FOOLS AND GENIUSES | ✓

CHAPTER 34

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.