My Lover's The Sunlight...

Zaalima

The room was pitch dark when Ishan entered. The other person was just a lump on the bed, feet sticking out of the blanket as always because of how tall he was. Shubman was facing towards the other side, fast asleep due to the morphine that had been administered to him by the team's medic. The shorter man tiptoed around the little bed to get a better look at his 'friend'. Time hadn't been so merciful to the said lad. "He must be 29 now", Ishan thought. Shubman looked downright malnourished to him, the stress showing on his face. It was kept under a tight mask, but the pocket dynamite knew him better than himself. 

Unconsciously, Ishan reached out and smoothed the wrinkle in his forehead, the strained face morphing into a more comfortable one but he could feel the heat emanating from his body. He even had a fever, Ishan concluded. He stepped out of the room to come face to face with the senior medic and his apprentice. "Are Ishan kaise ho?" asked the senior medic. "Ji, Kamlesh bhaiya, thik hu. Aap mereko bata sakte hai ki thermometer kidhar ha?" "Shubman ke bed ke bagal wale cupboard ke bottommost shelf mein mil jayega." The former player just nodded before disappearing leaving the apprentice bewildered. "Yaha aise khade kyu ho? Chalo, dinner nahi karna?" "Sir, hume toh instructions hai na ki without paperwork, kisi bhi team member ko medical equipments nahi mil sakte?" "Beta, this is an important lesson, so take down the notes. Mr. Kishan is going to play in the ICT again and if he asks for anything for Mr. Gill and vice versa, you give them what they want and stand back, ok?" "Yes sir. But, sir, I had a question. Are they really dating each other?" "..." "Sir, where are you going, sir? Wait for me!" 

'103' the daunting numbers on the digital thermometer taunted him. The sick one had started shivering under the thin blanket. Taking few fever medications with him, Ishan let out a deep breath. He took Shubman up in his arms in a bridal carry, careful not to jostle him out of his slumber. Standing in front of room 32, Ishan started questioning his life choices. How in the mother fucking hell was he supposed to open the door while carrying a big baby in his arms. Yes, Shubman was considerably lighter than he had been five years back, but still, he was a grown ass man. His saviour came in the incarnation of SKY, who was returning to his room on the same floor. "Surya bhai!" The older cricketer turned around. "Kya hua Ishu?" "Darwaza khol doge aap? Mere haath abhi occupied hai." "Par chabi?" "Mere jeans ke front left pocket mein hai." 

When Ishan was stepping inside the room after thanking his senior, Surya asked, "Ab Shubi kaisa hai?" "Usko bohot tez bukhar hai, bhai." "Please Ishan, dhyan rakhna uska. Hum usse aur mar mar ke jeete nahi dekh sakte." With this he left, leaving behind a bewildered shorty. What was the deal with these guys now? First the bhabis, now SKY - was this related to some girl? Ishan's heart broke to think that Gill had someone he liked, but he went inside to deposit the treasure in his arms on the soft bed, before going back to close the door. Covering Shubman with a thicker blanket, he made a trip to the bathroom, to get some wet towels for cold compress. After about an hour, Shubi's fever finally began to subside. Ishan knew that it would come back again in even less than an hour, so he called up the room service to get dinner for the both of them. 

Waking Shubman up was even more difficult than his daughter. When he opened his dazed eyes, he rambled deliriously, "Wah! Mein to sachme pagal ho gaya hun. Ishan, mujhe tu dikhai de raha hai!" The elder's heart ached, "Shubi, mein idhar hi hun." "Tu nahi jayega na phir, mujhko akela chhod ke?" "Nahi, Shubi. Kabhi nahi. Ab uth ja thoda kha le. Uske baad medicines bhi toh leni hai." "Khilayega mereko? Tere haath se khaana zyada tasty lagta tha." Ishan could feel tears pricking his eyes, his plans of not getting too close to the one who had hurt him, were already in shreds, "Ab rulayega kya be pagle? Baith ja. Tera favourite order kiya hai." Feeding him brought back unchartered memories that were buried deep in the chest he called his heart. After eating, Ishan subjected Shubman to a sponge bath before changing his clothes. 

His hands touched a silky material in the suitcase but as only the fairy lights in the room were on, he could not discern what it was. He had to bribe the big baby with a promise of macaronis as the twenty nine year old complained, "Medicines, nooooo. Kadhwa hai!" Ishan was about to leave the room after tucking Shubman in bed, when the latter choked out a whimper, "Please, maat ja yaar. Khwabon mein hi sahi, mere paas reh ja." The very next moment, he was thrashing in the bed, driven by delirium, "Please, Ishu. I beg you, stay with me." Ishan's heart bled as he crept back to the bed. The fever was coming back again, Shubman's body was slightly warm. The hand that had touched his forehead to check his temperature was now caged between his considerably bigger ones. 

Seeing no way out of the situation, Ishan laid down beside his 'friend' or should he call him the father of his child? The said man snuggled up to him, mumbling, "Aise sapne mujhe roz roz aaye", before he blacked out completely. Ishan sighed in his mind, shifting slightly to get a bit more comfortable, though Shubman's hold was still the second most comfortable place for him, after Aleya's cuddles. "Lagta hai aaj raat ko jeans aur hoodie mein hi sona padhega", this was his last thought as he drifted away to the land of Morpheus while carding his fingers through Shubman's soft but unkempt hair. If his right hand was numb in the morning when he woke up from Shubi resting his head on it, Ishan had only had himself to blame to allow the audacity. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I thought, "Ajke r update debo na. Abar Saturday." But your comments were so sweet, that I had too. I can't see our babies suffering too. 

Let me give a spoiler on the next chapter - it will be like the combination of 'Husn' and 'Zaalima', but from Shubman's POV. 

Main itna bada gadha hun ki maine bas abhi realise kiya ki aap wattpad se links copy nahi kar sakte. 'Husn' ke reel apko instagram par mil jayega. Bas #shubish sear kar lena. Reference pic story heading ke par mil jayega.

Stay tuned for the update on saturday. 

Enjoy, Adiraj.