INTRICATE

CHAPTER 04

The cricket world champs came back today!!

V E D A N   S H E K H A W A T

There weren't a lot of places that Vedan called home. Just two. One was the soccer field in the National Academy, his first home, and the other was the apartment that he had just walked into. While the soccer field was a common space for all the players, the apartment was only his. It had been a haven for privacy whenever he felt overwhelmed by media attention or just overwhelmed in general. 

He stepped in, placing his keys to the side. It had been a while since he returned, but everything was exactly as he remembered. Nothing had changed. Come to think of it, it would have been concerning if it had. He removed his shoes before proceeding further, unable to shake off the habits that his grandmother had instilled in him. 

When he bought the place, Vedan hadn't thought much. He simply wanted a modern, semi-furnished apartment that he could personalize as time went by. However, he had never stayed in one place long enough for him to actually add his own touch to it. Seeing as that wouldn't be a problem now, he could finally get started on that. 

He liked it when things were minimalistic and his apartment wasn't any different. Floor-to-ceiling windows took over one side of the wall, allowing sunlight to permeate through the space. Adjacent to that was a charcoal black accent wall that Vedan prided himself on choosing. The remaining walls were white, but they had a few renowned art pieces that people had gifted to him. Again, minimalistic ones. 

An L-shaped charcoal black couch lined the white walls and a matching rug with abstract streaks of white lay below it, contrasting against the ivory marble flooring. An enormous flat-screen TV was mounted on the accent wall, housing a few photo frames on the floating shelves beside it. Photos that Vedan held close to his heart because they were memories of the most important people in his life. 

He ran his thumb over the one with the national team. It was taken right after their first championship victory, and it was a memory that he wouldn't ever be able to forget. The sheer joy radiating from the picture was enough to put a smile on his face. Vedan placed it back when he felt his eyes prickling, scanning the other photos. 

He had one from eight years ago when he graduated from school, another from fifteen years ago when his grandmother had taught him how to cook for the first time, a few with his school friends during the sports day and two from when he was crowned a council member. One was an individual picture that Samaira had photobombed and the other was a group picture with the entire council. Samaira was there too. 

He sighed. The woman haunted him even after eight years.

Vedan opened the curtains before walking into the kitchen with the groceries that he had bought on the way. It wasn't much, just the essentials. Deciding on a simple stir fry, he started peeling the carrots. He was a pretty good cook, but he was nowhere near the level his grandmother was at. If there was a legendary level in cooking, Padmavati Shekhawat had crossed it eons ago and she knew it. 

A subconscious smile tugged at his lips at the memories. His grandmother had been everything for him ever since he was young. She had taken care of him, picking up the slack that his mother had left behind. His parents favoured Veer, a lot, and Vedan had never been able to understand why. He had given up a few years ago because it didn't matter. Nothing would change even if he found the answer to that riddle, so he settled with being pampered by his dadi. 

That didn't mean the lack of affection from his parents hurt any less. They barely attended parent-teacher meetings, they never watched any of his games, they didn't show up for award ceremonies nor did they attend his graduation. The excuse that his father gave for the last one was that Veer hadn't been in a good mood because of a breakup. A breakup that he had initiated. That incident had made Vedan accept that there was no point in hoping for an alternate reality.