FAKE DATING MY TEAMMATE: An Ishman FanFic

Chapter : 27

"Oh really? Then prove it," she demands. "Prove that he is your boyfriend." The bridesmaid challenges Ishan.

"How?"

"I don't know, do something... kiss him."

Ishan's demeanor momentarily breaks at her words, but he conceals it quickly.

I have to intervene now. I try to say something, "Listen—" but before I can say anything further, I hear the swift footsteps of Ishan approaching me.

Before I can make sense of anything, with a bold gesture, he seizes the lapel of my tuxedo, pulling me towards him. And then, he presses his lips to mine.

In this moment, something ignites within me, and the world around me fades away.

The voices around me grow louder, but at this moment, they are like mere whispers fading into a distant hum. The emotions I am feeling are too overwhelming, and I can only hear the steady thumping of my own heart at this point.

I can't think of anything other than the feel of his soft lips, gently pressed against mine but unmoving, my heart going wild in its cage.

I dare to move my lips against his, capturing his lips in a slow and tender kiss, but he doesn't reciprocate.

But when he does, my heart skips a beat, or maybe more than just a beat. When his lips move against mine, it feels nothing like the dream I had about him, where he kissed me – far from it. This kiss is something I didn't know I needed. This kiss feels like even if I have to give up my most prized possession just to feel his lips against mine, I'll do that in a heartbeat.

Everything starts making a lot of sense, every feeling I get looking at him, every pang of jealousy I feel whenever I see him with someone else, the constant urge to be around him, to touch him, to snuggle with him, suddenly falls into place like pieces of a puzzle.

And in this moment, I realize that I am in love with him. I am in love with my teammate. I am in love with my friend. I am in love with my fake boyfriend.

I AM IN LOVE WITH ISHAN, and it's not good.

When the kiss breaks, I just stare at Ishan's face, though his attention is diverted somewhere else; someone just entered the room. I hear Ellisa squealing, and I hear loud gasps, but my focus is solely on Ishan's face, and my mind keeps replaying what just happened again and again.

I can still taste him on my lips, sweet and dreamy. My gaze momentarily lingers on his lips because all I want to do at this moment is lean in and kiss him again. But he probably won't appreciate that, so I control myself.

When I recover from the effect and the realization, I glance over to see Ellisa hugging someone tightly, probably her long-awaited boyfriend who finally decides to grace us all with his presence. Thank goodness he arrived. But my jaw hits the floor when they break the hug, and I see who her boyfriend is.

It's Mayank

Yes, Ishan's childhood best friend – MAYANK, the same mayank I was getting jealoused over. I can't believe my eyes. Then I look towards Ishan to see his reaction, his expression confirming my disbelief. Mayank looks just as shocked as the rest of us.

So, let me get this straight – Mayank is Ellisa's boyfriend? Well, talk about the odds."

Ellisa's father collapses into a nearby chair while clutching his heart, letting out an exaggerated gasp. "Now who is he?" he asks, on the verge of passing out.

"Okay, calm down everyone, I'll explain," she starts explaining everything.
Finally, as she concludes her monologue, she reaches out and grasps Mayank's hand with a dramatic motion. "And he," she announces with joy, "is my one and only true love."

Raising an eyebrow skeptically, her father retorts, "Oh, tell me no one else will show up pretending to be your boyfriend," gaining his composure again he scoffs "I can't handle another surprise suitor popping out of nowhere claiming to be your one and only."

Ishan and Mayank had a talk in the which they share their mutual shock and talk about the absurdity of the situation.

After this, everything happens in a daze. We return to our hotel, but what starts to hurt me is that no one talks about the kiss, no one mentions it even once. And the most agonizing part is that even Ishan is playing it cool as if nothing has happened.

I had thought the gang would tease us to death for it, but no one says a word about it. No one speaks a single word on our way back to the hotel.

And I feel as if I just assumed that kiss, and it actually didn't happen at all.

In our room, everything remains the same. We talk as we used to, Ishan's demeanor betraying nothing of the emotional turmoil that I am going through. And let me tell you, dear reader, it hurts. It hurts a lot.

The next day, I find myself at the airport with Ishan. Mayank is going back to India today, and Ishan wants to see him off. Mayank hugs Ishan and then turns to me with outstretched arms. I awkwardly hug him back, and he whispers something in my ear: "Well, I am rooting for you two."

"Huh?" My brain tries to catch up with whatever he is saying.

"You know, when I was with him that night, all he did was talk about you," he says, smiling warmly at me, which I reciprocate. "Really?"

"Of course, like how clumsy you are and how much you whine at small things and how you have a knack for inviting troubles."

"Oh, please tell me there is a 'but' somewhere in between."

"Of course, there is." His smile turns mischievous. "It'll be better if you ask him about those."

Ishan tells Mayank to hurry up, and before parting ways, Mayank says to Ishan, "Take care of your boyfriend," and then he winks at me.

When I look at Ishan, all I see is him mouthing the word "fake."

Yeah, fake.

---

Next day, the whole team shifts to London, and the practice begins. It is so hard to keep focus on the ball. All I can think about is the kiss and the realization.

The first match against England goes in a haze.

And the second match.

And the third match as well.

We return to India after the series, but mentally I am still there, at that wedding hall, kissing Ishan.

~~~

Ishan, stop acting as if you didn't kiss him back. Stop acting like a bi-

(I'll pretent as if I didn't make him act like that hehe)