Some facts before reading this chapter-
The scoring system in tennis is not 0, 1, 2, 3, but rather called as 15, 30, 40 and game. In tennis points are named as love. 15 love for scoring 1 point, 30 love for scoring 2 points and so on. When one side manages to score atleast 4 points that is more than 40 love then that team wins a game. A game, not the WHOLE match. Six games makes a Set. A team/ player only wins a set by winning atleast 6 games. Tennis match constitutes of 3 sets or 5 sets. The team/ player who wins the maximum sets either out of 3 or 5 wins the match. I hope you understood this. If you have any doubt, feel free to ask me. Enjoy! ^ ^
Dhruv took a deep breath as he stood before the door of Lisa's house. Since their classes were off due to the weekend, they decided to practice in a sports club close to Lisa's house. Lisa had requested him to fetch her early in the morning. Dhruv had never visited Lisa's house or met her family before which could explain his nervousness right now.
Taking another long breath, he ringed the bell.
The door opened to reveal a grown up blonde woman in her nightdress, adding to his discomfort. 'Must be her mother,' he thought although she had different eye color from Lisa. Nonetheless, he kept on with his poker face enchanting 'I'm here for the practice' in his mind.
"Good morning Aunt. Is Lisanna home? I'm his friend," he spoke in a formal voice and realized his mistake. "Sorry her friend," he corrected and cursed himself for his nervousness giving away.
"Lisanna?" The blonde said more like a question and slightly narrowed her eyes at him.
"Oh, sorry again. I meant Lisa," Dhruv said spelling out her correct name for the first time.
"Sure dear. Come in please," she said sweetly and called Lisa once they were inside. He took in a moment scrutinize her house. It had a homey look to it- Pictures of their family hung on the wall, noise of kids running around, artistic showpieces kept on all the right places, a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. It reminded him of his own house that he missed.
Dhruv spotted Lisa coming from the kitchen alongwith a fair skinned child in her arms. She was also dressed in night clothes precisely in her yellow shirt and dark pink pajamas. Her blond hair was messy but her face had a morning glow to it. He ran his eyes up and down, checking her out and noticed how different she looked this way. "No more coming to the kitchen Tyler. Not until I finish making the pie. Is that clear?" She asked and the child nodded with a pout. She eventually placed him down and walked towards Dhruv. "Now that's what I call surprise. I was certain you wouldn't come."
"Was I not supposed to pick you?" He asked while actually having second thoughts about it.
"I didn't mean that. It's good that you came. Okay Tyler, you can play with him in the meanwhile," Lisa said and stepped closer to Dhruv. "Just show some tennis moves to my brother. He'll be fine with that, I'll be right back" she whispered and disappeared into the kitchen.
Ten minutes later, they were having breakfast in the table. It was a big family of five members- Lisa, her parents, her younger sister in tenth grade and younger brother who was only five years old. Dhruv was eventually getting used to the situation of being in a girl's house. He answered the questions placed by her parents diligently. They seemed quite heartwarming and caring. They kept complimenting about Lisa and her cooking. That was something even he couldn't deny. The pie she made was mouthwatering delicious. It was obvious that her parents were proud of her. Even her siblings had deep affection for her. A random thought crossed in Dhruv's mind as he observed all of this but decided not to spell it out in front of others.
Although something was still bothering him. He tapped Lisa's shoulder disturbing her from eating as she scowled at him. "Why are your and your sister's eyes blue? I know people inherit their eye color from their parents but none of them have blue eyes."
"Yeah, so we have inherited our eye color from our mother," Lisa replied casually.
He frowned getting more puzzled. Clearly, her mother had brown eyes. Is she wearing contact lenses? "Oh, just so you know, the blonde sitting across you is not my real mother. She is the second wife of my Dad."
Dhruv almost choked on the pie he was eating, grabbing attention of the people present there. The odd thing was nobody was fazed by what she said to him. He took a glass of water to let the food sink in.
"In case you're wondering about my real mother, that bitch left our house seven years ago," Lisa continued as if she was just talking about the weather. It had the opposite effect on Dhruv as he spilled some of the water upon hearing it. The kids were laughing hideously, getting amused by his reactions.
"Gi- give me a break before saying something. Alright?" Dhruv managed to say and coughed.
"You okay, lad?" Her Dad asked, concern visible in her eyes and offered him some more water.
***
After waiting for her to get ready, a pissed off Dhruv and a refreshed Lisa set off to the sports complex. He made a resolve to never pick her up again early in the morning. Ever.
But Dhruv wasn't the only one mad. Lisa looked at him with furrowed brows as they stood on the red light. "Seriously, did you do that on purpose or what?" She asked while crossing her arms.
"Oh hello, you were the one who started spouting about your family when I never asked you to," he defended, crossing his arms as well.
Lisa's eyes widened for a second before breaking into a chuckle. "Your huge appearance betrays you because basically you're an idiot. I was talking about you calling me by my full name in front of my parents."
"You are the one to talk shorty. What's the big deal?" Dhruv said in a boring voice, finding no reason for Lisa to be mad at him.
Lisa facepalmed but continued regardless. "Lisanna is a name given by my birth parents. Only my family and few of my relatives call me by that name. My friends and peers call me Lisa or Liz. Everyone except you. Which is why I get pissed off. I bet you didn't realize the reason why my parents were asking so many questions. Because they were suspecting you as my boyfriend."
True to her word, Dhruv never suspected that one bit. "But why did they suspect me? I didn't even touch you," he still questioned.
Lisa let out a frustrating groan. "Because you called me Lisanna. Weren't you listening to me? God, just how oblivious are you?" She raised her voice and walked across the zebra lane at the green signal while ignoring him as he called out to her. So annoying.
Their practice was the longest this time around. They would play a few games, rest for a while and go back to practice yet again. It was the first time Lisa had practiced this much and even though she was tired, she still enjoyed it. It was a great feeling, like she had accomplished something. With Dhruv's constant boosting, she felt even more confident. Her desire to win had just grown bigger. She was grateful to him for giving her a chance to play. She made a note to thank him later.
It was noon till they called it quits. Lisa went off to bring hot coffee from the canteen they were in. By the time she came back to their table, Dhruv was already asleep on the chair with his hands resting on the table. She was amazed by how easily he could doze off in a chair without leaning his head down. She quietly sat down on a chair beside him and sipped her drink. In the midst of it, she watched him carelessly. She observed his long hair that fell naturally on his eyes and ears, his small pinkish lips that parted slightly as he breathed and his chiseled jaw. It was the first time she had seen him like this and needless to say, he looked kind of handsome. He was so vulnerable and peaceful right now that she had this sudden desire to touch him. She slowly moved her palm to the side of his cheek. To her surprise, he absentmindedly leaned his head to her palm. Lisa was starting to get nervous now. Should she remove her hand or keep it like that? She went for the latter.
"Mmm-" She heard him mumble sheepishly and felt the stubble of his cheek as he moved his head against her palm. As she decided to remove her hold on him, he slowly fluttered his eyes open and froze. His black jet eyes was directed right into her blue ones. Time seemed to move on slowly as they bore their eyes onto each other. Her heart started to pace faster within seconds. It was like he was looking right through her. Her breath hitched as she felt his hand on her wrist. Their eyes traveled to their hands and back to their faces.
"Wha-... what are you doing exactly?" Dhruv questioned with a frown thus breaking out of their momentary trance. Realization hit her like a bucket of cold water. Her face turned crimson red and she turned her head to the opposite side trying to avoid being seen by him.
"Yo- you were about to fa- fall down so I sup- supported you," she stuttered, her mouth feeling dry all of a sudden.
He lightly touched the part of his cheek where her palm rested earlier and yawned. "Ah, man I can't believe I slept like that. Let's head home and sleep," he added and glanced at her face. "What happened to you? You look kinda embarrassed."
'That's because I am, you blockhead,' she yelled inside her mind. Vansh was right to call him a blockhead. "Yeah, let's go," she agreed ignoring his comment. 'Seriously, what was that?' She wondered recalling that scene.
The weekend also passed by leaving five more days until the game. Both had practiced enough and were looking forward to the game. Everything was going well.
Until Monday.
"I have played Tennis for such a long time but it never happened to me. Why did I fell down at such a crucial time? DAMMIT!" He cussed loudly, banging his fists onto the mattress of the bed he was seated on. Lisa was shocked to hear from Pragya last night that Dhruv had developed a sprain on his knee. He happened to be strolling around his dorm late night when his leg hit the stone he failed see and fell to the ground, twisting his leg in the process. After meeting him this morning, she forced him to return in his dorm and started wrapping his knee with braces. "I feel bad and I'm incredibly sorry to say this, but, we should forfeit the game. It's over," Dhruv said with a heavy heart.
"Don't say that. It's not over yet," she interrupted abruptly.
"It is, Lisanna. An injury like this takes atleast a week to heal. Our game is on Friday. Half of the day is already gone by. There's no time left. If by any miracle, my legs heals before the game, then we can play but I hardly see that happening," he said and gritted his teeth, the regret of not being able to play overwhelming him. He felt remorseful after getting this far. He recalled how he had managed to convince Lisa when she was giving up and how hard they practiced. One would think why they would practice when this wasn't related to their respective courses but the drive of doing something different, something that he missed playing for a long time made him go through it.
Lisa knew better than anyone how badly he wanted to win. No, she wasn't ready to give up like this. It was her first game after all. "Do you want to play?" She asked, her voice dead serious.
"Is there even a need to ask?"
"Just answer me."
"Yes."
Lisa shook her head and placed his palm in hers. "Then all you have to do is listen to me. Do exactly as I say and your injury might be... No, it will definitely be healed before the game. In case you don't know, I happen to be specialist when it comes to health measures."
He stared at their linked hands. Noticing this, she quickly withdrew hers. "But how can you be so-"
"No if's and buts," she cut him off. "Atleast try. Seriously, where is that confident Dhruv gone? Stop being a pussy."
He shot a glare at her. "Shut up shorty. Just tell me what to do?" He asked enthusiastically as he got up from his bed.
She pushed his shoulders making him sit on the bed. "First things first, you won't get up from this bed unless necessary. I know it will be tough but you need to rest your leg as much as possible. That includes skipping most of the classes and no practice."
His eyes widened. "Are you fucking serious?" he said and a small sigh escaped from his lips. "Fine. What else?"
"Secondly, you need to wrap this thing from time to time. Carefully," she said pointing her finger to his ankle braces. She looked around. "Do you have an ice pack?"
"No."
"Guess I'll have to bring it. Also..." She continued on, suggesting some simple ankle exercises that he needed to do. He listened to her advice amazed by her knowledge. He felt bad for not knowing any of this since he hardly paid attention to health issues. Suddenly he started laughing.
"What now?" Lisa narrowed her eyes.
"Did anyone tell you that you are a total housewife material?" He blurted out before he could stop himself.
"No... Wait, what?" She snapped her head at him as his words registered in her head. Does he know what he is talking about?
"That's surprising. I mean your cooking is great, you take good care your siblings, you are health conscious yourself, your parents are proud of you. How come nobody told you that? Hell, your life partner would be so proud of you," he pointed out.
"I guess he would be," she said softly and blushed slightly. She didn't want to accept being called as a housewife material because she believed she was much more than that but a huge part of her was happy at the way he complimented her. She strongly wished for a happy married life with the one she would love wholeheartedly and who would return her feelings just as much. It was one of her life goals. "Okay I'm going outside to get ice packs and more bandages," she said, getting up and smiled blissfully to herself.
***
"Seriously guys, it's just an ordinary match," Dhruv said, rolling his eyes at the cheerful faces of his friends. His room mates, Pragya and a few of his classmates had come to watch their game. Vansh and Ahana went as far as to make two huge banners to cheer them on. "Get lost," he told Vansh as he displayed his banner that wrote- You owe us a treat at any cost.
Vansh laughed at his remark but it soon died as he heard a familiar voice calling out to him and Dhruv. He swallowed. "Please tell me it's not what I think it is," he said dramatically, the color of his face draining.
Dhruv smirk only grew bigger. "Today's horoscope of Leo predicts bad luck, so good luck my friend," he patted him and quickly turned to Jake who just approached them. "Hi Jake. It's great to see you," he said ever so sweetly and passed a pitiful look to Vansh.
"Yeah, good luck bro. Are you sitting here, Vanshi?" He asked Vansh while pointing his finger to the seat in front of them. Ahana who was standing behind them, covered her mouth making a monkey like expression in an attempt to prevent herself from laughing.
"Yeah, but you see Ahana and Chad will be sitting with me. You sit at the front," Vansh suggested, praying he will do as told.
"No need to do that Jakey," Chad walked in and seated in the front row like he owned the place. "I'm more interested to seeing my friend's match clearly so you can very well sit next to your dear friend Vansh. Go, get yourself comfortable," he smirked.
Jake's eyes lit up after hearing this while Vansh lost all the excitement of watching this game just as quickly. "Thanks a lot bro," He thanked and winked at Vansh, creeping him out. "I'm quite knowledgeable about Tennis you know. I'm so looking forward to this," he said excitedly, as he got seated.
"Me too," Vansh said sarcastically. He quickly turned his head towards Chad and showed his appreciation by slicing up his own neck with his hand. You are so dead. Just you wait.
"Ho, ho, ho," Ahana chuckled like an old lady. "So that's your boyfriend I've heard so much about," she whispered to him with a sneaky smile. Dhruv heard this and they shared a laugh.
"Fuck off," Vansh shut them off and diverted his attention to Dhruv who was leaving. He went after him. "You sure about this buddy?" He asked while motioning towards his right ankle.
"Yup, hundred percent sure," Dhruv answered confidently.
Vansh nodded though he still had a shroud of doubt on his mind. "Make sure you don't exert too much pressure on your leg. I'm not particularly worried. It's just that I don't want to take the burden of carrying your dead ass to the bed afterwards," he mocked.
Dhruv let out a sarcastic breath. "As if I'll make you carry me," he said, shaking his head in dismay.
"Don't worry Vansh. I'll be there to carry his burden," Lisa interrupted appearing behind him.
"See, learn something from this girl. She has helped you so much. You owe her a triple treat dude," Vansh said wrapping his arms around her shoulder and she nodded. Dhruv simply rolled his eyes in response.
"Liz, where were you?" Ahana approached followed by Pragya.
"I was with my family. They constantly kept assuring me and wouldn't let me go," she answered with an apologetic smile.
Pragya chuckled. "All the best you two. Try not to jump too much, okay?" She said, her concern evident.
"Will everyone just stop worrying. It doesn't hurt, alright. I wouldn't be here if it did," he reassured them.
Lisa and Dhruv bid their goodbyes and stepped down to the tennis court. Their opponents came along, followed by a loud cheer from the audience. Lisa took a deep breath as the umpire told them to step in their positions.
"Nervous?" Dhruv asked sincerely.
"A little," Lisa said in a low voice.
"Look to the right then," he smiled. She followed his gaze towards the stands where all of their friends and Lisa's family rose their palms doing a thumbs up gesture. She smiled at them, feeling motivated enough.
"Remember, I'm here as well so I'll share your burden too," he laughed. They bumped their fists to each other. "Let's go and win this thing, shorty."
"Sure, big guy," Lisa answered and went to stand behind the baseline. The male opponent standing diagonal to Lisa made the first serve.
"And the winner of the first set of this match goes to Team Maxfield," The umpire announced followed by the loud hooting from the people supporting the Maxfield players. Lisa blew off a huge breath, feeling disheartened by the sight and side glanced at Dhruv who was rolling his racket by its handle seeming deep in thought.
Dhruv caught Lisa looking at him and poked her head. "They are strong but they just won one set. There's still two more to go. Team Brown (Their college name) has got this," he said breathlessly and gritted his teeth at the sudden twinge in his knee.
Lisa quickly caught on his change in expression and got worried. "Your knee."
The umpire commanded them to get back in their places. "It was just a slight twinge. I'm fine, really," Dhruv said waving his hand dismissively and desperately hoped for his stupid knee to last throughout the match.
Dhruv began shooting the ball in difficult spots. This helped them score 40 love (i.e 2 points). The opponent player shot the ball that flew in mid air. Dhruv responded quickly by running to the middle of the court. He jumped, raising his racket high above and hit the ball fiercely thus shooting a volley. Since the opponent couldn't catch the ball their score changed to 1-0. Team Brown had won one game against zero. "Nice shot," he heard Lisa say and they shared a smile. He heaved a sigh of relief for his knee not being a pain in the ass this time.
Team Brown got their hopes up as they managed to win the entire second set. Now both teams were tied. The one who wins the next set will be declared as the winner. "Lend me a hand, will ya?" Dhruv said to Lisa playfully as they crossed each other to stand at the other side.
"You got it," she said and they gave a high five.
The third set was the most intense part of the match. Both teams were on par with their scores and for a while, it was hard to tell who would win. But, undoubtedly, the player who was performing the best was Lisa. She was covering up for Dhruv at the same time to make sure he doesn't exert too much pressure on his leg. Even he was astounded by her swift shots. Their friends who knew the sweet, loving girl were now watching a fierce girl in action. Ahana dig her teeth in her nails getting anxious for her friends.
The cheers of their friends and Lisa's family could be heard clearly as they yelled 'One more'. Team Brown was already leading by 5- 4 (Five games against four under set 3). They needed only one more point to win another game thus winning the set. After the foul Dhruv committed he served the ball. It shot towards the direction of the girl of the opposing team. She managed to hit the ball to their side with force. Dhruv sprinted towards the front to respond but staggered in his step as the pain surfaced. Before he could watch the ball fall in dismay, Lisa appeared before him and huffed as she threw the ball with her racket that dashed right through their opponents.
They players panted heavily and diverted their attention to the digital scoreboard that changed numbers rapidly. Everyone witnessed the outcome of the match unfold before them. The umpire man raised his hand. "Game set match to Team Brown."
The people in support of Team Brown stood up and cooed, their voices reverberating throughout the field. "YEESSS!" Dhruv shouted in a manly voice as he raised his fists in mid air.
Lisa stood like a statue witnessing the crowd cheer for them. She found it hard to believe it since she never played in an official match forget winning it. It was until Dhruv told her they won that she finally acknowledged her victory.
She was so overjoyed that she jumped right into his arms or rather lifted herself by circling her hands around his neck, dragging him down with her weight.
"Whoa, slow down shorty. My knee is still sore you know," Dhruv warned her cheerfully although his action spoke otherwise as he gripped her legs and lifted her above his head.
"Look who's talking," Lisa said, laughing for no reason. All she knew was she was bursting with happiness right now. They locked their gazes for a split moment, their eyes speaking it all and their expressions matched the amount of happiness as they grinned. Dhruv placed her down and went to join his friends who congratulated him. Lisa watched him laugh loudly but was soon distracted when Pragya and Ahana came in for a bone crushing hug followed by her other friends and family.
Afterwards, a large group of friends mainly Dhruv's roommates, Pragya, Ahana and two of Lisa's friends joined in for a huge feast. They clicked photos in their mobiles including the one where Dhruv and Lisa were holding the winning certificate and medal.
Dhruv made sure to get proper rest this time. He then ordered a special milkshake that Lisa specifically liked. "Take it. It's my treat. I was able to play and win this match thanks to you. You were damn awesome out there. I'm sure I would have been sulking in a corner if you wouldn't have taken so much care for me. Thank you," he said, meaning each word.
"I should thank you too for forcing me to participate in it," Lisa said and lowered her voice. "For believing in me when I didn't."
Dhruv chuckled. "My pleasure."
"What secret talks are you two having? Would you care to tell us?" Ahana questioned suspiciously and Dhruv convinced her it was nothing special. The feast went on and everyone laughed as Dhruv leaned his head on the table, all ready to sleep. Lisa watched him with a smile on her face. A sudden realization dawned upon her. She wouldn't be able to practice with Dhruv for longer hours which meant she wouldn't be able to spend as much time with him after this. Her heart ached for some reason. She even wished they would get the opportunity to play another match some other time.
For the time being, she chose to forget about her insecurities and celebrate their victory.
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So ppl what do you think? I hope I did justice by describing the match a little. I wasn't sure how to write that part since I don't play tennis haha. Hope you liked this Dhruv and Lisa chapter.
Missing Vansh and Ahana already? No worries, next chapter definitely involves them. I'll let you in a little sneak peek- The next two chapters going to be the first emo part in this story. You can say it will be bittersweet.
PS: This is my request. Please comment if you're reading this chapter. I would love to know your thoughts. It will hardly take less than one minute. It saddens me when I hardly see comments by you readers except a few ones. It will make me incredibly happy if you comment even if its short.
TALK SHOW.
Interviewer- Hi, we are back again in this talk show. Instead of calling our idiots, we have a question for you guys to guess.
My question is- If Vansh and Ahana end up falling in love, who is going to fall for who first?
A- Vansh B- Ahana C- Both at the same time.
Do answer me in the comment section. Next chapter will be only posted after exams. What to do? These exam monsters are deprived of attention so I can't divert in anything else lol. See you in November. :)