"I don't remember falling in love with you. I just remember holding your hand realizing how much it was going to hurt when i would have to let it go."
How it all happened when it wasn't supposed to,
How everything made sense when it shouldn't have...
Shubman looked up from his spot on the field, wiping sweat from his forehead. The cheers from the recent victory against Sri Lanka still echoed in the air. The team had indeed performed exceptionally well in the back-to-back matches against Australia, Afghanistan, and now Sri Lanka. The Wankhede Stadium was a witness to one of their last match for this series, and now, with three days off, the players were eager to unwind.
"Shub, Sara's come here to meet you," Hardik announced with a playful grin. Ishan, always quick to catch on to the team dynamics, immediately turned to see shubman's reaction who had just met his long-lost love.
Shubman, surprised but delighted, made his way towards Sara, who stood near the boundary line.
that was a bad, bad idea.
As Shubman approached Sara, the stadium lights casting a soft glow on their reunion, the media seemed to have caught wind of the unexpected meeting. Reporters and photographers rushed towards them, eager to capture the moment.
Shreyas, always one step ahead, leaned over to Ishan with a smirk. "Looks like we're in for some interesting headlines tomorrow. The media loves a good cricket-romance story."
Ishan couldn't help but chuckle at Shreyas's comment, glancing at Shubman and Sara who were now surrounded by the press. The cameras clicked incessantly, capturing every smile, every gesture, as if trying to unfold a hidden story.
The next day's newspapers carried headlines that fueled speculation and intrigue. "Shubman Gill's Surprise Reunion with Sachin Tendulkar's Daughter Sparks Romance Rumors," read one headline. Another proclaimed, "Love on the Boundary: Is Cricket's Rising Star Shubman Gill Dating Sachin's Daughter?"
The players, caught off guard by the media frenzy, exchanged amused glances during their team meeting. Shubman, in particular, was taken aback by the sudden attention on his personal life. Despite the unexpected turn of events, he handled the situation with grace and humour.
In a press conference later that day, Shubman downplayed the rumours, emphasizing the long-standing friendship between him and Sara. "It's great to catch up with old friends. Sara and I go way back, and it's just a nice coincidence that we met here," he stated, a smile playing on his lips. No one needed to know he was in love, blinded by love.
No one needed to know about the rejection,
No one needed to know about the heartbreak.
All that mattered now was they had become good friends after the catch-up yesterday. Sara was gone for 7 months for her further studies and came back for her vacation. It overwhelmed shubman that she took off some time for him.
The constant drama which focused on Shubman-Sara irked Ishan to the core. He felt something in his heart, Maybe a tinge of jealousy.
Ishan, though supportive of Shubman, couldn't deny the unsettled feeling that lingered within him. As the media frenzy continued, his internal struggle became more apparent.
But he didn't let that affect his time with shubman, they talked for long hours like before and had the most fun together. He questioned why he felt jealous, Why did he feel like sending Sara to the moon through VIKAS?
Why did he want Sara to be gone for good? Why did shubman's feelings for her affect him? It's not like he was in love with shubman. He could never be, What was that nonsense he was thinking, Shubman was, is and will be his best friend.
As he was deep into his thoughts he dashed into Rahul bhai.
"Sorry bhai, I wasn't looking"
"What's got you into deep pondering Ish?" Rahul bhai asks smiling at Ishan and ruffling his hair through. All of his seniors loved doing that to him. After all, he was the soul that kept the team's rhythm beating.
"I'm thinking of joining ISRO," Ishan replies making a joke to divert the conversation but there was no way Rahul didn't catch a glint on it.
"If you were that smart, you wouldn't be playing cricket" Shreyas barges in and adds clinging on Rahul.
Ishan chuckled at Shreyas's comment, appreciating the light-hearted banter that often pervaded the team environment. Ishan couldn't shake off the lingering feeling of unease. Rahul Bhai, perceptive as always, noticed the change in Ishan's manner.
"Ish, you do know that if there's anything you can talk to us right?" Rahul asks with deep concern.
"It's just... this whole situation with Shubman and Sara. I can't quite figure out why it's bothering me so much."
Rahul, leaning against a wall, crossed his arms, and gave Ishan an understanding look. "Love and friendship can be complicated, especially when they intersect. You've got to ask yourself, why does it bother you? What do you feel about Shubman and Sara's friendship?"
Ishan took a moment to reflect on Rahul's words. "I don't know, Rahul bhai. Maybe it's jealousy, maybe it's just the attention Shubman is getting. It's confusing."
Rahul nodded thoughtfully. "It's okay to feel a bit possessive about your friends, especially when emotions are involved. But remember, Shubman is your buddy, and friendships can weather storms. If something is bothering you, maybe it's time to talk to him. "
"Also, we've also dealt with many emotions together. It is hard but whenever I was with Rohit bhai, Virat bhai, Shreyas and everyone. I felt like I could go on a battle with them on my side."
Why did the word friend and shubman not fit in together, Why was that sentence making him go nuts? What was it that he felt?
As Ishan absorbed Rahul's advice, Shreyas chimed in with a teasing smile, "And who knows, maybe Shubman needs a little advice on handling affairs of the heart from the great Ishan Kishan."
Oh, he definitely needed those lessons more than anyone. Ishan had thought.
Not a soul, even if the god comes in and asks Ishan for Shubman, he wouldn't commit the grave mistake of giving him off.
Shubman belonged to him, and only him.
Shubman was one of his priced possessions which was not a long list. Shubman sure was one in a million for him.
Drama coming in? Not so soon. More to go. More for shubman to realise. More for the denial. More for the acceptance and definitely more for the sequel. The story is going to be really slow and probably really long. As mentioned, this is a slow burn set in the 90's. Hope you understand the purpose of my slow pace.
Hope you had a nice time reading. Happy day/night.
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Shami bhai, Aapke bina woh jo world cup khelna chahte the... A moment of silence for them.
One word for our team: Perfection.
There hasn't been one bad player and I've never been more prouder. So happy that we entered the finals. ONE more to go.
