As the team reached the hotel, everyone dispersed to their assigned rooms for some much-needed rest. Ishan, sharing a room with Yashasvi, found his roommate instantly dozing off due to exhaustion.
Despite the weariness of their two-hour flight, Ishan found himself far from sleepy; restless, may I say. His stomach, grumbling from hunger, reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything before the flight due to the whole situation with Shubman.
He decided to hit the restaurant. However, the prospect of dining alone wasn't appealing. But his attempts to find a dining companion among his teammates failed as - Ruturaj, Surya, Tilak - and everyone he contacted, seemed too drained.
With no other option, he resigned to dining alone. Seated at an empty table, he placed his order while scanning the surroundings.
His eyes landed on a table occupied by their team manager and an unidentified person engaged in some discussion.
As their manager concluded the conversation and departed, Ishan finally caught a glimpse of the person's face - a face he least expected, a face he wasn't sure if he wanted to see at the moment.
Choking on his food, Ishan stared wide-eyed at none other than Aditya, the guy he had met back at the bar who had claimed to be Naina's "friend with benefits". Their eyes met, and Ishan's choking intensified as Aditya offered a friendly smile, approaching his table.
Ishan was caught in a dilemma of whether to stay put or make a run for it. He didn't really have any concrete reason to run, just felt like doing so. At last, his intrusive thought lost as he opted for the first option of staying, downing a glass of water to control his choking episode.
Aditya took a seat in front of him, greeting with a casual "Hey there," as if they had known each other for ages.
Suddenly, a wave of self-awareness washed over Ishan, making him conscious of his appearance beside Aditya, who adorned an apparently expensive tuxedo, a stark contrast to his casual t-shirt and shorts.
Suppressing his insecurities, he cut to the chase, asking, "What were you doing with our manager?"
"Ah, my bad," Aditya pulled out his business card as he continued, "Let me formally introduce myself." Handing the card to Ishan, he clarified, "My company... Well, my father's company is sponsoring the team, and I'm here as... some sort of representative."
This was the second shocker of the day for Ishan. The apparent reason for his inferiority complex now made sense.
Digesting this revelation, he finished his meal in a haze of awkwardness, while Aditya did nothing in silence, contributing to the awkwardness.
Out of the blue, Aditya threw an unexpected question at Ishan, catching him off guard. "So, what's the relationship status between you and that 'friend' of yours?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his tone as he addressed the 'friend' part, probably because of the not-so-good history between him and Shubman during their first interaction.
"Why do you care?" Ishan asked, to which, Aditya, matter-of-factly, responded, "Because your relationship status is kind of directly proportional to mine with Naina."
It was indeed true. Aditya, after all, was aware of his infatuation with Shubman. And although Ishan would hate to admit it, but Aditya's attempt at making Shubman jealous back at the club, had indeed worked to some extent.
Aditya pressed on, "And also, Shubman's been avoiding Naina for the past few days."
This was news to Ishan, unaware of Shubman's avoidance of Naina. But then again, Shubman was avoiding him as well, so there was no way Ishan could know who he has been meeting up with and who he was avoiding lately.
"Since when?" Ishan probed, seeking specifics.
"For like the last five or six days since that second date fiasco where, surprise-surprise, your buddy ditched Naina, again."
Connecting the dots, Ishan realized it aligned with the night of his fever, the same night Shubman abruptly left his dinner date..... Also the same night after which, everything went downhill for the two.
"How did you know that? Did Naina tell you?" Ishan inquired, receiving a slightly defensive response, "She doesn't have to. She's all over Instagram, posting about her life in poetic vibes. And I know to read between the lines in her posts."
Silence hung in the air as Ishan contemplated the newfound information, Aditya breaking it by circling back to his initial question, "So, how's your relationship status with Shubman?"
"Nothing worth mentioning," Ishan retorted as he got up to pay the bill.
࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖ ๋࣭ ࣪
The T20 series against Australia kicked off with India securing a victory in the first match, with Yashasvi providing a stellar opening and Surya and Ishan both securing half-centuries. The momentum continued, and Rinku Singh's finishing touch secured a victory.
In the second match at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, the Indian team continued their winning streak. The top order- Yashasvi, Ruturaj, and Ishan, all secured a half century, contributing to the victory.
During these victories however, Ishan's focus was not solely on the game but also on his strained relationship with a certain someone. The celebrations couldn't mask the growing distance between him and Shubman.
A week passed since he last saw Shubman at the airport. No calls, no texts- just silence ever since. Ishan was determined not to be the first to initiate contact this time. If Shubman was avoiding him, Ishan resolved to reciprocate the avoidance. Two could play that game.
As the team moved to Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati for the third match, the tides changed. The match turned out to be less favorable for India. Despite Ruturaj's record breaking century, the match ended in defeat. Ishan, too, faced challenges, struggling to replicate his earlier form.
The loss was accompanied by online hate and trolling. Post-match, the so-called cricket fans unleashed their wrath on Ishan. This wasn't new for him or any other cricketer. Most of them had mastered the art of ignoring them anyway. As they say, ignorance is a bliss.
However, the deeper blow came when Ishan discovered he was benched for the next matches. It wasn't the first time. The recurring pattern of being sidelined after every two-three matches left him frustrated and fatigued. He felt like leaving everything behind and running away. Very far... Or very close. To someone...
✎
✎
Ya'll have been really patient and supportive with this book of mine and I'm so so grateful for that. Just a small teaser: the upcoming chapters are gonna be intense.
𓇢𓆸
"If only we could feel what we remember and not just remember what we felt."
- Christopher Poindexter
𓇢𓆸
Date Published: 24.01.2024
YOU ARE READING
Beyond The Boundary (Shubman Gill x Ishan Kishan)
Romance"Don't give me those eyes unless you want me to ruin you, inch by inch." It all started with one sinful dream. A dream that has been haunting Ishan for the past 4 months. A stupid dream that made him question the boundaries of his friendship with Sh...
