Make your own kind of Music | A Shubman Gill x Ishan Kishan Fanfiction

The lockdown

PAST

As the COVID-19 lockdown got extended indefinitely and all cricket and all constructive activities (like cross country travelling to visit your friends or idol if you weren't stubborn and obnoxious like Hardik Pandya or Rishabh Pant) were cancelled, life took a very boring turn.

The most irritating part for Ishan was that even Shubman was not available full time to play video games online. Aditi was nice to talk to for a lot of the day but it just wasn't the same as Shubman. 

There was much less laughter and stupid, insensitive jokes, for example.

But often when Ishan called Shubman, he would go, "Wait, Sara's online, gimme ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Ishan would say, disgusted.

Because of course the ten minutes never stayed ten minutes.

But he tried to make an allowance for his best friend who was going through his first love and first phase of 'Does she like me? What if she likes me just as a friend? Should I make a move on her? Is it too early? What if someone else does if I don't?'

Since Aditi and Ishan started dating, Shubman poured all his questions into Ishan's ears. Honestly, he used to do that earlier as well, but now he seemed to regard Ishan as some sort of an expert on relationships.

In May, Shubman asked Ishan one day, "I'm thinking of proposing to her."

Ishan was quiet for a bit.

"Do-do you think I should?" Shubman asked uncertainly.

Ishan's mind switched between the two answers. If he advised Shubman to propose Sara and she accepted it, he would be even less available for hours-long video calls. If he advised Shubman not to propose-

He would just be a mean best friend who misused his friend's trust in him to lead him wrong for his own selfish reasons.

"Yeah, I think you should do it," he said.

"Really?" said Shubman, excited. "Do you think she'll say yes?"

"Now that I can't say, Shubi," said Ishan. "But you'll never know till you try, huh?"

"Right."

Ishan added like a good friend, "I think the chances are quite high. Of her saying yes."

Shubman pushed further. "What should I say-exactly?"

"I DON'T KNOW. I AM NOT THE ONE PROPOSING TO SARA."

"I hope not," said Shubman.

The guy was getting a lot better at wisecracks.

Ishan didn't know if he should be happy or sad.

***

When Ishan did not get an excited call by evening or next morning, he knew the news could not be good. He left Shubman alone one day more to recover, and maybe to decide what he should say because whatever Shubman believed, he was not a relationship expert. On the third day, he called.

"Hello," said Shubman dully.

God.

"I, um, assume, it didn't go too well?" said Ishan.

"Not really," said Shubman, yet more dully.

"What happened? What did she say?"

A dull, "Guess."

"I love you like a friend, Shubi," suggested Ishan.

A very dull, "Spot on."

Ishan felt awful at the way Shubman was speaking. "That's really unlucky."

"I guess so."

Right, now Ishan knew he had never heard Shubman sound like this. He didn't sound so dispirited even when he was shaking with lack of confidence and trying to vanish. He sounded heartbroken.

Ishan wished he was actually the relationship expert his friend thought he was.

Since he wasn't, he said, "Want to play FIFA?"

Shubman needed a long time to respond.

"All right," he said.

***

Following Sara's rejection, Shubman was available 24 x 7 for Ishan.

The whole of the lockdown, Ishan remembered two bits.

His relationship with Aditi had been forced into long distance in less than a year, but it was comfortable enough to withstand the pains of physical separation. They rarely fought, if ever, whatever people in long distance relationships said.

For the most part all Ishan and Shubman did was stay on video call, playing online games, watching/ rewatching movies and shows, listening to songs, lying in bed discussing cricket, dissing China, debate geopolitics from the documentaries they watched and sometimes not do anything at all.

Just knowing Shubman was on the other side of the call kept Ishan calm during this strange and turbulent life.

Shubman never brought up Sara's name and Ishan followed his lead. Sara messaged Ishan once, 'is Shubman ok?'

Ishan deduced Shubman had been avoiding talking to Sara and replied yes. That was the answer he hoped was the truth. 

Shubman had got his heart broken for the first time in his life, but he was certainly made of stronger stuff than to wilt under a rejection.

Though he had been awfully into Sara.

Well, even if he wasn't ok right away, he would be. Ishan knew he would be.

He video called his best friend again.