EYES LIKE THAT (Shubman Gill X Ishan Kishan)

Is It Over Now?

The girl pulls away slowly, a bit too wide-eyed and Ishan feels a giddy urge to laugh. Maybe the scent of her vanilla perfume had permeated his brain and turned it to a mush.

"Ishan, wipe that ugly expression off your face, this is not how you look when someone gives you the kiss of your life," the girl says drily, a strained smile plastered on her face.

The cameras were still clicking away. Ishan hopes that the dazed expression on his face is mistaken for stupid-in-love.

The girl takes his hand and they finally exit, Ishan almost gasps with relief when he sees the pink smudge on the back of her hand.

They had not kissed.

It was not the end of the world. He just had to tell Shubman as soon as possible. Maybe they could even share a laugh about it.

----------

"Where is Shubman?" Ishan demands as soon as he barges into Rohit and Virat's room. As expected, most of the team members were lounging there while Rohit and Virat sat on the edge of the bed, looking pissed at the company.

"Do people know how to knock?" Hardik rolls his head back, slumping deeper into his chair.

"Do people know how to greet?" Surya mutters, popping roasted fox nuts into his mouth. He throws one into the air and opens his mouth wide, it slips off his clothes and lands among a small pile of nuts, which were being hastily devoured by a dog.

"Do people know how to answer questions?" Ishan snarls at both of them. He needed to find Shubman, this wasn't the time to joke.

"Do people know whose room this is?" Virat glares at all of them.

"No, bhai, seriously, where is Shubman?" Ishan asks desperately, feeling like he was going to be reduced to tears.

"He's not our pet, bro, do we look like we keep tabs on his activity? Although he must be out in the ground, running or some shit. Yesterday's match really fucked him up...." Jadeja pauses when he catches the look on Ishan's face, "Hey, everything okay?" He asks carefully.

No. Everything was not ok.

Yuzi emerges from the attached bathroom, his eyes almost bulging out at his phone, "Check this out! 'There have been many speculations about the love life of Indian Cricketer Ishan Kishan, some light finally got thrown on the issue when his girlfriend, Zaira Melwain, kissed him publicly in the Belgium Food Palace in Mumbai. Zaira Melwain is an Instagram celebrity with 3 million followers, and is about to debut in the upcoming bollywood movie...' "

Every single person in the room sits straight up. Ishan feels dizzy, how quick did these journalists work?

"WHAT- NO WHAT?! NO, WHAT!"

"Zaira? The insta girl? Damn, she's hot but I thought Ish liked-"

"Who is that witc- girl? Lemme see!"

The team members scramble to reach Yuzi, forgetting that Ishan was standing right in front of them, and his horrified expression goes unnoticed by them. Virat marches over to the group and snatches the phone away-

"Ask him. He's standing right in front of you." He holds the phone over them, giving them a disgusted look.

"Who believes the shit the tabloids say anyway. That's not news, that's gossip." Rohit slings his arm over Virat's shoulder and passes him a sympathetic look.

The rest of the team members get red and mutter hasty apologies to Ishan.

"Is this a PR stunt, Ishan?" Yuzi asks, carefully.

"Of course it is! Have you seen how-" Surya pipes in but stops when Rohit holds his hand up.

"Ishan. Answer if you're comfortable."

"Bhai," he says, a burning sensation in his throat, "It is PR. I didn't even know the girl's name till now- I didn't ask her-" Ishan stops, unable to continue, he was not going to spill tears in front of everyone.

Hardik and Surya step forward immediately, engulfing him in a hug. The bone crushing hug is further intensified by Bruno, Surya's dog attempting to get in between them.

"I don't what to say, Ishan. It happens to all of us, and I guess a fake girlfriend isn't half as bad, huh?" Rohit steps forward, awkwardly squeezing Ishan's shoulder.

Virat shakes his head, "Maybe he likes someone else. You know how that old fool Kartik is," he shoots Rohit a pointed glare. Rohit looks confused but doesn't pursue the comment.

"Thank you, bhai. But I really need to go and find Shubman." Panic was once again setting in his chest, it was gripping his body organs and clutching his heart, letting the blood spill like water.

He doesn't wait to listen to their response and dashes out. As Jaddu suggested, he must be in the ground, practising. Ishan hopes he's in the ground.

He runs quickly, taking the lift and reaches the ground. And there he was.

Shubman.

The moment Ishan looks into his eyes, he knows. 

Shubman has seen the article.

Shubman gaze looks past him, unseeing, hollow. As if Ishan were invisible. He starts bending down, stretching a little, without the slightest acknowledgment to Ishan. He stretches upward, arms over his head and gets in the position to jog.

"Aren't you even going to ask?" Ishan says, biting his lip so hard he tastes blood.

Shubman ignores him and starts running. Ishan picks up right after him.

"I didn't even know her name!" He catches up to Shubman, using every ounce of his energy to grip Shubman's hand and stop him. He could see that his hands were clenched and there was a furious expression on his face.

"Leave, right now, Ishan," Shubman grinds out.

Ishan doesn't let go, "Do you have a damn brain inside you, Gill? Why would I ever look at anyone else now that I'm with you?
Why would I get photographed on purpose, knowing that you would see it?"

"Look at me and tell me if I give a fuck," Shubman's gaze finds him and Ishan flinches at the hatred in them, "I don't care anymore. How many times is this going to happen, a hundred?"

He's hurt, Ishan tells himself. He's saying this because he's hurt. He doesn't mean any of it.

"I didn't even know her name!" Ishan tries again, like a broken record. It felt like Shubman wasn't even listening.

Shubman scoffs, and Ishan could see how angry he was. His eyes were full of rage and his voice was piercing, so low that it had dropped half an octave,

"So you're telling me, you didn't go on a date with her."

Ishan doesn't say anything. He doesn't know where to begin. He didn't want to look at Shubman when he looked like this. He just desperately grabs a handful of Shubman's shirt, tugging it hopelessly.

"She didn't even kiss me. She kissed her own hand," Ishan says, pleadingly.

"Your mouth looks good between my thighs, Ishan," Shubman's mouth is twisted in a sneer, "But not when you're lying."