Lychee being adorable above.

súton

(n.) the end of something

It was just past midnight when Kiara and Vijay hauled their suitcases into the elevator. Never a morning person, he slumped against the wall, dark sunglasses masking his eyes. She caught her reflection and quickly smoothed her hair, adjusted her kurti* and ensured everything was in place. Though he might not care about appearances, the last thing she wanted was a wardrobe mishap plastered across the morning headlines. Struggling with her suitcase, she smiled gratefully when Jimmy swooped in to carry it for her.

As usual, Vijay and Jimmy braved the storm of paparazzi while loading the car, leaving Kiara to handle the hotel checkout. She watched the men with apprehension, knowing Vijay was a ticking time bomb when cameras flashed in his face. She remembered his last incident all too well. A photographer had gotten a little too close and Vijay had thrown the man's camera across the street before shoving others away and swearing. The clip went viral for a week and Nicole nearly had a heart attack witnessing it.

Kiara thanked the hotel staff personally, having learned their names during her stay, while Jimmy guided her toward the car. She clutched the end of his shirt to steady herself against the camera flashes, laughing when she spotted Vijay slumped in the back seat, mouth wide open in deep sleep. She leaned over to buckle his seatbelt, settling in beside him as they drove toward the airport.

Back in America, neither Kiara nor Vijay exchanged more than a few words as they trudged home, eager for a long uninterrupted nap. Unlocking their doors, they waved to each other over the fence separating their homes. A hectic week of press tours awaited them, as promotions begun for their highly anticipated new series premiering next month. She was excited to see the audience reactions to her Hollywood debut, but the thought of disappointing fans– already wary after news of her overseas project, weighed on her.

Often called the 'People's Actress' in India for her humanitarian work and approachable nature, Kiara had never faced such backlash. It wasn't the harsh comments that hurt– it was the thought of letting down people who believed in her. Everything she did was for those she loved, and her fans were no exception.

A few hours later, Kiara woke up and sent a cheerful 'good morning' to the cast group chat, smiling at the flurry of responses. Jeffrey and Vijay were already embroiled in a heated debate over whether hotdogs counted as sandwiches, offering the perfect morning entertainment. Their first press stop was Hong Kong, but their flight wasn't until late evening, giving them the day to rest. For Kiara, however, the wait was torture as she every second brought her closer to visiting home.

It had been well over six months since Kiara last saw her family. Being a successful fashion designer, her brother, Karan, was rarely ever in the same country for long. Meanwhile, their father, Samuel, was one of the top corporate lawyers in Asia and thus had very little time to spare for family reunions. She had made them promise to cancel all plans for a family dinner that evening. Continuing their tradition, she managed the main course, Karan prepared the starters and Samuel handled dessert. Neither her father nor her brother were particularly skilled in the kitchen, so heavy supervision was inevitable.

She slipped into a floral summer wrap dress and strappy heels, answering her phone as she touched up her makeup, "Morning!," she chirped.

"Ugh," Emilia groaned; "How are you functioning this early?"

"It's nine in the morning, not early," Kiara replied.

"I bet it's four somewhere else."

They laughed and quickly arranged to meet at their usual café in an hour. Kiara flopped onto her bed, then decided to call her father, adding Karan to the call. Samuel answered immediately but Karan, of course, took a few more tries.

"Morning!," she chirped.

"Kunju*, it's late," Karan moaned.

"Aww, is it your bedtime already, princess?"

"Go away."

Samuel snickered, "You know he needs his beauty sleep. Must be tough looking that ugly."

The three slipped into easy conversation, sharing news, laughter and worries, until Kiara's alarm reminded her it was time to leave. She said her goodbyes, grabbed her keys and sent Emilia a text before heading out. Already, a few paparazzi were trailing Kiara. She parked and smiled as Emilia approached, greeting her with a warm hug.

The paparazzi were relentless, "How's the new series going?" 

They continued walking as Emilia wore her sunglasses and replied, "Great, thanks for asking."

"Kiara! Are you staying in America?" 

Kiara gently nudged the paparazzi out of her way as she shrugged, "India will always be my home but never say never."

"Is it true you and Vijay are a couple?"

Emilia released a disbelieving laugh when Kiara stopped and turned to the small crowd of paparazzi, smiling politely, "I would really just like some coffee, if that's okay with you, so would you mind if we answer your questions later?"

As expected, the paparazzi overlooked her request and continued taking pictures but Kiara had hoped they might be a little more compassionate. Most of the time if she reasoned with Indian paparazzi, they would listen and allow some semblance of privacy for at least a few hours. Still, she couldn't complain as she had expected this aspect of her career when she made her decision.

Emilia laughed and nudged her, "I don't know why you even bother."

Kiara shrugged, "Well, there's no harm in trying."

They slipped into the café, ordering their usual drinks while ignoring the gawking customers. Kiara's warmth drew attention even in a quiet corner. A mother approached with her daughter and asked for a photo.

"Hello, what's your name?," Kiara asked gently.

"Sienna," the little girl whispered.

"That's beautiful. I'm Kiara."

Sienna's missing teeth and bouncing pigtails only made her more endearing. 

Gaping at Kiara, she blurted out, "You look like Princess Jasmine."

She brought her hand to her heart then leaned over to give the little girl a hug, "Thank you but I think you look more like a princess."

After posing for a photo, Sienna giggled and asked, "Are we friends now?"

"Of course! You know what," Kiara tied one of her string bracelets onto Sienna's wrist, "I'm giving you a friendship bracelet."

The child's eyes lit up.

"You really are a princess," Sienna whispered before skipping back to her mother.

The two women shared a laugh as they watched the poor mother try tug her over-excited daughter away.

Emilia shook her head, "How can you be so bloody nice all the time?"

"It's called positivity," Kiara replied with a smirk; "You should try it."

"Oh okay, I see we're not acting like princesses anymore."

"Eh. Princesses are overrated anyway."

Kiara spent the morning under a tree in the park, books in hand, before heading to the animal shelter in the afternoon. She laughed as Lychee, a Doberman puppy with a prickly exterior but a gentle soul, jumped into her lap. Weeks of patient companionship had earned his trust, and now he rested his head against her knee while she unpacked her lunch.

"Should we call Jay?," she asked him, phone in hand.

Lychee wagged his tail in agreement as she FaceTimed Vijay. 

Disheveled and groggy, he groaned, "Yellow and no."

"Blue and no, what?"

"The answer is no, sweetheart."

"You don't even know what I was going to say!," she protested.

Vijay raised a brow then launched into a mock rant that perfectly emulated Kiara. It was a frequent occurrence for  her to suggest adopting Lychee and every time he was tasked with the difficult job of showing her reason. 

He shot her a knowing look, "So was I right or was I right?"

She sighed but smiled, "You're right."

"Always am," he teased.

"Don't gloat. It's not a great look," she warned.

"All my looks are great, sweetheart."

"Well, this one's not," she retorted, earning a laugh from him.

Settling into her seat, Kiara listened contentedly as Vijay recounted the events of his midnight escapades. Strangely, the animal shelter, with its chaos and calm, had become her sanctuary– a place where she could clear her mind and find peace before returning to the whirlwind of her career. Lunch over, she quickly confirmed their flight plans and hung up before he could continue teasing her. Pecking Lychee on the nose, she readied herself to leave.

*Kunju: a Malayalam term meaning baby/kid, can be used to describe someone small or cute

*Kurti: traditional Indian tunic worn by women

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