Hearts in Doubt [Snippets/OS]

Hidden in Plain Sight

But his eyes—sharp, searching, restless—kept flicking toward the front.

He hadn't even caught a proper glimpse of Virat during boarding.

The SRH kids had swarmed him the moment he stepped in, robbing him of even a moment's exchange.

No nod, no glance, no hey you. Nothing.

Josh, of course, knew. Josh always knew.

And now... now Pat finally spotted him—his Virat. Just a few rows ahead.

Asleep. Vulnerable.

On Josh's shoulder.

Pat's jaw tightened.

The sight hit harder than expected.

Virat, so soft and trusting in sleep, head resting comfortably on someone else.

And Josh?

Sitting there like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Josh wasn't doing anything wrong.

Of course he wasn't. He was one of their closest friends. He was safe.

But still...

Pat's fingers curled into the fabric of his jeans, leg bouncing ever so slightly as the conversation around him faded into a blur.

The sight gnawed at him—not because he didn't trust Virat, but because he missed him.

Desperately.

And he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Because no one knew.

No one was supposed to know.

Only Josh.

And right now, Pat wasn't sure whether he was grateful for that—or resented it more than anything else.

Pat's gaze didn't waver. From the outside, he looked composed—chin resting on his hand, soft nods to whatever Ishan or Abhishek was joking about beside him.

But inside, everything burned.

How cruel is this life...

His eyes flicked back to the front again.

Virat was still asleep, head tilted so trustingly on Josh's shoulder, lips barely moving with each breath.

His baby looked exhausted.

Drained from the travel, from the endless chaos.

And all Pat wanted to do... was hold him.

Tuck him close to his chest, rub small circles on his back like he always did when Virat was overwhelmed.

But I can't. I can't even sit beside him.

He swallowed hard, a bitter ache rising in his throat.

I can't kiss his forehead, can't run my fingers through his hair. Can't hold him in my arms the way he deserves... because the world doesn't know. Because we're still hiding.

And worst of all, someone else got to be there for him.

Josh hadn't done anything wrong—Pat would never think that.

He trusted him with everything. Josh was gentle, steady. Safe.

But still...

It should've been me.

He couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey," he turned suddenly toward his teammates, his voice calm but his heart thundering, "I'm going to sit with Josh for a bit. Want to talk something through."