My Lover's The Sunlight...

Unnerving Moments

For some reason, he could not persuade himself to step into the meeting room. The journey to the venue had been spent with a quiet anxiety bubbling under his skin. The prospect of having to face the past he left behind 5 years ago was really taking a toll on him. He had come from the suburbs of Kolkata to Mumbai for a single call, but what kind of a loser was he that he could not muster up the courage to enter the final trapdoor of his mission. His hands shook but the thought which forced him to pull through was that his country needed him. A sick part of his brain hurled back the insults that had been shouted his way when he had gaslighted his way into fame, a major part - the one taught by his brother and family - instructed him to move on.

He was about to open the door, when it itself opened, startling him. On the other side was Rohit bhaiya, with a grin on his face that brought back a familial sense of comfort. He was engulfed in a warm hug before he could speak, before he could grovel for having left his team, his family in a precarious condition. "Are mera bachcha, kaisa hai?" Tears soaked up the former captain's suit. "Bhaiya, maaf kardo mereko. I was so selfish." "Maar khayega ab tu saale. Meine kya puchha tujhse aur tu kya jawaab de raha hain be? Kaha tha na, mujhe sorry se sakhth nafrat hain." A small smile graced his face as he pulled back, "Mein thik hu, bhaiya. Aap sab thik?" 

Another voice piped up from behind Rohit Sharma, "Kya be chhotu, Ro bhaiya ko milke mereko bhul gaya bhenchod?" "Nahi, nahi Vi bhaiya, aapko kaise bhul sakta hain hum. Woh to bas Ro bhaiya se pehle mulakat ho gayi." Rohit clutched at his heart in fake betrayal, but Virat interrupted him, "Ab andar chalo. Sab tera wait kar rahe hain." "Jo aagya." He gave his former teammates a cheeky smile that Cheeku returned in full measure. 

The room was set like a prosecutor's office, a round table, semi-circular in shape at which the officials sat against a single sofa as the centre of attention on which he sat down. The moment the cricketers had settled down, the BCCI President addressed the room, "Mr. Ishan Kishan, how have you been?" A formal smile accompanied his reply, "I've been fine sir." "I hope you know why we have asked your former teammates to summon you back", another official said. A brisk nod was all he could afford in reply when the other continued, "After the Supreme Court acknowledged the budding affair you had with one of your former teammates as an uprising star to be legal and considered the demands of the likes of you to be fundamental rights, we have come to the important conclusion that you are an invaluable part of the Indian cricket team. As you know, we have lost the previous World Cup in the preliminary stages itself due to major wicket-keeping and batting mistakes. So we would like to ask you to join the team once more as a wicket-keeper batsman." 

Ishan felt insulted. He was gay, alright, but these men in front of him had no right to speak to him in this way. "What about my daughter, sir?" "She will be kept  secret. We cannot afford a new scandal about the illegitimate child of the Prince of ICT, can we?" Anger bubbled through him, but before it could crash, it was Virat bhaiya who spoke up, "Sir, with all due respect, you cannot ask this of him. A child deserves to be recognised. Have you thought about the consequences it can have on her life? How can you be so inconsiderate!" "Look, Mr. Kohli, you are misunderstanding..." But Ishan interrupted him, "Sir, my daughter is an integral part of my life. When I left the grounds five years back, the only hope I had left was her. Now if you are asking me to make a comeback, it will be with her by my side or not at all." Rohit and Virat shared  glance at each other, their little baby had grown so much - it was wonderful how pain could shape people.

The President sighed as he asked, "Does Mr. Gill know that he is the father of the child?" "No, sir. He isn't aware that she exists." "Can you keep it that way?" "What way sir? Not telling Mr. Gill that she's his or she exists?" "You know Mr. Kishan, it is the first." "I can try sir, but if it is a dire situation that calls for it, I will have to do it." The BCCI members groaned in their minds in unison. This man sitting in front of them wasn't the helpless little kid they had collectively bullied 5 years back, on the other hand, Virat and Rohit couldn't have been more proud of their pocket dynamite, oh, how much their baby had grown. The baby had a baby himself and they could not wait to meet her. 

Seeing no way out after a very long session spanning almost two hours, the BCCI members conceded. "We will send you the draft of our contract tomorrow. If there are any more amendments to the clauses you would like to make, we shall have a discussion once more." "Thank you. Good night." Ishan exited the room, feeling emotionally drained. He was about to step out of the venue, when he heard Virat bhaiya call him, "Are, chhotu, ruk ja." He turned back to face his seniors, "Ji bhai, boliye." "Shaam ke 7.30 baj rahe hein. Hamare saath dinner karne chalega?" "Woh bhai, actually mein Aleya ko Rishabh ke saath chhod kar aaya hun aur hamara ek dinner ka bhi plan hain. Agar aap dono chaho, to hume join kar sakte ho." "Thik hai, yeh bhi sahi hain. Chal." Ishan took another step towards where the bus stop was when he was slapped on the back of his head. "Saale, mera matlab tha, ki hum meri convertible mein chalenge. Tu kya is rush time mein bus se jaane ka soch raha tha?" "Budget kam he mera bhaiya", the big baby whined while the senior players took him by the shoulders to Virat's car in which they had come.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Mereko drama chahiye tha. Isliye I am including mpreg as a topic also. Like yeh medically special conditions mein possible hain, but I am too fucking tired to explain all that shit here as it will make the story boring. Just consider it as an AU. Maine dekha ki comments me tie ho gaya tha about ki Aleya Ishan ki birth daughter hain, ya adopted. Par birth daughter mein thoda dark past and angst include karne ki jagah thi, toh maine wahi kiya jo har sarphira writer karta. 

Happy New Year to everyone reading this story. This one got the most love amongst all the others I have written till now. 

Mujhko lagta hain ki main pagal hun. Mera JEE Mains hai January mein aur mein yahan, 24 hours ke andar 3 parts update kar raha hun apni story ki. I really am fucking crazy. 

Enjoy, Adiraj.