A young boy with a sharp beard growing on his face was lazily relaxing his body on the recliner chair. His one hand held the cup of black coffee, and other hand was carrying a newspaper, his eyes had a different kind of shine while reading an interview - "I believe that no one should give up so easily, god hasn't given us birth to become a Prey of someone's, we should definitely know how to fight for ourselves and for those who are being mistreated around us. I am heartily thankful to my God and to all those people who believed in me, and made me reach this level. I am glad I succeeded in giving justice to my victim Ms.Jyoti Singh."
He smirked after reading the last line - "Naina Aggarwal." Such a fierce girl. He is seeing her interviews every-day on the news channel, and the way She always shuts off the filthy mouths of those people who try to demean her, it makes him feel extra proud of her. She is a bold and confident lawyer, she might have received many death threats while studying the case of Jyoti Singh, her client who is also known as her Good Friend. But Naina doesn't see any relations when it comes to her profession, she could even become the biggest enemy of her own people if they would accuse a Innocent girl or a boy. Jyoti is a renowned travel blogger, and She went to seek the help of her friend, who knew her whole story. Naina helped her so much and gave her justice as well.
Everywhere in the newspaper it was printed that Naina Aggarwal, a Criminal Lawyer, has won the case with firm faith in God. The smile on her face while giving the interview to the reporter was indefinable. He folded the paper, and gently kept it on the side table, and murmured - "Proud Of You."
Soon, his best friend - Altamash Khan entered his room, a Indian cricketer and also the biggest supporter of his Friend. He was stunned to see his friend smiling while sipping his bitter coffee. Altamash tapped on his shoulder, and asked him - "What happened buddy? Why are you smiling like a maniac?"
"Nothing yaar, tum toh aise puch rahe ho jaise main kabhi smile karta hi nahi." The guy replied to him annoyingly, and Altamash said while dragging a small table for himself - "Obviously you smile, but as much as I know you Mr.Sameer Maheshwari, you smile only twice a year."
"Shut up, don't eat my head, and come straight to the point." Sameer smacked him on his head, and Altamash shrugged off his shoulder, and said in solemnity - "Tomorrow is a big day for all of us buddy, I know you must be worried about tomorrow's final with Australia, as being a Captain of Indian team...I can understand your situation. But don't worry, we will try our best and won't disappoint you."
"Who told you I am worried? I am relaxed." Sameer replied to him with a calm smile, and Altamash was shocked. What is wrong with his friend? He checked his forehead, and asked him - "Are you a real Sameer? or I am talking with your duplicate?? You can't be so calm in this tough situation."
"Ali stop behaving like a typical Indian mother, I am totally fine, and I have faith in myself that my hard-work won't go to waste. We will definitely bag the trophy." He spoke with a soft chuckle, and suddenly Altamash saw one newspaper lying on the glassy table, he suspiciously brought it closer to his eyes, and saw the picture of Naina. He said in a dreamy voice - "Mashallah she looks so beautiful, and damn She is a lawyer too, Oh Allah...if in future I will get trapped in any false case. She will fight for me, and give me justice."
"Stop your fucking nonsense." Sameer angrily snatched the paper from his hand, and looked at him aggressively.
"Why such a look buddy? dil aagaya hai kya aapka is madam pe?" Altamash teased his friend with a naughty smile, and Sameer gritted his teeth at him, but somewhere the glisten in his brown eyes gave the answer to his question.
"Ok...ok no more teasing, but on a serious note She really seems so simple yet powerful, innocent yet courageous. I have seen her often in newspapers, her words always left me speechless. I hope in the future she gains more success and fame. May Allah give her strength to deal with the cruel people of this world." Altamash curved his hands into a moon shape, and a soft smile appeared on Sameer's lips, but he concealed it immediately, and said - "Let's go for practice."
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
"Congratulations Meri Jaan, I am so happy for you." Riya, Naina's best friend, engulfed her in a tight hug, and was squealing in excitement.
"Thank You Darling, it would have been not possible without your constant support. You stayed awake for me till midnight while I was engrossed in studying the case, thank you for your Coffees and Maggie treat." Naina said with a genuine smile, and Riya grumpily hit her on her shoulder, and spoke - "Dare you to thank me again, more than a best friend I consider you as my Sister, and no matter what. You will always find me beside you with an encouraging smile on my face, I always had faith in you that you won't disappoint me...and this dark circles layer under your beautiful eyes is the evidence of your sleepless nights. Proud of you baby."
Riya and Naina are deadly close to each other, they share everything from clothes to the deepest secrets of their heart. Riya's sister Kajal was getting married next month, in the Taj Hotel, and everyone was invited to her wedding. Kajal also treats Naina like her own sister, and always motivates her whenever She feels a lack of confidence.
"Ok if you want to repay my Coffees and Maggie, then you have to attend Kajal Di's wedding, which is held next month...please don't refuse to come, you have your own life as well besides defending your clients." Riya requested her friend with hopeful eyes, and Naina jumped on her while carrying the black coat in her left hand, and said smilingly - "I will definitely come, My Love, after all this wedding is going to be the best wedding of this year."
"Yay, finally my stubborn friend agreed to fulfill my wish. Now let's celebrate your victory." Riya dragged her with her, and Naina smiled seeing her craziness.
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Before leaving to play the most important match of his life. Sameer took out one thin golden chain from his cabinet, and carefully wrapped it around his neck. There was a small Idol of Ganesha, which gave him more energy and confidence. This gift was so close to his heart, he could lose anything but this Chain. Never!
He let out a deep breath, and said in a low voice - "Had if you been here with you, I would haven't felt this emptiness in my heart, I still need you in my life, I still love you very much...but I know we aren't destined to become a Two Bodies and One Soul. Miss You."
Sameer sighed, and gathered his team for the discussion about Match. It will start in an hour. Samarth, one of the batsmen said with lack of confidence in his voice - "What if any of us will get bowled out in the first over? What if we won't be able to play like we played during the practice time."
"What do you want? Should I throw you out of this important match?? How can you behave like an idiot? I have told you guys numerous times don't talk about failure in front of me. No one in this world gets anything, until they don't give their best for it, until they don't feel confident enough in themselves that they could win against their enemy. Stop your nonsense, otherwise go and throw your fucking body out of this league." Sameer shouted at him with rage in his eyes, and Altamash tried to calm him down. He always roars on everyone without any reason, he never talks with them softly.
"Sorry Sir." Samarth mumbled in a soft voice, feeling quite embarrassed.
"I don't need your fucking sorry', I want you to give your best performance. I want you to score well enough to stun the other party. Am I clear?" Sameer spoke in a loud threatening voice, and Samarth nodded his head like an obedient student.
"Good..don't disappoint me." He patted his shoulder with a blank face.
"Why does he shout at everyone? We also have our self respect, he doesn't take a moment to humiliate us amidst our friends. I don't want to obey his orders, I don't want to learn under his guidance. He only barks at his teammates, except that he knows nothing." Gaurav, another batsman spoke with hatred in his voice, and Pranay, well known as Bowler, said grumpily - "Seriously dude, he irritates me so much, I just want this game to end as soon as possible, and I hope I don't face him again. He literally gets on my nerves sometimes."
Sameer discussed with his team about how they should play, and when to use their powers, and on which bowlers. Finally the discussion was over, and everyone sighed in relief.
The match started, and Australia was batting, hence Sameer won the toss and chose to bowl first. Everyone tried to focus on the game, and Pranay got one wicket in the first over itself. Sameer gave a thumbs-up without any smile, and The next batsman came to bat, he is one of the most dangerous player Australia team has. If he gets out soon, a huge amount of burden will get off Sameer's shoulder.
While in Riya's house, Naina and Riya both were watching the India Vs Australia final match live on a sports channel, with a bowl of chips in their hands. Naina wasn't a great fan of cricket, but hence her best friend requested her to give her company. She couldn't refuse, while handling Jyoti's case Naina had been staying so busy that she didn't even get time to talk with her parents. She was engrossed in collecting strong evidence against her culprit.
Australia's batting was over, and they left a good score for India to win the match. They scored 175 runs in 20 overs, and lost 7 wickets. Naina was sleeping all the time, because she hadn't slept well last night. Riya didn't disturbed her sleep, she will wake her up when India will come for the batting.
After a quick break, The match started again, and Riya nudged her friend, and said - "Baby, get up, you can't miss this match."
Naina gently rubs her eyes, and looks at the huge TV screen with a blurred vision. She saw two batsmen walking towards the pitch, while doing some exercises with their respective bats. Samarth Joshi, and Altamash Khan started the game, and their batting made Riya smile like a fool. She has a secret crush on Altamash, hence he looks very innocent and handsome. Whenever he scores above 50 runs, she literally starts doing a Crazy Dance with her pillow. Naina looked at her friend annoyingly, and said - "They are playing like a tortoise Riyu, why did you disturbed my beauty sleep for this boring game?"
"Shut up yaar...sirf 2 over hue hai abhi tak, have some patience, Desperate lady." Riya scolded her, and Naina huffed in anger, and sat there by keeping her hands folded against her chest.
"Oh no...shit..shit...shit, yeh kya hogaya. Damn." Riya squealed in frustration, as her crush Altamash got hit with a wicket.
"Why are you screaming stupid? you will damage my eardrums some day." Naina said in an irritated tone, while rubbing her ears.
"Have you seen, my Altamash only scored 5 runs today. He must be feeling so sad. Shit, this shouldn't have happened." Riya spoke with sympathy in her voice, and Naina looked at her in astonishment, and jested - "Aww, why don't you go and play on the behalf of your Altamash. I know you will score less runs than him."
"Such a cruel friend you are Naina, I hate you." Riya threw a cushion on her face, but Naina easily dodged it, and said while kissing her on her cheek - "Ok i am sorry baby, but it's just a game...it happens, why are you getting so sad? I know India will definitely win this final. Don't worry."
Suddenly, The commentator's excited voice draws Naina's attention - "and the sweet devil is here on the pitch. Mr.Sameer Maheshwari, God I am so enthusiastic to see him batting, and taking this game closer to the win."
Naina quickly looked at the screen, and saw Sameer holding the bat in his grip so firmly, when the camera focused closer to his face. She stares into his eyes which had aggressiveness, stress, and a yearning to win this game. He was sweating even before making a single run, his jersey was looking quite damp from a distance, and as soon as the bowler threw a hard ball against his bat. He flung the ball away out of the ground, and the Umpire lifted his both hands as a signal of SIX.
"Sss...Sameer." Naina whispered his name like a song, and her heart was wildly thumping against her chest.
"Yes...Sameer Maheshwari, God of Cricket for many people, but I find his behaviour quite arrogant. I mean he doesn't even smile after receiving so many awards, while giving interviews he always looks so serious and aggressive, as if he will swallow down the interviewer right away." Riya said with disappointment on her face, and Naina was blankly looking at the TV screen. Sameer was continuously hitting balls out of the ground, making the captain of Australia rub his forehead out of worry.
"God, just look at the way he is treating the poor ball. Why is he so aggressive? I am already feeling empathy for that poor girl, who'll become his Wife. I can't tolerate this man even for a moment." Riya commented angrily, and went to fetch another bowl of chips.
"Yeh out kyu nahi ho jata, kaise ball ko maar raha hai." Riya said while walking out of the kitchen.
"Shut up Riya, don't repeat this word." Naina yelled at her out of blue, which not only shocked Riya, but also increased her heartbeats.
"What happened? Why did you yell at me? as much as I know you, you never lose your temper at anyone." Riya spoke in a soft voice, and Naina looked at her apologetically.
"Ummm I am sorry...I just don't know what happened to me." Naina said sorrowfully, and Riya rubbed her back while saying in a tender voice - "Baby, you don't have to say Sorry to me for anything, I know my comments must have offended you, perhaps you're a fan of Sameer."
"Forget it, let's focus on the match." Naina looked at the screen with a great interest on her face, and Riya was engrossed in finishing another packet of chips.
Sameer scored 57 runs out of 24 balls, and Samarth flew the ball in the invisible air, which was caught by the wicket keeper. Umpire declared him OUT, and He sadly walked back inside the changing room. Now their team score is - 80 in 8 overs, and 2 wickets had already fallen down. Naina was biting her nails nervously while looking at the scoreboard. Never in her life she thought one day she would watch a Match, and that too with seriousness on her face. She isn't a fan of cricket, she doesn't even know the names of any cricketers, her life has been full of ups and downs ever since She started to study Law. She stopped hanging out with her friends, staying awake unnecessarily, posting her pictures and videos on any of her social media accounts. She just kept herself engrossed in studies, and scored well enough to make her parents feel proud of her.
Sameer lifted up his bat to send the ball out of the ground, but suddenly one of the fielder caught the ball, and the Australia team was about to celebrate their victory, when Umpire asked them to wait for some time, they were checking if it was a No Ball or not. Sameer was looking so scared. What if he would get out? He doesn't have confidence in anyone except himself. The third umpire checked if the bowler did his job properly or not, but suddenly The bowler's one foot crossed the line, which declared that it was a No-Ball + Free Hit. The captain of Australia looked disappointed, and Sameer sighed in relief, he wore his gloves again, and put the heavy helmet on his face.
"Yupppiee...thank you god, you are the best." Naina screamed in excitement while clapping her hands like a four year old child, and Riya looked at her in bewilderment.
"Teri tabiyat thik haina Naina? yeh tujhe minute - minute me ajeebo gareeb daure kyu padh rahe hai?" Riya asked her in a worried tone, and Naina said - "Arey tune dekha nahi Sameer out nahi hua, in fact he also got Free hit...Yay."
"How do you know so much about cricket?" Riya questioned her with a doubtful face, and Naina smiled slowly, and said - "I will tell you some other day."
On the Ground. During the break Sameer was thinking about his ex-girlfriend, he smiled remembering her encouraging words.
"Sameer, I know you have the ability to become a professional cricketer."
"Don't worry...I am with you, one day you will definitely have fame."
"If you really love me. Sameer, then build up your career in the Cricket field."
"You hit the ball so aggressively, I wonder when you will play on the real ground. How would you treat the bowlers?"
A small drop of tear escaped out of his eye, and He said with pain in his voice - "As much as I try to forget you, you...your words everything comes running in my mind. Why can't I move on? or ''Why can't you be in my life?"
Only one over was left now. Naina didn't move an inch away during the whole match. She was worriedly seeing Sameer playing for the last 1 hours, he must be feeling exhausted now. He has batted enough, now he should get some rest. 15 runs were needed to win, Harshal, known as an All Rounder, pushed the ball away slightly, and quickly took one run. Sameer stood in a comfortable position, and tightened his grip on the bat. Naina could see how much he was sweating, he was looking so tired. God knows how he will score 14 runs in 5 balls, he somehow managed to take two runs.
"Please, please god don't let his hard work go to waste." Naina kept her eyes closed, her fingers mingled with each other strongly.
"And finally Captain Sameer Maheshwari again proved. Why did he achieve so much success in such a short period. Congratulations to the entire team of India, for bagging another trophy in their name." Commentator announced the good news with delight in his voice, and Naina finally opened her eyes and saw the Headline - "India won by 4 wickets."
There was no bound of happiness. Naina literally jumped on Riya, and said with a huge smile - "India won the match, India won the match, damn. I am so happy. Sameer made his team a Winner...Yay, god is great."
To be continue...
How was the update?
Any favourite scene or dialogue?
I know it might be a little boring, but have some patience 😉