Pyaar, Prema ..... Friendship?

🖤Chapter 22🖤

Ashwin stops at the signal and leans back, sighing in relief as he waits for it to change green. It feels a little weird to be travelling back alone after going to Coimbatore that was filled with Ahana's scream singing and her laughter plus her snarks to Shana. Ashwin huffs at the memory when she snarked back about Shana's perfume and he can still remember how hard was it for him to keep himself from outright bursting out laughing. He gives the passenger seat beside him a cursory glance and the missing feeling hits him hard and he grits his teeth as he changes his gear to drive and continues his journey to Chennai. He's almost halfway through his journey when his phone rings and he groans before he blindly presses the bluetooth option on his touchscreen and waits for the faint beep acknowledging that it has connected to his phone. The faint beep later, his best friend, Roshan's voice floats among the car "Dei Ashwin!" Roshan exclaims and Ashwin's lips curve into a beaming smile automatically "Roshan! Epdi da irukke? Ipo ellam aya avalo busy, enekku call pannanum nu ipothan thonucho?" he teases and hears Roshan snicker "Illeda, oru photoshoot irunthuchi Chennai Times ku so athu mudikeruthukum konjum court cases mudikeruthukum time seriya irunthuchi so athunale than call leh pana mudile" he says and Ashwin hums "Cheri ipo yenge irukke? Bangalore leya?" "Illeda I'm in Chennai, amma appa ve paaka vanthen aana angge than oru prechene" "Yennada aachi?" "Naa land avum bothe Ola ve book panne aana security gate ku veliye varambothuthan phone check panne Ola cancel ayiruchi nu, now I have not transport, athan onne vanthu yethe sollelam nu-" "Yethuruthu prechene illeda but I'm on my way from Coimbatore, vanthu sere at least oru 4 hours avum" "Oh, apona paravale da ingeye oru temporary hotel book panitu I'll wait for you? Cause I don't think I can get another Ola, rombe neram ah try panniten"

"Apo cheri nee hotel ke po, naa Chennai vanthu senthone you text me your hotel name, naa vanthu pick up pannitu, you can stayover at my place" he says and Roshan sighs relieved "Thanks da machan, aama naa onnu kekenum nu irunthen, epoda kalyanam panne athuvum nambe Ahana ve?" Roshan asks and Ashwin sighs "It's..it's a long story da, naa vanthu unne mothe yethren, apro veetle poi ithu pathi pesikila" and Roshan hums albeit still not being happy with his reply but let's it go and Ashwin knows it won't last long. "Cheri da, nee poi hotel leh check in pannu, naa Chennai reach ayitonne text panre, hotel address kuduke, then we can go home" Ashwin says and the both of them agree and end the call. Ashwin then starts back the radio and continues his journey, when he hears the background sound effect of a very familiar Hollywood movie. His fingers tap unconsciously as he thinks it over and over as to where he's heard the background music when a familiar female voice with a very familiar dialogue comes through.

'I'm the most intelligent, capable person on the planet. I'm not playing God. All this time... I've been playing human. I've been doing this for you. For all of you. I have wasted so much time. So much energy. To look like you--to sound like you--so that you specks feel comfortable around me. I've been holding back, but not any more. I've Changed. It's like I was blind and now I can see. Only I'm not an ungrateful b***h about it'

It's Ahana's voice, albeit a little robotic due to the character she was playing at that time but it's her voice. He still remembers when he first saw her acting, it was on her debut in the Marvel franchise. Her character was to be played by an African American girl but her adopted dad, Downey, talked it through to the production company that she should be given a chance, cause he's seen talent in her. That news went sensational, he remembers going through newspapers and it's always about her debut and the protests that was featured in the Movie Buff section of said newspapers. All the gossip sites were about her debut, movie critics were talking about her, some were supportive and some were not, the Marvel fans were divided, some supported Downey's decision and some said nepotism is being played. Ahana, despite the entire shit storm that was created, went ahead with the decision to act in the movie, and boy it was another mega hit like the first Iron Man movie 13 years ago. Her fame skyrocketed overnight as those who were against her started seeing her in a different light, the movie was a highly rated movie by movie critics, and those same movie critics that mocked her and blamed her for nepotism, praised her and wished her good luck in her future movies. Each and every page of the movie section was about her and her background, all the gossip sites were about her, news channels were talking about her, but among all those hype and fame, Ahana never took it for granted.