The Foundation Stays

Hooliganism

Unfortunately, Rohit couldn't use the five-hour flight to Dubai to drive some sense into Jassi's head, because Jassi flatly turned his back on both of Rohit and Hardik and stuck firmly to Virat's side.

"Um, Virat," Rohit said when they'd boarded the flight. "Mind exchanging seats with me?"

Jassi caught Virat's arm with a fierce expression. Virat looked between the two of them, and motioned at Rohit, what's going on?

Rohit gave a helpless shrug and had to return to sit beside Hardik and Ash, who were meeting after a long time and had their heads together. Hardik's heart didn't seem to be in the conversation, though, and his face fell when Rohit slipped into the seat beside him.

"Now he's mad at me, too," said Rohit. Hardik looked so glum, he had to add quickly, "But never mind, we have such a long layover, I'll catch hold of him then."

"Why is he mad at you?" asked Hardik.

"I suspect it's because I'm not mad at you," Rohit mused.

Hardik put his head down in his arms on the tray table.

________________

Jassi seemed to have cooled down considerably over the flight.

He smiled cordially enough at Rohit when he caught up with him after deboarding, and said, "Sorry I was rude to you earlier, Rohit bhaiya."

"Never mind that," said Rohit. "I hope you're in a better mood to listen now—Hardik's really—"

Jassi's expression turned stony.

"—he's really cut up about the whole thing, Jassi..."

"But he wasn't cut up before, was he, when he was in talks with the managements? Pretty smart timing to get upset, don't you think, Rohit bhaiya?"

"You know him, Jass," said Rohit gently. "You know he'd never do anything to hurt the ones he loves. Whatever you're thinking isn't—"

"I envy your faith, Rohit bhaiya," said Jassi with a wry sort of grimace. "But I know Hardik, too, and I know he'd stop at nothing to get his own way. Even if he had to sacrifice the ones he loves along the way."

"How are you being so illogical?" Rohit asked with honest curiosity, but it was the wrong thing to say, of course.

Jassi's eyebrows drew together and his tone turned ice-cold.

"It's bad enough he has you fooled and blinded without you starting to think every sensible person in the country is being illogical, Rohit bhaiya."

"I wouldn't blame them as much—they don't know Hardik, after all..."

"Very well then, keep blaming me."

Jassi stalked ahead to catch up with Virat again without a backward glance.

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Two hours into their precious layover, Rohit had still not managed to make any headway into drawing Jassi in for a successful conversation. Every time he tried, Jassi alternated between willing to talk-unwilling to listen and unwilling to talk at all and between very polite and very rude. It didn't help that every time Jassi snubbed Rohit's explanations, Hardik would come to join Rohit, dragging his feet, which got Jassi in a worse temper and Rohit in a progressively more hopeless mood.

The clocked ticked ahead relentlessly.

Then Hardik finally said, "You've tried enough, Rohit, I'll go and try myself now."

"Sure." Rohit's encouragement sounded more wariness than anything. "Go ahead, try." He said in a more cheerful tone.

They turned as one to spot Jassi. He was sipping from a glass of water at the bar counter with most of the rest of team around.