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

If I had to choose

***

The next day at breakfast, Shubman deigned to put in an appearance, still looking in a raging temper. Everyone gave him a wide berth, except Kuldeep, who asked, "Are you all right?"

Shubman nodded briefly.

"Your team qualified, didn't it, Kuldeep?" asked Rishabh. "Why are you down?"

"I'm not down, but Shubi-" Kuldeep indicated something like, He's upset.

"Yeah, that's what friends do, you know, Ishan," Shubman said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Unlike some people believe, friendship isn't all about going to concerts and getting drunk and dancing."

Shreyas hooted at Ishan with fake sympathy. But Ishan didn't feel like laughing anymore. He supposed he must look as bad tempered as Shubman.

He might have tried to pacify Shubman for making fun of Chelsea, but now he wasn't going to.

Which meant that though Rishabh apologized and was forgiven by Shubman, Ishan and Shubman refused to talk to each other the final day of the tour. 

The team dispersed next morning, setting off for the airport or for Ishan, the bus stop. Aditi had a modeling shoot in Pune, so he was going there directly by bus. Shubman stayed back for his podcast interview later that day, which was in Mumbai itself. 

Ishan didn't tell Shubman goodbye or wish him luck. Not that Shubman was dying to talk, either.

***

Ishan called Aditi when he reached the bus stop.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Chaotic, but nice," said Aditi. "They just did my hair."

"Show?"

"No, you'll get to see only once you've come," said Aditi.

"Can't wait," said Ishan with a laugh, but as he put down the phone, something uncomfortable squirmed inside him. Shubman had the podcast shoot that evening, and Ishan was pretty sure he was going to mess it up due to underconfidence.

Every time they fought, Shubman miraculously lost all his confidence. Ishan hadn't seen an exception till date. He had no reason to convince himself today would be any different.

He didn't know...but leaving Mumbai without making up with Shubman when it was an important day for him seemed a bit like...abandoning him.

Ishan fished out his phone again and dialed Shubman.

Shubman cut the call.

Ishan called again.

Shubman cut the call again.

Classy, thought Ishan wryly.

Ishan texted, I'm sorry, all right? Will you please call back?

Shubman read the message, and didn't reply.

Real classy, thought Ishan, even more wryly.

If he was mad enough to cut Ishan's call, maybe Shubman would not bungle the interview.

Only, Ishan knew better.

If Shubman was upset and angry with Ishan, he would bungle it worse than anything.

Ishan glanced at the bus timetable. He could take the next one, surely, if he dropped back to the hotel for a bit. The next was in two hours...he wouldn't be much late for the event...

Assuming he could get back to the bus stop in two hours through Mumbai's traffic, but surely it wouldn't take that long...

Worse came to worst, he'd take the second bus from this one. This wasn't a flight, of course he wouldn't be thinking of missing a flight...all those procedures, he would have missed Aditi's event for sure.