KIARA POV

5 DAYS LATER

There are so many moments in one's life where he or she knows there might be no hiding or running from the truth , what has happened is inevitable and now no power can undo it . The striking fact here is that this beautiful piece of philosophy does not come from my mind but it is something I have heard .

I always had a thorough grip on my life and actions so that I don't regret my own doings in future . But, life does now happen the way we always want it to . Some hurdles put a screeching hold on the planning and that thing for me was Arjun Malhotra. My plans derailed and one thing I feel is that there are no regrets whatsoever. Or till now !

I may sometimes overlook the relaity of who Arjun Malhotra is . There are so many people who are devoted to his sport and him . They look up to him as their hero , warrior who would chase the most impossible runs for them .

Their God ! How I know all this ?

Internet.

Social networks are an integral part .

I may be not aware of cricketer or big business people except for Ambani ( 5 richet man on earth by current ranking) , maybe not the latest additions to the movie field but that does not convey that I had literally no life . I have friends, I go out sometimes and I am on social media . 3 days back Arjun , karn and I added each other on Instagram. Well , I looked at the number of people Arjun was following and they were limited to his teammates, the prime minister, one or two actors, big athletes from all around the would so I decided against Arjun adding me . This man has 50 something million followers, if he follows me then there might be chances that this news may get out and my identity be at risk and that was something I was not ready to risk well ever ! But the chances of that happening are slim to none given how hard Arjun tries to keep his life under wraps. His constant hiding behind the glasses , caps , sweaters might not be effective one day .

There are moments when I look up to him and find an man who is untouchable by many , a star but Arjun shakes it out of me by giving me a dazzling smile , holding me like I am made of clouds as simply says , " Its still me , just me . "

Time does fly by when you are enjoying yourself and I have never been happier . I made a new life for me in the city and after a month of being 'just friends ' with Arjun and really just friends with karn , I say that I have made a family too . The one I chose for myself . But , there are moments when I want to trade karn for a rock and right now I am certain that I definitely even without blinking an eye would .

Now , back to the philosophy written above. Moments which happen in spur of a moment on which you might have no control on , not even if you die for it . I have read about it many times how a single picture, a single would can soar your blood pressure, anxiety and fear . For me it turned out to be a sentence.

Supported by a picture of Karn and Arjun at some beach . By the way Arjun looks great in it !

I had a nice day today . Woke up on time , went to court, 2 cases closed, a very productive day . Came home really fatigued and dropped on the bed for energizing my body . I was ready for dinner , seema aunty kept everything of the table and that is when my phone went off . Once, ok no big deal . Twice , thrice till it never stopped . I looked at the messenger screen where my friends have left tone of messages each with phone calls .

My instinct was to go online and look at it myself. To my absolute horror I found that on the top . I had so many requests coming in that my phone stalled , my poor phone . I tapped it on my table to make it work but to no avail. The screen went blank, just great ! Dread and fear started settling in as I looked around but there is no one because I live alone .

I shake my phone again but to no avail .

I drill through my mind for what to do but nothing comes . I can't even make a call . I look around, bouncing my legs trying to calm my nerves but who am I kidding? My name is mentioned and its out there , I can't stay calm ! I run for my car keys because there is no other resort . I drive slowly keeping in check of my adrenaline rush and anger towards that daft . They both live in one of the posh colonies which lies quite some distance away from my place . As soon as I reach the place, the guard lets me enter because he has been seeing alot of . Not caring about how tilted I have parked the car , I make a run for the inside. I am greeted by Arjun , lazily laid back on the single seat of the living room with a remote controller in his hand . He must have noticed the movement from the periphery of his eyes because he swirls the seat towards me .

" Hey babe ! I think that you are here because you finally agree about what I said earlier about being ' just friends ' . " He exaggerates by lifting his hands up in quotations.

" No ! I am pretty sure that this visit definitely not for that but... soon . " I smile at him which he loving returns . Getting up , he comes forward to trap me within his arms .

" I can wait . I guess . " He kisses my head .

" Now that you are here at the time of dinner in your sleeping attire might as well save the energy and oil don't you think . " Arjun says mischievously .

" Ummm...I am pretending to give it a real good thought.... Hmm...how about no . " I give him a sweet smile and he laughs as a reaction.

" There is going to a time when this will be your home , with me , right beside me so I guess you can pass the opportunity tonight . " You know there is some magic when you are with a committed man . Arjun , talks about marrying me without a flicker of doubt and hesitation. He says this is my future home . My love for him increases by each and every passing day .

" I can't pass the opportunity the beds are really soft . What are they even made of ? " I try to tease him .

" Money . " And he laughs earning a slap on his shoulder by me .

" Whatttt... that is a fact . They are some expensive mattresses so no magic nothing its pure money. " He says dramatically rubbing his shoulder.

" That was so pretentious. I am reconsidering my earlier statement. " As soon as those words leave my mouth Arjun tightens his hold aroud me .

" You wound me . " He kisses my cheek .

" But what happened? Something bothering you . You came in a hurry . " His brows crease thoughtfully .

" I umm.. YES ! Where the hell is karn ? " I totally forgot why I came here for. I take a step back from Arjun to keep my mind straight .

" Karn is about to have a sugar rush .

He came home with a dabba of gulab jamun ( sweet ) must have swallowed half of it till now . " Arjun shakes his head in horror because sweets are not a part of his diet .

" Karn , get down here this instant. " I shout . Arjun gives me look which says 'What did he do now ' . I hold my hand to hold him from asking questions.

" Ohh kiara you are here . Finally came to your senses I see . I knew this day would come , I am easily the better looking brother. " He grins at me .

" First of all , sick ! Secondly, how dare you ? " I raise my voice slightly.

" I am obviously joking . But you look mad ? " He looks at me curiously.

" What have you done karn ? " The dread , fear I felt at that moment hits me again. My voice slightly low .

Arjun holds my arm and turns me to face him .

" What happened? You don't look well ,come sit . " He guides me to the couch and makes me sit . Both of them come to stand in front of me with curious, calculating gaze .

" What happened Kiara? " This time its karn asking the question.

" What did you put out on social media ? " Karn narrows his eyes in thought . He looks up for a second .

" A picture . " He still looks at me hoping for me to continue.

" The picture had a caption right below it . " I glare at him .

" Hmmm.." He scratches his chin wondering.

" Arjun , have you seen your phone. " I turn at him . He shakes his head and heads somewhere probably looking for it .

" Do you remember it ? Let me help you . Something like hang out with my bro if kiara Singh allows . " I speak through gritted teeth , an attempt to control my voice.

" Oh yes, I seem to forget. Hey ! I wrote I love you also . " He exclaims the last part .

" Do I want to know something because there are a many many calls from my manager and kiara entering the home short of breath. " Arjun eyes us then bends down to scroll through the phone . If I had a long string of messages and calls god knows what would it be like for him . He goes through something in his phone and a deep frown settles on his face . Silence downs on us for a few minutes . Finally Arjun lifts his head looking at karn .

" Its something I did , didn't I ?" Karn points a finger at himself.

" He is a businessman. " I say in disbelief looking at Arjun who in return nods his head almost forcibly.

" Karn , what did you post on Instagram. No , a better question. Why is kiara tagged? " Arjun has a half smile plastered on his face which looks forced .

" Not a big .... ohhhhhhhhh . " Thankyou God.

Karn opens his mouth wide and eyes both of us .

" Yeah ! Ohh . Do you know what is happening on the web right now ? " I look at Arjun because I too have no idea what is going on .

" I am sorry. I justt it you are my friend , I did that without giving much thought. I would never jeopardise you privacy and identity. " Karn bends on his waist in front of me . He looks sincerely apologetic and karn is better than a rock !

" I believe you are right . It is not a big deal but you just forgot he is a big deal . " I point at Arjun .

" Yes .. uhmmm... no this is not what we are doing. Just try to keep it under wraps. " We did not notice Arjun picking up the call. He scratches his brows pacing around the room . Karn looks at me apologetically. I stand up and wrap my hands around his arm giving him a smile . He definitely did not give it much thought and he does not need to feel bad about it .

" We will talk in the morning. " with that Arjun cuts the call .

" My teammates have messaged me asking about kiara , my instagram has hanged, there are more than thousand messages mentioning kiara on my latest picture but , thankfully your display picture is a lake so there is no fave to the name . " Arjun sighs loudly.

" Well atleast your phone works . Mine went black within 1 minute because your fans bombarded my account. Can you believe within seconds there were thousand of them and then the number stopped but they kept coming . " I exclaim . Arjun laughs but he looks uneasy , worried but his eyes never leaving my face .

" Chinese hoga ( Must be a Chinese phone ) . " Karn laughs at his own joke . I let go of his hand to push him .

Karn looks at Arjun , both having silent conversation but then Karn leaves not without giving me a side hug .

He is definitely better than a rock!

" Deny all you want but you guys have telepathic powers . " I shake my head not welcoming any arguments which says otherwise.

" Are you ok ? " Arjun takes a few steps to stand right in front of me .

" I am not going to lie , I was scared. I looked around the house to tell someone but then I live alone. It was too much to take for me , I just drove here to atleast talk to someone and kill karn if he was not already dead by the ferocity of my thoughts. " I try to lighten the mood but Arjun does not think the same .

" Kiara , oh God. This is not how it was supposed to happen, you want more time clearly and this is not something one would get used to overnight. Luckily, kiara Singh has no face and given your profession, small circle I would say it would be hard to dig out any information. Atleast that is relief. " He sighs in the end .

" Don't worry , I am sure this news would lose its momentum before we know it . Right ? " I don't know for whom I said it me or him . His face says otherwise.

" How much time it would take ? " I ask .

" Karn is my brother, he has never ever mentioned a woman before or nor there is a picture . He is someone who people would trust for anything about me . It is staying there . " Karn places his flat palms on my head to push back the small hair falling on my eyes .

" I .... what will happen now ? " I trace his hard abs which has become like a habit of mine . Arjun moves a little as his muscles flex under my fingers making a laugh break out of me .

" I do not know but media and my fans would try to put a face to the name and if they succeed which I pray to God that does not happen the media would hound for your personal life , history and your house . " Arjun places his hands on my either shoulders farther accentuating our height difference.

" I do not think they will be able to do that . My friends are judges themselves so they have regard to privacy, there is no public information about me anywhere on the web . " I say still playing with his muscles.

" And I am here for the abs " I say in my mind looking at the outline of his muscles .

" Babe your internal thoughts just became external. " Arjun laughs .

I shrug and go back to my favourite pass time . Its weird how I was freaking out alone but now there is sense of calm inside me even if a turmoil was brewing aroud me . I love this man more every day, its consuming, contagious but I would not have it any other way .

" Ohh sorry. " I say sheepishly.

" Still here for the abs . " I say again in my mind .

" Still out loud . " Arjun laughs again .

" Well deal with it . " I give him an extra sweet smile . Arjun pulls me into him , wrapping me in his arms .

" I left my food on the table . " I murmur into his chest.

" We have something come on . " Keeping his hand on shoulder he pulls me to his side . We walk to the dining room and settle down . A house help brings the food to the table.

" You eat at this time ? " I ask taking some baked vegetables. We have gone out for dinners but they all were at different times .

" Its 9 . " Arjun lifts his hand clad with a fancy looking watch and brings it closer to face .

" I have is at 7 . "

" That is quite healthy but given my sleep time is late , I take a walk around to digest it . " Arjun says eating some boiled vegetables and chicken. Arjun's phone rings and he looks at the screen confused. I bring back my attention to eating . His phone rings but he makes no move to pick it up , I look at him to find scratching his head .

" Who is it ? " I ask .

" Illyana. "

" Then why aren't you picking up ? " I ask . Illayan is Arjun's friend, I can't say the same for karn but they both were really good friends, going on trips, award shows, parties together . For the past 3 or 4 years he is not seen with anymore except for Illyana . There have been some instances of brand promotion where he was pictured with 2 or 3 different women but not more than that because he does not like toying around . Arjun told me about how Illyana feels for him and how he has maintained a respectful distance since then . My respect , trust for him got diamond - hardest and unbreakable.

" I do not know what to say to her . I upset her alot of times but that is out of my control and I am sure the news reached her , she's I .... think I should tell her the truth. That might give her encouragement to move on . What do you say ? " He looks at me hopefully.

I know he wantes Illyana to move on or atleast clear the air about them in the media but she refuses to do so maybe in hope that one day he might reciprocate her feelings. I cannot help but feel bad for her , you cannot control your heart .

" I think you are right . If she knows that you are with someone else she might consider moving on . " I toy with my spoon . Arjun grabs my other hand , intertwining our fingers . I squeeze his hand for encouragement and he smiles at me making weird things happen in my stomach.

He rings her , keeping the phone on speaker.

" Hello Arjun . How are you ? " Illyana says picking up the call .

Arjun clears his throat continue.

" Hi , I am great. I saw your call so I ringed you back . All good ? " He bends down closer to the phone to say .

" Not really. I am getting alot of calls from the media houses and different journalists. " I hear her voice going uncertain.

" Why ? " Arjun asks and he looks at me .

" Did you not know ? Karn posted something and the caption with it hints at you dating some kiara . " She laughs nervously.

" You met kiara at my place like a month ago . " Arjun says.

" Ohh yes . I do remember now , she was with karn ok then the air is clear . " There was a sense of relief and happiness when she said that . Arjun looks at me and shakes his head.

" Kiara is not with Karn . He introduced her as his best friend. "

" The media is of the view point that maybe you are dating which is crazy don't you think " Her voice waivers yet sounds hopeful.

" Why it would be crazy ? " Arjun gets a tad defensive. I shake are conjoined hands to get his attention and shake my head in negation .

" Its crazy because you are not dating anyone, I am the only female who is friends with you so you know.. " She trails in the end .

" You do not know what goes in my life . You are my only female friend and you are a good friend but what goes in my personal life is out of your eyes . " Arjun says in a soothing voice , trying his best to not hurt or disrespect her .

" Umm I know . We used to spend so much time together now I see very less of you . When was the last time we went on a trip or an good outing, I guess a whole year . " Illyana's voice loses confidence with every sentence.

" Illyana we have busy lives so its expected. "

" Look another call . They are after my life . I am now going to pick up their call and clear all this rubbish. " Arjun's hand goes rigid in my hold so does his body .

" Its not rubbish Illyana. " He says harshly.

" Wha.. what do you mean ? " Her voice merely a whisper .

" I am with kiara . " He finally says as his shoulders slouch getting rid of the tension. Arjun picks up our conjoined hands , placing a kiss on the back of my hands .

" In what way ? " Illyana asks stammering.

" I love her . I think that's enough to know . " We lock our eyes as I mouth ' I love you ' to which Arjun winks that too arrogantly obviously to tease me . I narrow my eyes at him as I try to withdraw my hands from his . The key word here is ' try ' because Arjun's hold is really tight even if it feels warm and soft .

" What do you want me to say Arjun? What do I tell them ? We are linked up in public, media they believe we are hiding our real relationship . " Arjun closes his briefly.

" Illyana, I told you this uncountable times and I would say this again , you should have cleared the rumours but you didn't which was fine by me but not now ..now its different . I have kiara in my life . "