Kiara at the animal shelter above.

fika

(n.) a moment to slow down and appreciate the good things in life

The Shiva cast members and Rajamouli along with their teams and the production crew were just coming off two days of non-stop press junkets in Delhi. The promotional tour schedule– of which they were only halfway through, planned for a busy two weeks travelling through different states in India. Deepika and Karthi were slumped in their seats texting their respective spouses while Ram and Tarak dozed off. Bumping shoulders with Kiara to lighten the mood as their flight took off, Leon frowned at the lack of enthusiasm amongst the group and raised a brow at her as if to ask what had dampened the environment.

Leaning in towards him, she whispered, "I think they're missing their better halves."

Grabbing a handful of mini chocolate bars before passing the box on to everyone else, Kiara tossed one to each of her castmates as they slowly energised. Finishing off her Snickers bar, she smiled widely and turned to face Leon with her hands held out.

Raising one finger on each hand, she wiggled her brows at him, "Come on, Leo. You up for a game of Chopsticks?"

The nostalgia of playing this game with her washed over him as the corners of his lips turned up at the warm memories, "Why of course I am, love."

Throughout their relationship, Kiara and Leon had made it a tradition to use the game as a means for any decision-making. Majority of the time, the two were so competitive that they found themselves getting carried away with winning and consequently forgetting whatever decision they were attempting to make. Before they knew it, the flight had landed in Bangalore as the south India branch of their promotional tour commenced. 

Being a Keralite herself, travelling home to the south was always special. The public had unofficially titled her as 'the pride of Malayalees' so the excitement they elicited at her presence was no surprise. And thus began the final week of relentless interviews, endless promotional events, parading in one designer outfit after another and production or makeup staff bustling around frantically.

Eventually after the final week of their promotional tour, the core six Shiva cast members had been invited to complete a final interview in America on 'The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon'. Having become somewhat of a global superstar, Kiara had unintentionally created way for more south Asian films to be promoted internationally. Nervously smoothing her hand over the sides of her shimmering silver cowl-neck midi dress, she carefully perched on a chair in the Green Room as she tried to still the slight shaking in her hands. This, being her first American talk show, was an incredibly nerve-wracking experience and she found herself unwittingly bouncing her leg.

Unfortunately Leon had fallen ill over the promotional tour while Ram wanted to be home while Upasana was pregnant. Karthi and Tarak, on the other hand, were both busy with their wives and kids and therefore also couldn't attend the interview but Jimmy was more than happy to accommodate the two remaining lead actors. He had gone to extra lengths to make sure they felt comfortable, taking the time to gather their favourite snacks and ask for any specific requests.

Casually reclining back in the seat beside Kiara, Deepika tenderly placed a hand over her knee in reassurance to prevent her anxious habit as they waited for Jimmy to introduce them. At the stage manager's signal, they linked arms and walked out onto set. Ever the gentleman, he made sure to obstruct the camera's view of the two women while Kiara quickly adjusted the dangerously high slit of her dress upon sitting. He grinned at them as they settled down into their seats and squinted at the stage lights.

Walking around the desk to take a seat, he sipped some water before welcoming them, "It's so nice to see you both in person!"

She nodded in agreement, smiling as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "Likewise!"

"Thank you both for being here."

Deepika smiled widely, "No problem, it's great to be here so thank you for inviting us."

He looked down at his desk, shuffling his cue cards, "I want to get into everything! So I follow you guys on the socials and, Kiara, you posted this hilarious photo on Instagram of the Enlightenment karaoke wrap party."

The audience whooped out in delight as Jimmy, shaking with laughter, held up a photo of Kiara covering her ears looking distressed as Vijay sang into a microphone.

She snickered, "Trust me, he's got the voice of an angel."

He snorted, placing the photo back behind his table before turning to her, "Do you want to give context?"

Scratching her head, she inched closer to state, "Well, that's Jay using an ancient torture technique also known as auditory warfare."

The audience guffawed as he laughed hysterically, taking a few seconds to compose himself before exclaiming, "But he's a good singer, I've heard him sing in movies!"

She waved her hand in dismissal, "Nope, lip-synching. Not many actors actually sing in movies."

He leaned forward, eyes widening in disbelief, "Huh," looking over at Deepika, he wondered; "What's your karaoke song of choice?"

Laughing, she shrugged, "I'll do something fun like 'All Star' so people don't take it seriously."

He covered his mouth in an attempt to hide his grin and looked back at Kiara to ask, "How about you?"

"Oh, I'm the opposite."

"Are you competitive?"

Regardless of the situation, Kiara had the most incredible ability to make anyone feel comfortable with her as she leaned back in her seat in mock seriousness and nodded.

Crossing her legs with her hands interlaced on her knee, she sighed, "Yeah, I'm really just trying to get my album out."

The audience roared with laughter as Jimmy laughed along with them before sobering up and turning to Deepika, "So I just watched Shiva: The Immortals and you two were phenomenal! The men too, of course, but I genuinely had goosebumps after watching you guys."

The audience erupted in cheers of encouragement and praise as Kiara blushed, pressing her hand over her heart in a sign of 'thanks' while Deepika dramatically pretended to bow with a flourish. The remainder of the interview progressed in a similar fashion, maintaining an easy-going atmosphere.

At the end of the night, Kiara was so drained of energy that she barely managed to stay awake while bidding farewell to Deepika. Being rushed over to prepare for The Tonight Show as soon as their flight landed, Kiara barely had enough time to contact Chris but made a mental note to shoot him a text as soon as she could. With that thought in mind, she eventually flopped into bed and was asleep within minutes as she tried to catch up on some much needed shuteye.

An incessant pinging had woken Kiara up the next morning as she groggily woke up to find her phone blowing up with notifications from various social media. Given that the second season of Enlightenment was already completed, the girls immediately began planning a getaway as they knew she had no excuses to prolong their holiday. Unbeknownst to the general public, each cast member had signed on for a trilogy series and as such return next year to film the sequel, 'Shiva: The Secret'. They had a few more interviews scheduled before the entire cast would take an extended break to complete any other pending projects. 

Not only would this be a much needed pause from acting, but the entire friend group would finally be able to meet up in person instead of having to resort to their usual three-hour long phone calls. Smiling to herself, she read through the unread messages in their group chat:

Alia: ATTENTION, LADIES.

Diana: What's cooking, good looking?

Alia: The girls' trip is officially on.

Miya: You realise we decided the dates but not the location, right?

Alia: Yeahhh.

Miya: And we're not even sure if everyone is free.

Alia: Nope, Kiara confirmed she's coming.

Diana: OMG IT'S REALLY HAPPENING!! Okay, what do we think about Bali?

Miya: It's the best location for illegal trade deals.

Alia: Um, I don't think that's what she meant.

Diana: Oh, for fuck's sake.

Miya: You're the one who asked.

Diana: I thought you'd answer like a normal person.

Miya: And how would a normal person answer?

Alia: Sun, sand and sea!

Diana: Exactly.

Kiara: Girls, it's perfect.

Diana: SHE'S ALIVE,

Miya: Alright then, I'll book the tickets.

Alia: This is going to be AMAZING!

Having spent the last two hours organising and finalising the details for their girls' trip, Kiara could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on as she stood to freshen up and start her day. Groaning at the sight of the stack of scripts for new projects Kabir had finalised, she trudged over with a cup of green tea in hand and begun the tedious task of reading through each script. Since filming for the second film in the Shiva trilogy was expected to commence in a year, he had shortlisted four new Hollywood projects from directors that had reached out to her. While she would trust his judgement blindly, it was being entrenched in the process that excited her. She enjoyed exploring the horizon of opportunities, reading about new characters as she dove into their stories.

The barely-there headache had now progressed to a steady throbbing after six solid hours of reading, the short walks and mini snack breaks doing nothing to ease the dull ache. Still Kiara persisted and picked up the next script but after reading through the previous three scripts, she was starting to lose hope for an interesting film. The themes presented seemed repetitive with ideas ranging from cliché action flicks or concepts striving to be so excessively thought-provoking that it just became confusing.

The fourth and final script, however, showed potential through its honest and redemptive adaptation. Although it presented as a deceptively simple romantic drama, it actually delved into relevant issues surrounding mental health. Narrated in alternating points of view between the male and female leads, the film addressed a sombre and moving story of a determined couple forever in the process of healing. 

Needing no further encouragement to choose her next project, Kiara quickly sent Kabir a message with the final script choice and waited patiently for his response. Almost instantly, her phone rang as she read his name on the caller ID. She should've predicted his immediate response given his reputation as the godfather of the Indian film industry but to this day, his proactivity never ceased to amaze her.

Smiling to herself, she picked up, "Hello, hello, hello."

A gravelly chuckle sounded from the other end as he responded, "I see you liked the script."

"Loved the script. It's been a while since I've played such a gentle but strong female character."

"Celia, wasn't it?"

"Uh huh."

"She really does exemplify quiet resilience, huh?"

"Honestly, the screenwriter managed to imbue each character with such nuance and depth that I'm genuinely so excited to get into Celia's head."

"So I take it this is the project you'll choose?"

"Of course! Who are the male lead candidates?"

"No candidates, it's Cillian Murphy."

They spoke for a few minutes, mainly consisting of Kiara excitedly asking questions as Kabir tried his best to answer her endless queries.

Curiosity eventually satiated, she moved to the logistics, "So when's the audition?"

Hesitating before answering, he spoke uncertainly, "Don't worry about that. Mary, the casting director, said she watched you in Enlightenment and immediately knew you were perfect for Celia."

"That's very sweet of her but I'd still like to audition. A character like this has the potential to change the schematics of both the film industry and society. Something this monumental should be handled with careful consideration."

"Kiara, you're not hearing me."

"Oh I hear you loud and clear, I'm just not listening to you. I didn't get this far with nepotism and I'll be damned if I take away anyone else's dreams."

After a few minutes of deliberation, Kabir finally gave in and hung up as he worked to organise the audition. Unlike casting in Hollywood, most senior or experienced actors in the Indian film industry often took it as an insult to have to audition this late in their career. As such, it was no wonder he hesitated at the request. Since it was so frowned upon in their industry to be asked to audition, he hoped Kiara's insistence wouldn't be perceived by her fellow colleagues as a lack of faith in her own abilities. Feeling much more settled with a plan for the coming year, she scrolled through her contacts as she searched for her boyfriend's name. He was the one person she looked forward to seeing the minute they touched down in America.

Waiting impatiently as the phone rang for a few seconds, she immediately perked up upon hearing the charming Bostonian drawl as Chris answered, "Trouble?"

There was a great amount of shuffling on the other end as she imagined he was trying to find a quiet place to talk, "Hello, hero!"

"You back home already?"

Kiara paused at that, wavering when she realised what she was about to imply. She wondered when America had grown to feel like her home. Having been born and brought up in Hong Kong before moving to study in UK, it was the only place that had truly ever felt like home. While she had lived in India for over half a decade after pursuing her acting career, she realised that she had equated the country to work more than home. It didn't take long to understand that it was the people more than the place that made her feel at home. Yes, she felt more comfortable in India than in America but it was Chris who made an unfamiliar country her home– his warmth, his sincerity and his love.

She quietly responded, "Yeah."

As if he could sense her internal crisis, he thankfully didn't address the prolonged silence, "Thank God, I missed you too much."

Somehow always reduced to nothing but a flustered mess around him, she giggled, "I missed you too, bub. How'd the audition go?"

"Pretty good, I think? I'm not too sure but these things take time and I'm always way more stressed than I need to be so I'm really ju–"

She interrupted his nervous rant, "Chris!"

"Sorry, I'm stressed."

"Don't apologise," she coaxed gently; "it's a perfectly normal human reaction."

"I know," he sighed defeatedly.

"I've got an idea!"

"What is it?"

"Come with me to the animal shelter today, I want to introduce you to Lychee."

"No way, I've made the cut? Oh my God, I feel so special! Guess this means I'm a keeper."

Throwing her head back and laughing openly for what felt like the first time in weeks, Kiara indulged his playfulness as they joked back and forth easily. Being on promotional tours meant she had to remain acutely aware of her surroundings, constantly on high alert in case any of her words or actions were manipulated to fit a media manufactured narrative. It was strangely freeing to be around Chris as she somehow knew he would never judge her unfairly. That was the moment she knew she was well and truly a goner for this man.

An hour later, Kiara found herself dressed and waiting at the driveway for Chris to pick her up. Jumping up and down the minute he made an appearance, she could barely hold herself back as the car slowed to a stop. Squealing as she whipped the door open, she hopped into car and threw herself onto him in a crushing hug. Knocking the air out of his chest, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he laughed at her refusal to let go. After she finally settled into her seat, he started the car as they drove over to the animal shelter.

She continued staring at him dreamily until he couldn't handle it any longer and sighed, "You looking at me like that has my heart rate skyrocketing, trouble."

Raising a brow, she hummed, "Is that so?"

"Yeah you just keep staring at me while we crash," he brought their interlaced fingers up to his mouth, kissing the back of her hand; "and it'll be my fault."

"That's fine by me. All your faults are mine too."

"Is that so?"

Tugging at her seatbelt, she leaned in to peck the underside of his jaw and he immediately exclaimed, "Yep, that's it. My heart has completely stopped," he held his arm out to her; "Check my pulse."

Grabbing a handful of treats for the dogs, Kiara introduced Chris to the staff and volunteers before dragging him along to the kennels. It had been well over a year since she last stopped by and she didn't realise how much she had missed it. Slowing to a stop by the familiar metal fencing around the kennel, she smiled at the adorable Doberman puppy snuggling under layers of blankets. The minute Lychee caught sight of her, he practically vibrated with excited energy and began clawing at the gate as she tried to ease him back before slipping into the kennel with Chris in tow. Lychee leaped onto her as she knelt to pet the rather large puppy, managing to knock her onto her back.

She laughed, wrapping her arms around him as he calmed down, "Easy there, bud!"

It was all fun and games until Lychee noticed Chris standing to the side and instantly went on high alert, growling warningly as he brought his body closer to the ground. Gesturing for Chris to come closer as she interlaced their fingers, Kiara could practically feel his anxiety and tried to relax him with a gentle kiss.

Breaking away before the kiss got heated, she smiled reassuringly, "He's a little guarded. Give him a minute to get used to you."

He squeezed her hand in understanding, "Okay."

Eyes darting between the two of them, Lychee finally realised that Chris was no threat and cautiously inched closer but refused to be touched by anyone but Kiara. It took half an hour of Lychee hovering protectively around her, still suspicious of Chris, before he eventually warmed up to her boyfriend.

Leaning over, she held out her hand and whispered, "Give me your hand."

He nervously laughed but complied, "Fine, but Lychee better not bite my fingers off."

Cupping Chris' larger hand in hers, Kiara slowly guided their hands towards Lychee and left his palm facing up in invitation. They waited with bated breaths for a few seconds before Lychee eventually gave in and hesitantly placed his head on the outstretched palm, signifying that he trusted Chris. Cheering in delight, she excitedly hugged him and pecked his cheek and pumped her fist in the air. Not fully comprehending the situation but wanting to join, Lychee barked in delight as his tail wagged incessantly. For the next hour, the three were in their own peaceful bubble as they simply enjoyed each other's company.

Finally stepping out of Lychee's kennel, Chris helped her up as they dusted off their clothes as the playful puppy whined in hopes of convincing them not to leave.

She sighed and leaned back against his chest, "I swear each visit just gets me closer to adopting him."

He laughed, chest rumbling behind her, "Then do it."

"Taking responsibility for someone else shouldn't be an impulse decision."

"If memory serves me right, that's something you do quite often."

"Often but not easily."

Shelving this talk for another day, Chris shook his head and kissed the top of her head before Kiara moved to say her goodbyes to the staff. Checking her phone, she widened her eyes in alarm upon realising she had accidentally left it off. Her stress only heightened at the hundreds of notifications popping up on her screen, most of which were from Nicole and Kabir.

Hands shaking as all the worst case scenarios swarmed her head, Kiara held her breath when he finally picked up, "Kabir, what's wrong?"

She heard the heavy sigh on the other end, already envisioning him anxiously running his hand through his hair, as he said the four words that shattered her world, "There's been an accident."

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