Kiara comforting Vijay above.

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter talks about the aftermath of sexual assault so please proceed with caution and sensitivity!

fasta

(n.) unwavering in devotion to friend or vow or cause

The producers had organised for a private jet to fly the Enlightenment cast around throughout these two weeks of press junkets and promotional events. They were scheduled to visit Hong Kong, Singapore, UK and Brazil before returning to America. Not wanting to arrive late, Kiara had woken up earlier specifically to get Vijay ready ahead of time. It was for that reason alone that a scowl was now permanently etched onto his face. They trudged up the stairs into the jet to find Jeffrey and Emilia already seated inside.

Jeffrey looked up at him in surprise, "Morning sunshine."

Vijay grunted in response, walking right past Jeffrey and settling into the seat furthest away from everyone.

Emilia raised a brow, turning to look at Kiara as she shrugged innocently, "I might've shoved him out of bed two hours earlier than necessary."

It took another hour for everyone to arrive and the jet started preparing for take-off. Vijay had finally shed his morning irritability, hyperactively jumping around the jet to humour Kiara as she clutched her stomach from laughing so hard. Poorna, Emilia and Jeffrey were immersed in a heated debate, becoming increasingly louder as each person argued a different point. Henry watched as Vijay finally calmed down and reclined in his seat, chugging from his flask.

Turning to Kiara, he asked, "Why do you put up with his behaviour?"

She laughed awkwardly, puzzled as to where this line of questioning was leading, "I don't understand what you mean."

"You're one of– if not, the most loved actress in Asia. If there's anything people dislike about you, it's probably your friendship with Vijay."

"I don't let others dictate my life."

"I know. That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean then?"

He sighed deeply, trying to articulate his thoughts, "He's drunk majority of the time and when he's not, he's only partially tolerable. You always end up having to clean up his messes. Is it worth it?"

She glanced over at Vijay as a faraway look clouded her features, "He might be a handful but so am I. He has his reasons for being this way and just like he welcomes all my flaws, I accept his."

As if sensing Kiara was thinking of him, Vijay smiled in her direction, frowning when she didn't return his smile. Henry's stare lingered on her a few seconds longer before he nodded and pulled out a book from his bag. His comments brought back unwanted memories as she began to recall the aftermath of Vijay's father's funeral.

Vijay brought his knees up under his chin, shaking as he curled up under the duvet. Kiara crawled across his bed towards him, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace. His breathing quickened, tears forming in his eyes as he began to relive those memories. Over and over again. He was beginning to hyperventilate. He knew he was going into a full-blown panic attack now, but he didn't know how to stop it. She felt useless, watching her best friend break down in front of her. He turned his face away, trying to appear strong, but she reached out, gently cupping his chin and turning him to face her.

She brushed away his tears, gently rubbing his arm and letting him speak as he whispered, "I never said no. I never told him no. I never said the word, no."

Vijay pulled away, growing increasingly frustrated as he shoved the covers away. His feet tangled in the duvet which only made him struggle and kick harder. Kiara stepped away, giving him the time and space to release all his anger. He didn't need to be coddled, he needed to be heard. It wasn't like he wasn't aware of how messed up this situation was– he understood, but after being conditioned to think he deserved this, it was difficult to break free from the rigid mentality engrained within his childhood. She could do nothing but stay with him and listen, giving him the silent support he needed. He finally settled down, looking dismally at her through empty eyes.

Unsure of how he would react, she hesitantly knelt in front of him and placed a tentative hand over his knee, "But you never said yes. Consent is when you agree willingly. Consent is when you're aware, not passed out or drunk. Consent is when you want what happens."

Vijay considered this for a moment, his chest still rising and falling rapidly as he calmed down. He pressed against the jagged scar on his wrist, making it bleed as he attempted to feel something– anything.

Kiara wearily glanced at the blood, pressing her handkerchief against it, and continued, "Do any of those circumstances apply?"

"No, I–I guess not."

Upon hearing Vijay's broken admission, Kiara couldn't control her reaction. She was sobbing now, tears and snot running down her face, but she could care less about the way she looked right now.

She gripped his shoulders, trying to communicate her message, "Everyone tells you to calm down. To gather your thoughts, right?"

He nodded, listening intently as she continued, "Don't listen to them, Jay."

She paused, watching the confusion on his face, "Do anything, but don't remain alone with your thoughts. Instead of being sensible and enduring life, be crazy. Let life tolerate you. It's your right. If you don't feel like sleeping, don't sleep. Don't rest. Don't stop. Run, Vijay. Run until you forget. There's no other way."

His mouth curved into a barely noticeable smile, "Will it be over then?"

She tsked, "When the time comes, it will end. Well, it won't end but you'll get used to it."

Vijay and Kiara were holding hands now, silently providing each other with strength, but he couldn't bring himself to make eye-contact with her. It was as if he felt ashamed or guilty for what had happened to him.

She softened, inching slightly closer to provide some comfort, "Jay, it's okay to hate him. Just because he died, doesn't make what he did to you any less despicable."

He exhaled heavily as he sat back, leaning his head against the wall, "It doesn't make me feel any less shitty for hating him."

She clasped his hands again, warily questioning, "Do you hate him?"

He froze, considering her question carefully, "I don't know. All I know is I hate what he did to me and I hate who the drugs and alcohol made him but I once loved the man he was. He wasn't always this way, you know?"

She gently rubbed circles with her thumb over his hands as she reassured him, "That's perfectly normal. He's your father. And while that doesn't excuse his actions, it does justify your feelings."

She watched one fat tear roll down his face as the remorse and humiliation started to bleed through, "It's not all his fault, you know. I let it happen."

Kiara could tell Vijay hated feeling this vulnerable but if he were to have any hope of moving on, he needed to admit the ugly truth to himself.

She tried to meet his eyes, "You are not to blame for his actions."

His eyes glazed over as he reminisced, "The first time it happened, I didn't even know what was happening. He'd brush up against me but I wrote it off as an accident."

Wiping away the stream of tears flowing from his eyes, she let him speak, "But then he let me sit at the table with him. Gave me a sip of his beer or sometimes something harder. I thought it made me a grown up, thought it was cool," he let out a humourless laugh; "stupid."

She gently placed featherlight touches across his face to reaffirm him as he continued, "Then the excuse was that I needed help bathing. Until one day, he just stopped using excuses. H-he did things to me. Things t-that make me s-sick to the stomach."

Giving Vijay' hands a reassuring squeeze, Kiara waited patiently for him to recuperate. He gave her hand a firm squeeze back in appreciation as he continued to tremble in grief.

She urged, "Say it with me, it's not your fault."

He looked up, finally meeting her eyes, "I–it's not my fault."

She maintained eye contact, refusing to let him wallow as she pushed, "Say it like you mean it."

Vijay stilled, gathering all his courage as he made up his mind, "It's not my fault."

It was as if a weight had been lifted off Vijay's shoulders. His body physically appeared lighter– his shoulders pushed back slightly, he sat up a little taller, the colour slowly returned to his cheeks. Maybe it just seemed that way, but Kiara could've sworn she saw the life slowly seep back into him. She knew then that her best friend would make it out the other side and she'd be right there by his side to catch him if he fell.

Snapping out of the memory, Kiara quickly stood up and moved next to Vijay, settling into his side as she breathed in his comforting scent. She hated remembering that horrid day. Hated seeing her best friend, who somehow always seemed invincible, look so broken. Emilia, Poorna and Jeffrey paused their argument to check if Kiara was alright before returning to their conversation. Vijay hugged her closer, glancing inquisitorially at Henry as he wondered what brought on her sudden pensive state but Henry simply shrugged and continued reading. He instantly knew what she was thinking about as soon as she tentatively touched the faded scar on his wrist.

They remained in silence, quietly comforting each other, when Poorna suddenly turned to face Vijay and questioned, "How about you?"

He furrowed his brow in confusion, "What about me?"

"Well each of us grew up in different countries. Me in Canada, Jeff in US, Kiara in Hong Kong, Emilia in UK, Henry in Malaysia and you in India. So what was it like?"

He rubbed at his wrists nervously as he recalled his childhood, "I can promise you it was nothing like yours."

Emilia frowned, "Why?"

"The only good thing about my past was my mother."

Jeffrey wondered, "You ever think things would be different if you grew up in a different country?"

The muscle in Vijay's jaw twitched, "No. I know the end-result would be the same."

Poorna leaned forwards, "Really? I would think your father might've been more progressive had he lived in a Western country."

Kiara gently touched his bicep, reminding him to calm down, and explained, "Where he lived wouldn't have changed the person he was. The methods of oppressing women are different in different parts of the world, but the oppression is what is common."

Being self-deprecating, Vijay almost flinched at the idea of falling into the trap of pomposity when asked 'deep' questions.

Unwilling to delve into his past, he begrudgingly added, "People are so scared of the unfamiliar and so keen on putting things into boxes in order to understand them. They quickly put definitions and categorise."

Kiara knew he was thinking of his father as he grew increasingly more emphatic and motioned wildly, "So, 'you have to be gentler', 'you have to be sweeter', 'you have to be kinder'. Most definitions are subservient to the other gender."

Emilia gaped at him, "For the first time I might actually be able to understand why Kiara is friends with you."

He distractedly twirled a lock of Kiara's hair, noticing the tears welling up in her eyes, and addressed the others, "This one hates overly emotional moments."

She looked away, inhaling deeply to disperse the heavy emotions before readjusting herself and jokingly retorting, "I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by."

Jeffrey burst out laughing and Emilia shook her head as Vijay pinched Kiara's cheek and swiped her chin.

She pulled away, genuinely surprised, "I'm just shocked you actually told the truth!"

"I do that quite a lot. People are always surprised."

"With good reason. Your immediate instinct is to lie."

"Is not!"

They got in each other's faces, bickering, as the others looked back and forth between them, "Is to and you know it."

"Is not. Slander and calumny."

"Is too. Tried and true."

Henry laughed, interjecting, "Alright, children, settle down."

Vijay, having revealed an intimate part of his past, was finally starting to get along with the other cast members and Kiara couldn't have been more relieved. While this outcome was albeit overly delayed considering how long the group had worked together, she was just glad he felt comfortable enough to start trusting someone else other than herself. The remaining ten hours flew by quickly as they joked around and made plans for the press tour. She promised to introduce them to the best food in Hong Kong as soon as they landed, unable to restrain her excitement to return home.

Upon landing in Hong Kong, Kiara practically leaped out of her seat in anticipation as she directed the driver to her hometown. Jeffrey laughed and poked fun at her restless energy while Emilia looked out the car window in amazement at the metropolitan city line.

She turned to ask, "Where exactly are we going?"

Kiara smiled nostalgically, "To Discovery Bay. You honestly won't get better food than at Koh Tom Yum's."

"You grew up there didn't you?"

Kiara nodded happily as she prattled on about the different places they should visit. Deciding that one of her enthusiastic introductions was more than enough, Vijay slumped in his seat intending to nap. The first time she brought him to Discovery Bay years ago, she practically talked his ear off the whole way there and as such, he was in no rush to relive that experience again. 

They eventually arrived and she led the group towards the restaurant, twisting and turning down various paths. It was clear to everyone that this restaurant was one only locals would know as one would have to know their way around Discovery Bay like the back of their hand to find it. Kiara smiled and stopped to converse with familiar faces before climbing up the hidden staircase leading to the restaurant. Poorna gasped in awe as she thoroughly enjoyed seeking out hidden gems and this restaurant was definitely one of them. As soon as Kiara entered the restaurant, a petite middle-aged Thai woman squealed and ran over from the other side of the restaurant.

She wrapped Kiara in a warm hug, her thin arms shaking with effort as they balanced a stack of menus, "You didn't say you were coming!"

Kiara laughed as she fought tears of joy, "I missed you too!"

Stepping back, the woman introduced herself as the manager before ushering them towards a table near the back. They settled in their seats as Kiara advised everyone on the most popular dishes to order. She could hardly wait as their meals eventually arrived and ravenously dug into her green chicken curry and rice only to be rudely interrupted by a woman attempting to attract Vijay's attention.

He paused mid-bite, confused as to what the woman was doing, "Can I help you?"

The woman flicked her blonde hair extensions off her shoulder, "Don't you remember me?"

Kiara sighed in irritation as the full strength of the woman's putridly sweet perfume assaulted her senses, "Seriously? Here too?"

He shrugged unapologetically before turning to the woman, "Should I remember you?"

Rolling their eyes at Vijay's insensitivity, Poorna and Emilia tried and failed to ignore him while minding their own business. Henry's face contorted in pity for the woman as Jeffrey tried to hide his smile.

The woman huffed, "Backstage at the Coldplay concert last month."

Vijay snickered upon noticing Kiara scowling at her perfect bite of curry and rice now smeared across her plate and distractedly brushed the woman off, "Oh right, you're... Reina."

She glared, "Aria."

"Sure, Maria."

Kiara grimaced, feeling second-hand embarrassment for her, and attempted to ease the humiliation, "It's nice to meet you, Aria."

Aria scoffed irritably and gave Kiara themost obnoxious once over, her mossy green eyes critically assessing the beautiful actress. Then as if deciding Kiara wasn't a threat, she stood and walked away.

Vijay cluelessly cocked his head, "Who was that?"

Emilia snorted, "Aaand I'm back to wondering why Kiara's friends with you again."

Poorna gaped in astonishment, "She just told you her name."

"Really? I wasn't listening."

Jeffrey laughed, "Ain't no reason to be rude."

Vijay shrugged nonchalantly, "She practically shoved her ass onto Kiara's plate. That was rude."

Kiara rolled her eyes, "Well you mortified the poor girl."

He smiled in accomplishment, waving his minced meat lettuce roll around, "You're too nice, sweetheart."

Henry leaned back and raised his hand, "Now that, I agree with."

The rest of the table voiced their agreement as Kiara looked around in mock-outrage. They spent the next few hours conversing and sharing childhood stories before eventually leaving and retiring to their hotel rooms to rest before the press junkets tomorrow.

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