Kiara and Kabir kidding around above.

meraki

(n.) to do something with with soul, creativity or love

The Shiva team were working towards the end and as such, this meant it was time for Kiara and her castmates to prepare for some promotional interviews. While she'd usually take on these interviews along with the rest of the cast, she obliged with Simi Garewal's request to interview her one-on-one. She had a notorious reputation as a persistent interviewer with controversial views but Kiara suspected that was exactly why Kabir had agreed to do the talk show. People didn't call him the godfather for no reason and she trusted his judgement well enough to abide by his decisions. He put faith in her eloquence and sophistication, trusting her ability to steer questions and direct them towards topics she was comfortable exploring.

Pulling her hair back into a sleek ponytail, the hair and makeup team worked to create a simple and understated glam look as she admired her outfit. The white jacquard jumpsuit with butterfly sleeves and golden floral motifs featured a belted detail that emphasised her petite frame but it was her radiant smile and the warmth she exuded that really pulled the look together. Standing when they finalised her makeup, she teamed her gold heels with matching statement earrings as Kabir pretended to be unbothered at the few inches she gained in height over him.

She smiled, going to make a smart remark when he held up a finger, "I'm warning you, don't say a word."

Holding in her laughter, she innocently quipped, "I won't! I know you look up to me."

"I just told you not to go there!"

"I'm only joking... I guess me and you can't see eye to eye."

This time she was unable to control her reaction and guffawed as he protested, "It's not a big issue!"

"Yeah, sounds like a small issue to me."

"For fuck's sake, can you take this seriously?"

"Fine, I'm sorry! Being short is a growing problem."

"Oh really? How much do you care about this growing pandemic?"

"Very little!"

"Gah! Fuck you," deciding to wait elsewhere, he huffed and walked out but quickly changed his mind and popped his head back in; "You should probably accessorise, we're going to a party after."

Looking in the mirror again and seeing nothing wrong with the simplicity of her outfit, Kiara decided against Kabir's advice and pulled out her phone as she scrolled through the news. She giggled at the trending memes and tweets of Vijay's latest social media antics, clicking on a video as she relived the hilarious moment he misinterpreted someone's question on an Instagram live 'Ask Me Anything' video.

Squinting as he read the question that popped up on his screen, he exclaimed, "Oh, I love cheating! If you haven't cheated at least once in your life then there's definitely something wrong with you."

Overwhelmed by the influx of attacks in the comments section, he spluttered, "Oh shit, I forgot that people are actually in relationships. To clarify, I appreciate violating academic integrity on exams!"

Wiping away tears of laughter as the video ended, Kiara tucked her phone back into her purse and handed it to Kabir as he ushered her on set while the production crew set up the shot. He frowned upon noticing she was anxiously rubbing at her wrists, questioning why the usually confident woman was suddenly nervous.

Leaning in, he whispered in her ear, "What's got you worked up?"

Smiling at how in-tune he was with her emotions, she sighed, "Nothing, it's stupid."

"It's not stupid to me. Give it to me straight."

"This is the first interview I've had after coming back from America. I'm just worried I'll be out of touch."

"Well, don't be. It'll be just like riding a bike."

Waiting until she nodded, he brought his hand to his chest and pat it, "We're golden."

She repeated the action, "We're golden."

As the interview progressed, Simi asked all the right thought-provoking questions to simultaneously promote The Enlightenment, excite the audience for Shiva and provide in-depth knowledge on her life. The first half was going swimmingly before everything took a turn for the worst when she began prodding at Kiara's love life.

Shooting her a sly smile, Simi pried, "So are the wedding bells singing?"

Kiara deflected, playing stupid, "What do you mean?"

"You did reveal your mystery man on social media a few weeks ago."

"Mystery man?"

Chuckling obnoxiously, Simi threw her hands up, "Well obviously not a woman!"

Sardonically smiling back, Kiara raised a brow, "And why not?"

They both laughed uncomfortably for a moment before Simi tried to divert the conversation, "Oh... well it would be amazing for you to come back maybe with a husband?"

She rolled her eyes, "The word 'husband' in my world," pretending to adjust her hearing, she continued; "sounds as foreign as 'conform'."

"Well you're so secure because the men in your life have clearly provided that feeling of security, right?"

"Not exactly."

"Really?"

"Really. It has nothing to do with the men in my life and everything to do with the essence of who I am."

"So you're saying your father, brother, boyfriend and best friend offer no comfort?"

"Not necessarily. The feeling of security is inherently developed within myself through various life experiences and my own strength of character so my family only strengthen that."

The minute Kiara walked off the interview set, Kabir wore a grim expression as he tried to subtly shove his phone away before she noticed. Quickly grabbing the device, she watched the video currently playing on screen as various tabloids started making wild conspiracy theories and connections between Vijay's misinterpreted comment on cheating and her relationship with Chris. 

That was the issue with show business, any news regardless of whether it was good or bad would spread within minutes. It was just a perk of the job that Kiara had forced herself to accept so even if their relationship had never been officially confirmed, the general public understood her social media post as a statement and therefore assumed Vijay's poor choice of words was an explanation as to what was going on behind the curtains. As such, both her and Chris' fans were currently engaging in a virtual battle and attacked one another. 

Both #EscapeEvans and #CapriciousKiara were currently trending on Twitter as people either accused Chris of being a stifling and clingy boyfriend or Kiara of lacking commitment to their relationship. It pained her that after all these years of practically embarking on the journey with her and Vijay as their friendship bloomed, people still believed that the two best friends had somehow lied and were secretly dating. It was a sort of irrationality that only developed within a certain circle of fan groups and couldn't otherwise be reasoned with so she closed her eyes then took a deep breath and by the time she opened them, any anxiety that was starting to build simply evaporated.

Realising she should be more worried but unable to muster up the energy or strength to concern herself with untrue scandals, Kiara simply rolled her eyes and tossed the phone back into Kabir's awaiting hands before shrugging her shoulders and turning to leave as she heard him frantically calling the publicity team as they dealt with the problem. Ignoring the tabloids and intrusive paparazzi questions flung at them when they left the premises, they continued as planned to attend Karan Johar's birthday bash.

Hours later, the group were currently relaxing alongside the crème de la crème of Bollywood as they joked around after that shitshow of an interview. Karan had the tendency to invite every famous face on his contact list, prone to boasting about his connections while using false modesty to fish for complements. While he was vain to a fault and judgemental, he made up for these negative traits with quick wit and generosity so often acted as the bridge between talented actors and well-known directors– the very reason he gained the moniker of being a 'career maker'. The music blaring from the party seemed to fade away while they conversed and Kiara had resorted to sleepily resting her head against Nicole's shoulder as Vijay and Kabir cradled their drinks to their chests, reclining opposite them.

Nicole pet her head comfortingly, "Well you can relax with the comfort of knowing you can do no wrong in the eyes of your fans. That interview will likely be trending by next week."

She snorted, "No one is untouchable but with regards to the interview, I know my brain is making it seem worse than it really was."

"As for the rumours of you and Vijay, the same conspiracy theory pops up every few weeks so it's nothing new."

Sighing bitterly, she agreed, "Yeah but I should probably check in with Chris soon anyway."

Much to Nicole's annoyance, Vijay interjected, "Normally I'd make a comment about dumping that insecure little bitch but I actually kind of like him so don't fuck this up."

Kiara huffed at his audacity, "That's the aim," then as if registering his comment, she raised a brow; "Wait, since when do you like him?"

In an attempt to change the subject, he widened his eyes and gasped at the noise that Kabir's body just elicited, whipping around to exclaim, "Oh my god, did you just shit yourself?"

Laughter bubbled up from Nicole, "His farts always sound so disgustingly wet!"

Kabir glared and retorted, "Says you! Remember that time you farted in bed and nearly blew me out the fucking side?"

"Oh that was one time and it was pure air."

Ignoring her protests, he turned to face Kiara, "Literally, I was spooning her and she farted. Next thing I know, I ended up fucking four feet away from her!"

Everyone burst out laughing, unable to control their reaction to the couple arguing as Nicole gaped at them. Realising she hadn't found his humour as amusing as everyone else had, Vijay quickly sobered up but Kabir continued chuckling.

Annoyed at his lack of emotional awareness, she grumbled, "Now you're just pissing me off!"

He groaned, "For fuck's sake sit down, Nicky!"

"I'm sat."

The couple remained silent for a few tense minutes just staring at each other as they measured one another's level of frustration while Kiara and Vijay silently panicked and communicated with each other using their eyes. The seconds ticked by and eventually the corners of Nicole's mouth tipped up as a small smile unfurled on her face. She tried to refrain from grinning but barely held it together and ended up joining Kabir as they broke out in fits of laughter while the two best friends gawked at them.

Tilting his nose up to imitate a snob, Vijay muttered, "Now that's just immature."

Amused by his hypocrisy, Kiara jibed, "Says the man who makes 'your mom' jokes."

"Hey, my jokes are creative!"

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I hear it."

Firing an icy glare at her, he snipped, "Your mom's so slow, it took her nine months to make a joke."

"Oh yeah? Your dad's so fast, he made a joke in two seconds."

Letting the joke sit with him for a bit, Vijay finally understood the clapback and exploded with laughter as Kiara watched him with a satisfied gleam in her eyes while Kabir tried to subtly check his phone for updates on her situation.

As the night went on, the guests became rowdier as more alcohol filtered into the party so he gestured at her to follow him as they walked out of earshot from everyone, "Before I forget, we need to do something about you and Chris."

Crossing her arms defensively, she questioned, "Do something?"

"Yeah, a lot of your fans have started revolting over the fact that you chose a gora* or 'vellakkaaran*', as you would say."

"Never said I was dating him!"

Shooting her an unimpressed look, he grumbled, "Oh really? A certain loved up Instagram post ring any bells?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny anything."

"Well that just won't cut it for the public."

"Other people's opinions have never dictated my choices."

"I didn't say they had to, it's just that there's already been enough controversy surrounding your name."

"Since when do we shy away from controversy?"

"Kiara, please don't be stubborn. Clashing with political leaders, interviewers, paparazzi... it all just stacks up and one day everything will topple over but even I won't be able to pick up all the pieces."

"If you're worried about the fans, they love me for who I am and if they don't then they were never mine to begin with. You have a wide portfolio of other clientele which means you're not worried for yourself so if you're worried about me, don't be. I'm a big girl, I can handle the consequences."

"I'm just saying, it would be nice if my job wasn't a complete headache all the time."

She lightly slapped his cheek, "That's what we pay you the big bucks for, isn't it?"

Throwing her head back and laughing, Kiara sauntered off to socialise with the other attendees as Karan spotted her from a distance and made his way over. Introducing her one after the other to numerous aspiring actors and renowned filmmakers, he finally slowed to converse with Ananya Pandey, Sara Ali Khan, Anand and Sonam as the latter squealed in greeting and bundled her into a warm hug.

Discreetly sidling up beside Kiara and eyeing her outfit, Ananya winced, "I'm guessing you didn't have enough time to change, huh?"

Momentarily stunned by the pejorative remark, she glanced down at herself and acted oblivious, "You guessed wrong, I'm ready as is."

She turned to Sonam and whispered, "What was that about?"

"Forget her, it doesn't matter," she smiled, rubbing Kiara's arm comfortingly.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Sara perusing the length of her body before turning to her with practiced concern, "Kiara you aren't ready yet?," sharing a secretive smile with Ananya, she continued in mock-sincerity; "I would've helped you!"

Finally reaching the end of her patience with the topic of her appearance, she inhaled deeply, "Thank you for offering but this is me fully dressed. I don't understand why everyone is so concerned over simplicity."

Having observed the aggravated energy her body language practically exuded, Vijay snuck up behind the group in time to hear their thinly veiled disapproval and slipped between the two women to tuck Kiara into his side as he pecked her forehead, "Sweetheart, you couldn't look more fucking beautiful if you tried."

Quickly gauging the group's reaction, Vijay's face scrunched in confusion when Sonam smiled conspiratorially as if he had somehow proven a point she was trying to make while Sara scowled at him but Karan simply raised a brow and scrutinised the interaction nosily. Turning to look at Kiara, Vijay released a breath he didn't realise he was holding as nothing but sheer love and appreciation shone in her eyes at his rescue. That was one of his favourite things about her. He was sure his face displayed nothing but pure reverence as he adored how whether it was delight, misery, apprehension or rage, she expressed her emotions wholeheartedly and without reserve. She poured herself into this world with the conviction of someone who refused to conform with societal standards for the benefit of someone else's comfort– shining all the brighter for it.

*Gora: slang Hindi term for Caucasians

*Vellakkaaran: slang Malayalam term for Caucasians, directly translates to 'white person'

Chapter 34 done!! Also I just received the most amazing news that my book has been added to consideration for the Butterfly Awards 2023! Wish me luck xx