzed but the minute he read the caller ID, he tossed it to Kiara without a word. She fumbled, caught it and threw it back.

"Coward," Emilia snorted, flicking her curls away from her face.

He smirked, flipping her off and pressed the phone to Kiara's ear, forcing her to respond, "Nargis? Hey, how are you?"

Her eyes widened and she hit his chest lightly, scrambling for an excuse, "Um... Jay's at a doctor's appointment."

He looked at her incredulously as she provided more details, "He's... getting a prostate exam. You know... just to make sure the tools function satisfactorily."

Kiara hummed along to Nargis' long-winded rant, finally hanging up and giving Vijay a sharp poke in the chest.

"Couldn't you think of anything else?," he asked.

"I wouldn't want you to have performance anxiety," she teased.

"About corroborating your lie?," he deadpanned.

"Yes. She's tough."

"You're obvious."

"Don't worry, happens to the best of us," she said, holding her arms out in mock sympathy.

Henry shook his head, muttering 'children' under his breath, while Kiara laughed at Vijay's irritation. Plates in hand, she started gathering the trash.

"Don't do anything stupid," she warned.

"Stupid's so much more fun," he countered.

"You helping?"

"I'd love to, but wouldn't want to do anything stupid while I'm at it," he said with a sly grin.

Vijay watched her with that lop-sided smirk as she teetered toward the bin. Soon, though, reality intruded and they had to get to the airport. Delhi waited, the Lux Golden Rose Awards looming. Unlike Western shows, Indian award ceremonies mixed glamour with performance, each number celebrating women in cinema. Vijay, chosen as one of the male hosts for this year's HeForShe theme, would stand alongside Kiara on stage as part of this generation's most loved jodi. He tugged her hand as she lingered, talking to the crew. She twisted, trying to speak to everyone, but he ignored her protests and swept her along.

"Just carry me already," she said, exasperated.

"Your wish is my command," he replied, hoisting her onto his shoulder. 

Kiara protested with playful thwacks on his back until Vijay deposited her unceremoniously in the car. 

Traveling to Delhi was a blur– fifteen hours of being crammed into an airplane, numerous paparazzi ambushes and a diner pit stop, before they finally collapsed in their hotel beds. The next morning, Vijay silently unlocked her door, sliding under the duvet beside Kiara. She nuzzled his chest without waking.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," he murmured.

Startled, she flailed under the covers, "What are you doing?"

"If I see something new, I'll throw a dollar at it," he teased.

"Out."

"You were dreaming about me, weren't you?," he said, eyeing her shirt; "Explains the drool."

A ringtone shattered the quiet. Kiara scrambled for her phone, banging her head against the headboard in the process. Immediately, Karan's girlfriend frantically spoke on the other end of the line as Vijay busied himself with checking her for injuries. Kiara finally managed to reassure her she would speak to Karan before hanging up with a heavy sigh.

"Kunjettan's* started smoking," she muttered.

"Is the stash any good?," Vijay asked.

"Stop being an asshole," she shot back, running her fingers through her hair then paused as she scrutinised him more closely; "You've already talked to him, haven't you?"

He leaned back, amused, "Don't be ridiculous."

"You're a shit liar. I never said anything about weed." 

"Huh. Would you look at that!"

"So... how did you know?"

He slid off the bed, "Came to me in a dream. I was naked. You would've loved it."

At this stage of their friendship Kiara had grown accustomed to Vijay's flirty comments, knowing it was his way of deflecting or minimising situations.

She moved towards the edge of the bed, peering up at him, "Is he okay?" 

"Well, he's not going to cure cancer anytime soon,"noting the worry line appear between her brows, he reassured her, "but he's fine." 

She exhaled in relief and his eyes flitted restlessly around her face, "Are you okay?" 

 "Yeah," she brushed his concern off, doodling on the notepad at her bedside. 

 He pointed an accusatory finger at her, "Liar." 

 "Liar?" 

"Pants on fire!" 

A paper plane, folded from a floatie Kiara had made, flew at Vijay's back. He bent to unfold it, chuckling at her fantastical sketch. And with great difficulty, she eventually wrestled him out of her room. There were still a few hours before they had to leave, giving them enough time for a quick gym session to start the day. 

Later, the hotel gym became a stage of its own– Vijay with weights, Kiara on the treadmill then joining him for strength and yoga. Water bottles drained, laughter spilled and playful competitiveness rose with every rep.

Hours later, Kiara had just finished calling her dad when a terse SOS text came through from Nicole. Of course Vijay would choose today of all days to be a pain in her ass. His last choreography session was threatening to throw their morning into chaos. Kiara barged into his room, armed with two shirts and decisiveness.

"This or this?," she demanded.

He pointed, "The black high-neck." 

Kiara shoved the shirt into Vijay's chest as Jimmy walked in with her makeup bag in hand. Taking the makeup bag, she headed into the bathroom as Vijay changed. Chaos reigned as both fought over monopolising the mirror– arms flailing, hair tugged into place, hands shoved away.

"Okay, fine. Hurry, hurry, hurry. I'm late," he finally conceded.

Glancing at the unfamiliar woman still sprawled across Vijay's bed with her mouth open in confusion, Kiara shoved the makeup bag into her arms before buttoning his shirt up for him. 

The woman spluttered in irritation, "Excuse me!"

"You're excused. The door's that way," Kiara said, cool as ice, making a mental note of the walking advertisement for bad decisions. 

The woman reeled back, "Oh... Kiara Mathew," then when her brain finally caught up, she screeched; "Oh my God, you're Kiara Mathew!"

The corner of Kiara's mouth quirked, "Hi. Pleasure to meet you..."

"Kelsey," he filled in for her.

The woman gaped in offence, "Kelly!"

Gesturing at her vaguely, he corrected, "Right, Kelly." 

Rolling her eyes, Kiara gave Vijay a disgusted look as she shook her head and gently coaxed the woman to start leaving. Shooting a text to Nicole, making her aware of the situation, Kiara returned her focus to the task at hand– getting him to work on time. She stood on her tiptoes and reached around him to fix the collar of his shirt, as he fixed her flyaways at the same time. 

Jimmy scratched his head and muttered, "And you wonder why people think you're dating." 

Kiara turned to protest, but Vijay shoved her gently toward the door, muttering a hurried goodbye to the woman lingering in the room. As Jimmy escorted the woman out of Vijay's suite, they scrambled into Kiara's hotel room and flopped onto the bed in a tangle of relief. Sitting up on her elbows, she fixed him with a look that demanded an explanation. 

He rolled his eyes, "Don't give me that look, sweetheart."

She huffed, "What look?"

"That look!"

She shook her head, "Sometimes you're the sweetest human being, and then you go and do some shit like this."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Kirsty knew what she was getting into!"

Her eyes snapped open, "Kelly. Her name was Kelly."

"Whatever. She knows I'm not a cuddler."

"You could've handled it differently. That's all I'm saying."

"I didn't want to offend her."

"And you think kicking her out the moment she wakes up is better?"

"No."

Kiara exhaled, realising this was a conversation for another day. She gathered her things and they slipped out through the hotel's back exit, dodging the paparazzi as their car waited to take them to the dance studio. She hovered on the sidelines during rehearsal, watching in awe as Vijay executed the complex choreography with flawless precision, occasionally stepping in to join him for fun.

Two hours of rehearsal left them exhausted, and they returned to the hotel as discreetly as they had left. They collapsed into their rooms while their teams prepared for the award show, Jimmy stepping out to coordinate with security. The doorbell rang, and Kiara trudged over, only to be swept into a chair by Tanya, her stylist, who wrapped her in layers of fabric. Elton buzzed around her with brushes and curlers, his usual playlist of rap music blaring through the speakers as he placed his finishing touches on her hair and makeup.

Slipping into the strapless nude mermaid gown and matching heels, Kiara felt the familiar flutter in her stomach. Despite years on stage, the butterflies never vanished– but knowing Vijay would be at her side offered comfort. Kabir ran through the evening's agenda, giving her a quick approving glance.

Fanning herself in nervous anticipation, she muttered, "What if I trip and fall on stage?"

Kabir's stare was sharp as Elton applied a final stroke of pink lipstick, "You won't."

"Or say something stupid."

"You won't," he repeated. 

Then, gripping her shoulders, he spun her toward him, "You've done this a million times before. Now suck it up and go be amazing, little lady."

Kabir ushered Kiara to the hotel lobby, giving her a moment to catch her breath before the outside world assaulted her with blinding flashes and shouts. He guided her into the car, Jimmy holding back the paparazzi, and ran through procedures with her on the way to the venue. Laughter spilled from the car as Kabir tried– and failed, to imitate Vijay's hosting style. 

Inside the building, Jimmy cleared the way. Kiara's eyes swept the area until she spotted Vijay peeking from backstage, scanning the audience until their gazes locked. He pointed, then blew a kiss. She pretended to catch it in midair, pressing it to her heart. Kabir watched in quiet awe as the pair communicated silently across the room. Vijay tugged at his collar and lifted his chin in question. She drew a circle with her finger, signalling him to spin. Arms outstretched, he obeyed, twirling gracefully and glancing back at her with a raised eyebrow. She pinched her fingers, kissed them and tossed the gesture toward him. He shyly covered his face, and she laughed, shooing him back just as the organiser announced the broadcast would begin.

Kiara whistled and cheered as Vijay performed before introducing the next actor to present the first award. Each accolade creatively paired the word 'beauty' with traits like talent and determination, punctuated by energetic dance sequences. Finally, he returned to the microphone to announce the recipient of the 'Lux Golden Rose Unstoppable Beauty Award'. He tore open the envelope, inhaled sharply and covered his mouth in disbelief before calling out her name. 

Shock pinned Kiara in place. She gripped Kabir's arm as the audience's applause swelled, rooting her forward. Drawing a deep breath, she rose and stepped toward the stage, still clinging to his support. At the base of the stairs, she shook her dress three times– one for each member of her family, before ascending to the stage. It was a longstanding ritual for luck that she often did whenever in need of some extra support. She ran straight into Vijay's arms, receiving whispered congratulations and the award before they moved to the microphone together. Her words were brief but heartfelt, timed perfectly before the music cue.

When the title track from Judwaa played, Kiara joined Vijay without hesitation. Together, they launched into the iconic dance steps from their movie, moving as one. They moved through the choreography effortlessly, the culmination of preparation, nerves and exhilaration radiating from every step.

*Jodi: a term used in India to label iconic on-screen couples or pairings

*Kunjettan: Malayalam word for older brother but usually with a relatively small age gap

Third chapter doneeee! Please don't forget to vote and comment.