Two Different Worlds

Part 5: New Routines, Old Fantasies

It wasn't a lie.

But it wasn't the full truth either.

She didn't want to be watched.

She wanted to watch.

By 6:40 PM, she was seated six rows up from the boundary. Not too close. Not too far. Just enough to see his full silhouette when he jogged across the grass to warm up.

There he was.

Abhay.

Blue jersey. Cap backwards. Sunglasses pushed up. Laughing with Ishveer Kumar like they were just guys. Boys at practice. Not demigods with camera lenses for halos.

The crowd screamed for him.

And he didn't even look up.

Effortlessly untouchable.

Her phone buzzed.

You reached?

Just that.

She stared at it for a moment before typing:

Stadium ke left side mein hoon. Below the digital ad screens. Working while watching. (I'm on the left side of the stadium)

He replied with a single word:

Perfect.

She didn't know if he meant her location or her multitasking.

She didn't ask.

As the innings began, she tracked his movements like she was logging data for a thesis. Where he stood, who he spoke to, when the camera cut to him, and what the audience did in response.

They loved him.

Not for something.
But because he existed.

And that was harder to manage than any scandal.

Because how do you brand effortless charm?

How do you measure magnetism?

She remembered his text from last night.

Main jab batting karne aau tab reels team ko bolna slo-mo mat daalein this time pls. Last reel looked like a shampoo ad. (Please tell the reels team to skip the slow-mo when I'm batting this time. The last one looked like a shampoo commercial.)

She had laughed out loud. Fully. Head thrown back.

Her friends had side-eyed her.

She cleared her throat, adjusted her position, and typed:

Copy that, Dove boy.

Mid-innings. Crowd chaos. Floodlights warm.

She looked down at her screen to check something.

And when she looked up-

He was standing at the crease.

Gloves on.

Bat ready.

The camera panned past the field.

But his eyes - they lifted.

For half a second.

And she wasn't sure.

Not entirely.

But it looked like he saw her.

Knew where she was.

And held her gaze.

Just for a moment.

Then the bowler started his run-up.

And the crowd drowned it all out.

............................................................

11:52 PM.

Her room was dark, lit only by the screen of your laptop and the pink glow from the fake neon sign Ishani had stuck above the window that read "Not Today, Satan."

Shifa was already asleep, mouth open, earphones in. The fan ticked rhythmically above, fighting the heat and losing.

Srushti was in her usual late-night pose - knees up, hoodie on, one leg under a blanket, and the other swinging off the bed like it couldn't decide what temperature it wanted.

The match report was almost done.

Media impact: high.
Engagement: insane.
Best-performing clip: the six in the third over.
Worst-performing: a zoom-in of his half-buttoned collar that caused a 400-comment argument about skincare routines.

She was mid-paragraph when her phone buzzed on the pillow beside her.

Voice note.

From: Abhay Sharma
Time: 11:52 PM
Duration: 00:21

You paused.

No context.

No text before or after.

Just that soft orange wave of a voice memo.

You stared at it for a solid ten seconds before you hit play.

"Uhh... just saw the draft deck you sent. Looks solid overall. Maybe edit the intro-thoda zyada formal lag raha hai. Baaki sab sahi hai. Thanks, Srushti." (It looks a bit too formal. Everything else is fine)

Your name.

Not clipped.

Not rushed.

Soft, rounded.

Like it fell out of his mouth naturally. Like he said it more than he should've in his head before hitting send.

You swallowed.

Played it again.

Not because you forgot what he said.

But because you wanted to hear how he said it.

There was something different in his voice at night. Less guarded. More air in it. More... texture.

You shouldn't have noticed that.

You definitely shouldn't have liked it.

You hit play one last time, this time with your eyes closed.

Then saved the voice note.

Not in a folder.

Just in your head.

On loop.

For no reason.

Of course.

............................................................

So guys, what do you think about it?
What's your favourite vacation - beaches 🏖️ or hill station 🚞? Mine is definitely beaches ✨🫠