My Favourite Distraction

Prologue

There were three things Inayat Kaur was absolutely certain about.

She loved photography.

She loved travelling.

And she absolutely, positively did not want to photograph cricket.

The third one, unfortunately, was proving to be negotiable.

"Tell me you're joking."

Inayat stared at the email on her laptop, blinking several times as though doing so might somehow change what was written on the screen. She refreshed the page, waited for it to load again, and felt her stomach drop when the same words appeared in bold.

BCCI - Photography Assignment Confirmation

Her mouth fell open.

"No."

She refreshed it again.

Still there.

"No, no, no."

With a defeated sigh, she shut the laptop, only to open it again almost immediately, apparently hoping that the universe had reconsidered its decision in the last three seconds.

It hadn't.

She leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, silently waiting for an explanation that, unsurprisingly, never came.

Her phone buzzed on the table.

Shivani: Did you check your email?

Inayat narrowed her eyes.

Of course.

She picked up her phone and typed back.

Inayat: What did you do?

The typing bubble appeared almost instantly, disappeared, and then returned.

Shivani: Nothing.

Inayat let out a humourless laugh.

"That is the most suspicious 'nothing' I've ever heard."

Another message appeared.

Shivani: Okay, technically I may have mentioned your work.

Her fingers moved rapidly across the screen.

Inayat: To whom?

Shivani: Someone.

Inayat: Shivani.

There was a pause.

Shivani: Fine. BCCI.

Inayat stared at the screen.

Her jaw dropped.

Inayat: YOU WHAT?

Before she could send another message, her phone began ringing. Shivani's name flashed across the screen, and Inayat answered with the kind of silence that usually came immediately before an argument.

"Before you start screaming-"

"You recommended me to the BCCI?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you're good."

"That is not an answer."

"It literally is."

"No, Shivani. 'You're good' is what you tell someone before ruining their life."

Laughter came from the other end, and Inayat could practically picture Shivani sitting somewhere inside the BCCI office, completely calm while Inayat's entire week-and potentially her entire career-was being rearranged without her permission.