Acceptance heals everything

Part 3. Stranger

Ritika was about to go in when she noticed that Virat was not by her side. She turned and saw he stopped at the entrance.

"Virat? What happened?" She asked confused why he stopped.

Virat cleared his throat to respond, "You go in, I will come in a min or so"

"Virat, what? U okay?" She asked.

He did not respond and returned to the car. This puzzled Ritika. She expected him to run and shout for Rohit to know where he had been all this time. Instead, she noticed a different expression on his face that she could not determine what it was.

Virat approached the car and rested his palms against the bonnet, taking a deep breath. He just couldn't. He did not have the nerve to enter the room and encounter another negative reaction, another no, as he had faced throughout the previous year.

Ritika walked into the house and found everyone waiting for her patiently. She was thankful that they had not gone to Rohit's room.

"Where is Virat?" MS asked anxiously when she didn't see Virat with her.

"He said he'll be back in a bit" Ritika said as she went into the kitchen to get them some water for them.

"Rohit bhaiya does not wish to meet us, Bhabhi", Rishabh said with tears in his eyes as she returned to the hall.

Ritika rubbed her face, feeling exhausted and prepared to answer their questions.

She often felt that she should strike Rohit on the head for all the thought-provoking decisions he had made.

She sighed and said, "Rishabh, I don't know how to say this, it's not my place to say it."

Upon entering the house, Virat heard that and found himself seated on a chair in the corner of the hall.

"Call the person whose place it is and tell us where he was! Why has he abandoned us? Why has he abandoned me? Why he left everything ?" He wanted to yell this. However, Virat did not know if this sentiment still existed. He wasn't sure if his voice that used to shout at him for all the dumb stuff he did still existed, or if he had any right to ask.

"Where is he?" Virat asked quietly, not sure Ritika could hear him, but glad she could.

She said he was in his room on the right side.

Virat rose to his feet, then stopped as he heard Ritika say, "But Virat..."

"Yes?" he asked, wondering if there was anything else going on.

"He might hurt you," she said softly, having a fair idea of Rohit's reaction.

"As if he hasn't already," Virat said to himself, but didn't say anything out loud. He simply nodded to Ritika that he had heard her and walked toward Rohit's room.

Bhuvi said, seeing Ritika's concern, "Don't worry, he won't yell or say anything to Rohit".

Ritika then clarified, "I'm not worried about Virat, I'm worried about Rohit's reaction."

"It's nothing that Virat can't handle, he knows what to do." Ash tried to reassure her.

Virat walked to the door of the room and held his hand up to knock on it. For the first time he felt nervous and scared. He took a deep breath and knocked.

"Who is it?"

Rohit's voice was on the other end, and he was so relieved that it wasn't a dead end that he almost jumped out of his skin. He hadn't been sure all along, even when he'd seen Ritika with Sammy, but now he could hear the voice he'd been waiting to hear.

"Umm.. it's me, Virat"

Virat said nervously, he waited to get a response. Funny how they had reach this stage of formalities where Virat had to wait outside to enter Rohit's room.

"I'm sorry I don't know who you are, Virat," came the reply from the other end.

Virat didn't know what to do next. He felt numb in his heart as he heard the response, but he tried again.

Virat said in a low voice, "Rohit, please don't do this to me."

"Leave me alone" Rohit's response just made him feel like nobody to hear that tone which was different and strange.

Virat just could not take it anymore and left the house directly not responding to anyone who was calling him.

He paced outside on the lawn, determined not to leave without getting some answers. He just needed to take a break for a min. He was certain that something was seriously wrong.

How could Rohit have suddenly left everything behind? Leaving the team, leaving the game he loves, leaving his family wondering where he was, or so Virat was told when he ran towards them looking for answers.

There was something big going on that Rohit didn't want to tell him about, or anyone else for that matter.

"What happened?" Jassi asked seeing Virat going outside.

"Rohit must have said something hurtful" Ritika said knowing Rohit's tendency to become agitated when he hears about the team, especially Virat.

"Okay this is enough" Jaddu said marching towards the door of Rohit's room.

"Jaddu.." Bhuvi tried to stop him but there was no use.

"Ritika, you go be with Sammy. If things get out of control like yelling or something she should not hear any of that", Mahi said softly to which Ritika agreed knowing only the team can knock some sense into Rohit.

_______