Ram and Tarak bromancing above.

in vino veritas

(prov.) in wine, there is truth

Sitting at coffee table in the living room, Chris conversed with Ram and Tarak as Kiara and their wives, Upasana and Lakshmi respectively, prepared the table for lunch. The initial shock of seeing Chris with his arms wrapped around Kiara had worn off as her friends finally started relaxing into casual conversation. The doorbell rang again and he rushed to answer it, trying to take the burden of stress of her shoulders. She strained her neck to greet Rajamouli from the kitchen and smiled upon hearing Chris' boisterous laughter.

Lakshmi watched her reaction and sighed, speaking in Telugu, "You really like him, huh?"

Gasping at her blush, Lakshmi exclaimed, "Oh my god! You don't even need to answer, your face says it all."

Kiara shook her head and turned to Upasana for support, "It's not a big deal!"

While Kiara and Lakshmi were relatively good friends, they were both slightly less fond of Upasana. This was alright in her case as she and Ram were only colleagues, it was more challenging for Lakshmi since Tarak and Ram had twenty years of friendship between them so their wives needed to find common ground. While she and Upasana had no particularly specific problems with each other, their personalities were drastically different and therefore made it hard for the two women to connect with one another.

Upasana, the traitorous bitch, simply shrugged her shoulders and went about rearranging the utensils at the table as Kiara gaped at her nonchalance, "Okay I guess I'm alone on this one."

Looking up, Upasana sighed and explained, "Interracial couples are not a very common phenomenon in India and more specifically, there are only a few instances in the Indian film industry. Now you'll say, 'at least there's still a few' but none other than Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra are both big names in the entertainment industry."

Pausing to gauge Kiara's reaction, she continued, "You and Chris? You're both world famous actors with millions of fans internationally so yes, it is a big deal. It's something you both would've had to step into after a lot of thinking."

Understanding where Upasana was coming from, she sighed, "I realise the stakes at risk so genuinely appreciate that it must be hard for most people to fathom why we chose this. We've overcome a great number of challenges to get this far so in all honesty, we'll be fine."

Lakshmi piped up, "Have you looked at the comments under that post of you two looking adorable?"

Kiara wavered, "No."

"The news articles online?"

"No, not really. Kabir hasn't said much either."

Shaking her head in resignation, Upasana interjected, "Truthfully, it's not other people you should be worried about but yourselves. Only one of you could ruin the good thing you've got going."

The group were slowly settling into their seats at the dining table, discussing lighter topics as everyone switched to English for Chris' benefit, when the doorbell rang and Kiara stood to answer. She was met with Leon's grinning face as he handed her a bottle of expensive wine in greeting before entering and swaggering into the living room as she hurriedly placed the bottle in the kitchen. She watched as Chris sobered and cautiously judged him while the room drifted into an uneasy silence.

Frowning at the sudden shift in tone, she tried to ease the tension by pulling out a chair, "Just take a seat here, Leo."

The minute Leon answered, she realised it was a mistake as he gave her an easy smirk and sat opposite Chris, "Thank you, love."

Gritting his teeth at the term of endearment, Chris gently tugged Kiara to his lap and she let him in an attempt to reassure as she knew the entire interaction was already difficult enough for him as it was. Ram, ever the gentleman, cleared his throat and awkwardly steered the conversation to simple topics as she sweetly pecked Chris' lips before returning to her seat.

Having exhausted all the basic topics of weather, daily activities and work, Tarak slapped Leon on the back and asked, "So who's the lucky lady?"

Uncomfortably scratching the back of his head, Leon laughed, "What do you mean?"

"Don't be shy! I saw the pictures online of you and some Instagram influencer or something."

"Oh that? It was just one date."

Rajamouli joined in on the playful ribbing, "Just one date, huh?"

"Fuck's sake, yes!"

Being the shit-stirrer he was, Tarak smiled cheekily and pushed, "Was it better than what you had with Kiara?"

Everyone groaned in warning but Leon simply snorted, "Why don't you act like your hairline and take a few steps back?"

Looking appalled, Tarak prepared to say something likely equally as outrageous but Leon surprised her by looking at Chris and sincerely speaking, "There are some instances where it never will be the right time. Everyone has that person who they can see themselves ending up with and yet nothing will ever happened. The idea of them is so perfect but the way life works out, they will always be just that for you. An idea, that's all Kiara and I will be for each other."

Chris nodded in thanks, finally respecting him as he turned to the group and continued, "I know we all just ignored the fact that Kiara and I are exes but honestly, let's just put this all to bed. It's disrespectful to Chris and most importantly, it's just plain annoying for her."

When Leon turned to Kiara, she flinched at the depth of pain and misery in the dark brown pools of his eyes. It was then that she understood the immense sacrifice he was making to ensure her happiness and while it would never make up for his hurtful words, she couldn't help but sympathise as the slightest twinge of affection stirred in her heart. 

Tarak opened his mouth to speak again when Ram shushed him by reaching out and pinching his nose before shielding his hand against his chest as if he held something important. It was a game the two longtime friends often played where one person would 'steal' something from the other but worked well to prevent the current situation from escalating.

"Give me my nose back!," Tarak exclaimed.

Ram retorted, "Then shut the hell up."

"Give me my nose."

Laughing and restraining Tarak with one hand, he leaned forwards as if to return the nose, "Fine, here."

Just as he relaxed again, Ram playfully swiped his mouth and yelled, "Hah! I've got your mouth now."

He held his hand out of reach and gasped the minute Tarak moved to speak, uttering a few syllables, "Listen to m–"

Shoving his finger in Tarak's face, he interrupted, "Ah, ah, ah, I have your mouth!"

Lakshmi giggled, joining in on the fun, "Keep it. Maybe he won't say something stupid again."

Just like that, Ram had once again managed to diffuse a stressful situation as both Chris and Leon backed down and formed a somewhat strained but friendly relationship. Tarak was still busy crossing his arms and sulking but Kiara knew his annoyance would only last a few seconds. The man was practically the embodiment of sunshine and chaos, which meant he could barely hold grudges but definitely enjoyed starting them.

Of course the minute Ram 'returned his mouth', the first thing he said was, "As my good friend, Vijay, says, 'Leon, you were a deadbeat so damn that dick must've been huge'!"

That got them laughing as he whipped over to face her, "Speaking of Vijay, did he get back to you about that girl he met?"

She threw her hands up in frustration, "I don't know, he hasn't called me back!"

"Is he getting our voicemails?"

"Maybe there's no service in Mehrangarh?"

Clapping his hands together, he said, "Let's try again."

They gathered around her phone as she recorded a voice message, "Hey Jay–"

For whatever reason, he started speaking in the most obnoxious tone and interjected, "What up, bhai? It's your girl, Tarak aka NTR Jr. aka young tiger. Just wondering if you've dropped that dream girl like a bad habit. Ain't nobody living in your mind rent free, so get your pretty little ass back here while you still can. You feel me?"

Unable to contain all his nervous energy, he grabbed her phone and threw it across the room onto the couch while everyone else remained silent as she placed her hand on his arm and sarcastically complemented, "I hate that you're so good at this."

"Really? I was so nervous."

Trying to hold in her laugh, she kept a straight face, "Couldn't tell."

Everyone burst out laughing as a bright red blush warmed Tarak's cheeks and he ashamedly wandered back to his seat. The remainder of the afternoon continued in a relatively similar light-hearted fashion as they caught up with each other but eventually, their children started bombarding their phones with calls and messages so the guests said their goodbyes before slowly making their way out. 

Cleaning out the living room after they left, Chris and Kiara worked quickly and efficiently to clean the house. It was well into the evening when a series of rapid knocks sounded from the front door as they frowned at each other, not expecting any other guests. Looking at him in alarm, she quickly swept up the last of the dust on the floor and rushed to answer the door. Sighing in frustration at the sight of Vijay leaning unstably against a sheepish looking Ranbir, she stepped aside to let him guide her drunk best friend into the house.

Chris took one look at the situation and immediately tried to escape, grabbing the trash bags and gesturing outside, "I'll just take these out."

Touching Ranbir's arm in thanks, she watched as he made sure Vijay was safely stood inside the house, "I would've brought him home sooner but this princess kept telling me to slow down."

Vijay grumbled as the stench of alcohol rolled off him in waves, "Hey! I'm not a passenger princess when he drives, I'm a fucking survivor."

She sighed, "I thought you promised to quit drinking."

He stumbled towards her and slurred, "I'm stone cold sober."

Masking her worry with humour, she gently coaxed him onto his bed, "Really? Because you're kind of speaking in bourbon."

"Joke's on you, it's vodka."

"You can be annoying in Russian too."

"Alcohol's the cure to a broken heart."

"That old adage? I hear self-reflection does it too."

"Well I'm not very good at self-refract–," wrinkling his nose, he tried again; "slef-refrac–"

He huffed in annoyance, "Whatever you just said."

Chuckling, she took him to her guest bedroom and tucked him in, "Okay, it's time to go to bed."

Closing the door behind her, Kiara turned back to the living room only to be met with a confused Chris waiting expectantly for answers with his hands on his hips as Ranbir released a nervous laugh.

Leaning in to kiss her cheek, his hands lingered on her for a second longer, "You going to be fine with Jay like that?"

She politely removed his hands from her body but squeezed them in thanks before shifting away, "Yeah, don't worry."

"I'll always worry when it comes to you."

She could practically feel Chris' annoyance but tried to brush off Ranbir's flirting with humour, "How long did it take you to think of that one?"

"Doesn't matter, thinking about you is the best part of my day."

"Obsessed much?"

"Oh, big time. I've got an appointment next week to get your name tattooed on my chest."

"Tramp stamp? Nice."

Chris glared at the man flirting with his girlfriend, "Really?"

Abruptly stopping his laugh, Ranbir backed away carefully, "I think I should probably go," when he was a safe distance away, he pointed to Chris and whisper-shouted; "you chose this guy?"

Face-palming herself, she peeked at Chris to gauge his reaction as he frowned, "You know he likes you right?"

Smiling sheepishly, she reassured, "Of course he does, he's one of Jay's close friends."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

Deciding to shelve that talk for later, he changed the subject, "What's wrong with Vijay, by the way?"

She simply shrugged, "I guess the dream girl didn't work out."

He kissed her forehead and intertwined their fingers, "I hope he's better tomorrow."

Suddenly feeling overwhelmingly grateful for having him in her life, she broke away from him and tapped his shoulder, "My friend over there," she pointed to a spot behind him; "thinks you're real cute."

Turning to look at who Kiara was referring to, Chris broke out into fits of laughter when she sped across the room to the spot she pointed at and leaned against the wall as if she had been standing there all along. Sauntering back over to him, he shook his head in disbelief at her antics and bundled her small form into his arms for a hug as his body continued shaking with laughter. 

Every day Kiara found new ways to surprise Chris, revealing an entirely different side of herself each time. Sometimes things seemed too good to be true and he feared it was only a matter of time before she realised he was an anchor, holding her back from her full potential. It was always a lingering fear of his that it wouldn't be long before she grew tired of him but for the time being, he would take each day in stride. Grateful that for some reason, this amazing woman loved him and had chosen him.

Slipping out of bed the next morning, Kiara flitted around the kitchen as she toasted some freshly grated coconut and sliced some bananas for Vijay's favourite breakfast of avalose podi*. He trudged out of the guest bedroom, groggily rubbing his eyes but remained silent as he slid into the seat overlooking the kitchen and flopped his head onto the cool island surface.

She jogged over and kissed his head before returning to preparing the table for breakfast as she reminded him, "If you have to ask yourself if she was the right person, she probably wasn't."

Lifting his head slightly, he grumbled, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Read people so easily and just know the perfect things to say."

"Intuition, I guess? Now stop stalling and tell me what's bothering you." 

"It's starting to feel like the right person doesn't exist for me."

"There is someone out there waiting to love you more than you ever thought was possible so don't quit before you find them."

"It fucking hurts though."

"I'm sorry but there's no shortcuts to healing from heartbreak. Allow yourself to feel it and eventually you'll overcome it."

"Is that what you did with Leon?"

"Pretty much. You know how the saying goes, the only way out is through."

"He never deserved you, sweetheart."

"Sometimes good men do bad things and that doesn't mean you have to forgive them but it also doesn't mean you have to demonise them. I learned to leave him without villainising him."

As he reached into his pocket for his phone, she quickly added, "Don't go back to Nargis, you'll never find peace if you ask it from the person who disturbed it in the first place."

"Then what should I do?"

"You'll have to decide that for yourself but if it were me? I'd learn to love your loneliness, it's what'll protect you from giving your heart to all the wrong people."

Ignoring her advice, he typed a text out on his phone anyway, "What you're saying makes sense and is probably the smartest thing to do but I never claimed to be wise."

"While I'll never understand how you're interested in being disrespected by someone you lowered your standards for, it's your mistake to learn from so go ahead."

By the time Kiara was finished with cooking, Chris still hadn't woken up so she went back into the garden to water her plants. A good half an hour later, he came downstairs and paused at the sight of Vijay sprawled across the kitchen island and plates of what looked like sand on the dining table.

Nudging him, Chris wondered, "Where is Kiara?"

He gave a muffled response, not bothering to sit up, "Talking to the plants."

If someone had said that to Chris a year ago, he would've burst out laughing at the sheer peculiarity of it all. But now that he had met Kiara, he found that very few things seemed unorthodox to him. She had somehow managed to introduce a whole new world of possibilities to him and he couldn't wait to explore it all with her. Wandering out to the garden, he watched in amusement as she animatedly waved her arms around and spoke to her cherry tomato plants.

Content to just stand here and watch her like a lovestruck fool, he continued gazing lovingly at her until Vijay walked up behind him and swatted the back of his head, "Dude, stop being a creep."

Shoving him playfully, Chris opened the back door and called out to her, "Come on, trouble! Time for breakfast."

Flinching at the sudden interruption, she turned to glare at the boys as they pushed each other and laughed at her reaction, "Need I remind you that this is my house you both have decided to squat in? Best control your actions before you find yourself homeless." 

After a tedious process of explaining what avalose podi was, how to eat it and continuously offering alternatives, Kiara gave up on pampering Chris and resorted to quickly eating a light breakfast.

Collecting both their plates, she started washing the dishes at the sink when he snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Have I ever told you how much I love your cooking?"

Raising a brow, she sniffed, "You just said my breakfast looked like sand."

"That was before I knew it was supposed to look like that!"

She giggled, turning off the tap and letting him press her against the counter as he pressed butterfly kisses along the column of her neck, "In all fairness, it does look like it belongs in the Sahara desert."

With his lips against her skin, he mumbled, "I'd eat it even if it looked like it belongs in the swamps of the Amazon rainforest."

Releasing a satisfied moan, Kiara hopped onto the counter as Chris' hands roamed her heated skin and slipped under her shorts. On the couch, Vijay flipped the TV on to watch the Wimbledon match as he polished off his breakfast but the pundits' commentary was drowned out by the clattering of pots and pans as Chris swept them off the counter surface into the sink.

Groaning at the commotion, he turned and yelled, "As hot as I'm sure you two look fucking, I'm trying to get my Roger Federer on here and I don't exactly feel like gouging my eyes out today so–"

Slamming her hand on the counter and scrambling to run after him, she screamed, "Jay, start performing your last rites!"

*Avalose podi: a traditional Keralan dish of roasted coconut rice powder

Thirty second chapter done and dusted guyssss!!!