Will you stand by me?

Chapter 4 - That Endings Can Often Be Beautiful, Too.

Chapter 4 - That Endings Can Often Be Beautiful, Too.

Sunsets are proof that endings can often be beautiful, too." —Beau Taplin

Rohit Gurunath Sharma was used to being the option rather than remaining the priority.

This fact, which had established itself during his formative years, when he had to remain away from his parents due to their family's financial distress, only cemented itself when he joined the Indian Cricket Team. But it had never bothered him too much, not being the priority.

It had not bothered him until the squad of World Cup 2011 had been announced, and he had not found his name on the list.

Looking back, it all makes sense but it had not done so at that moment. In his anger and grief, he had refrained from watching even a single match of that victorious campaign and soon after the finals, had had a shouting match of his own with his Captain.

A rather one-sided match, where he had yelled, and Mahi Bhai had not raised a single protest.

In fact, he had not even refrained from accepting the fact that he had been instrumental in Rohit's non-inclusion in the final Squad. Mahi Bhai had accepted and had absorbed all of his anger and grief and had held the sobbing boy in his embrace, till Rohit had fallen asleep, tired out from months of masked anguish.

Rohit remembered waking up, still ensconced in Bhaiya's arms, and steeped in the guilt of all the screamed accusations. But Mahi Bhai had not let him apologise and had never thrown back any of his words to his face.

Rohit Sharma had always respected MS Dhoni, but since that day, he had started loving his Bhaiya; without prejudice.

The room that Kane had arranged for them, was more of a suite than a normal hotel room, having a sparsely furnished kitchenette. The pantry held a couple of family packs of instant noodles, coffee, milk and powdered hot chocolate (cocoa powder). And a few boxes of sugar.

"Did you find something for Virat to eat?"

Rohit startled slightly and looked at Ajju a little guiltily. He had been clinging to the memories of his past, opening and reopening the pages of a book he had long discarded. His friend lay supine with rapidly rising delirium and here he was, seeking comfort from happenstances from almost half a decade back.

"Rohit? What are you thinking about?"

Ajju's hand caught hold of his shoulder, squeezing it gently. There was a crash of a thunder and the lights flickered for a moment. The hold on his shoulder tightened and Rohit blinked back obtuse tears.

"Rohit. What..."

"Bhaiya is angry. With me." Memories rushed away, making only fleeting appearances; gone, before Rohit could hold unto them.

"Are you sure that you are not misreading into the situation? Maybe Mahi Bhai is just miffed. With the circumstances, in general"

"Maybe." Rohit moved around the containers, till he found the small spice jar he was searching for. Cinnamon.

Emptying a carton of milk in a pan, he set it to heat and hunted around for the small jar of honey he had seen before.

"Rohit! What are you doing?" 

Ajju had always been an embodiment of a tough soul combined with a gentleness of the spirit. It was a lethal coalescence and there was not much he could not get done, from any of them.

Rohit's smile barely reached his eyes even though he tried his best to reassure Ajju.

"There is some almond milk here. Making some Hot Chocolate; for all of us. It will warm up Virat from within. It is not as if we can just go ahead and order room service. Not here."