Courage

8: The Date

The chance came, but probably not how Dhruv had imagined it. The team had gathered together for a three-day intense training session during breaks between matches, and the coaches were adamant about driving them to the ground. Dhruv was in pretty good shape himself, but even he flopped on the bed at the end of the day, unable to even lift a finger. On day three, however, the restrictions lifted a bit, giving everyone some breathing room. Dhruv was running laps with Yash, who had not stopped poking his nose in Dhruv's business.

'Have you guys been on a date yet?'

'Who is he?'

'Have you kissed yet?'

Dhruv had resorted to simply glaring at Yash when he asked, but today, there really was nothing to talk about.

"No Yash, we haven't done any of those things. Cricket doesn't leave me much time, does it?"

"Time milta nai, banana padta hai."

"Wow, when did you turn love guru?"

"C'mon Dhruvie! I am serious. If you like this guy, you've got to make an effort - kitne din Rinku ke saath rahoge?"

Dhruv threw a bottle at Yash's laughing head.

He was right though, Dhruv thought. Devdutt deserves dates, romance, and the world, and Dhruv was more than willing to provide. But how to go about it, when their every move was scrutinized by the media and their team? He was so lost in his thoughts that a nearby commotion totally slipped his eyes.

When Yash shook him, he finally stopped running and looked in the direction Yash was pointing.

A crowd was gathered on the ground, and they both ran to check what the matter was. The crowd parted to give them some space, and Dhruv heard whispers of 'eye injury' and 'Devdutt' - his name was enough for Dhruv to spur into action, as he hastily moved people aside.

Devdutt was indeed sitting on the ground, holding an eye pack to one of his eyes - he looked up as Dhruv came into focus, but he really must be out of it as his uninjured eye simply fluttered as it looked around. Dhruv bent down, worried. He asked the people to give him some room, and focused on his injured boy.

"Dev, Devdutt - can you hear me? Do you feel like you have a concussion? What happened?"

At his voice, Devdutt looked up.

"Uh, ball hit the eye pretty fast. Just fell down."

An incoherent Devdutt spelled trouble. Dhruv looked at his coach and, seemingly coming to a conclusion, nodded in unison. Dhruv stood up and picked Devdutt up in his arms. He cajoled the people to part and walked to the medical room at the stadium. Devdutt did not protest even once when the doctor poked and prodded him, and that was what had Dhruv worried.

After a thorough checkup, the Doctor applied some ointment to Devdutt's eye and bandaged it so he looked like a pirate. He turned around to face both the coach and Dhruv.

"His eye will be fine. The patch will stop him from trying to touch it. I am more worried that he might have a concussion. Can someone stay with him tonight and make sure he doesn't fall into a coma?

"I will, don't worry about it," Dhruv said hurriedly before the coach had some idea about taking care of Devdutt himself. He fired a quick text to Yash to bring his and Devdutt's kit back to the hotel and looked at Devdutt.

He looked so tiny in the hospital bed that all Dhruv wanted to do was gather him in his arms, but he knew now was not the time. He sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hey."

Devdutt looked up.

"Hey."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit."

Dhruv gave a startled laugh.

"C'mon, let's go back."

Dhruv made to pick Devdutt up, at which Devdutt just glared at him in annoyance.

"I can walk!"

Dhruv backed away but still hovered nearby, helping him get in the car and up to his room.

Devdutt assumed Dhruv would be settling him and leaving, so he went to freshen up. Imagine his surprise, when he found Dhruv making himself at home on his sofa.

"Wha-What are you doing?"

"You didn't think I was going to leave you alone, did you?"

At Devdutt's dumbfounded look, Dhruv exhaled loudly.

"You might have a concussion, Devdutt. You can't sleep, we have got to keep you awake, which is why I am here."

"Oh yeah? And how are you going to do that?"

"I might have some idea," replied Dhruv cheekily, which triggered a blush on Dev's cheeks.

Dhruv turned the television on and patted the seat next to him.

"C'mon, you have a better chance of staying awake if you're not on the bed. I've ordered some food as well so you can take your tablets."

Not seeing any other choice, Devdutt plopped down on the sofa, watching television in silence. They spend a while simply watching a movie, piping up with some comments, or eating their food in silence.

In the middle of the movie, Dhruv spoke up.

"You know....this is not how I thought we'd have a date."

Devdutt was glad he was not eating something because he really would have choked on it. He looked at Dhruv, incredulously.

"You want to go on a date?"

Dhruv was instantly on guard. What if he has misjudged this? What if Devdutt was just goofing off? He looked at Dev a little scared.

"Um, yes?"

Dhruv was glad he was looking at Dev at that moment because nothing could compare to watching the slow but sure smile on Devdutt's face. He looked abashed.

"I'd...I'd love that too. But this is nice too, you know. A movie, food, and you? It's practically a date."

Dhruv had to shake Devdutt awake a few times when he was in the middle of falling asleep, but other than that, it had been a wonderful night. They talked, laughed, and even fought a little over their movie opinions, but they were both secretly glad to have the other one so close.

As the night slowly passed into the day, Devdutt knew their time together was quickly coming to an end. He didn't want Dhruv to go, but he knew they both needed the rest after staying up the entire night.

Still, this was their date, after all.

"Dhruv?

"Hmm?"

"This is a date, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, traditionally............people kiss at the end of the date."

Dhruv's neck whipped at that. Before Devdutt could utter another word, Dhruv had scooched over, his face just a breath away from Dev's. Devdutt's eyes were wide as saucers, as Dhruv took a deep breath, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Oh yeah? Does my sunshine want a little kiss?"

Dev could do nothing but nod, so entranced was he by Dhruv's being in his space. He had an insane urge to touch Dhruv's face, so that's what he did. He watched, as if in a trance, as he traced a finger down Dhruv's face, from his head to his stubble to his beautiful, beautiful nose down to his rosy lips. He could feel Dhruv's erratic exhale on his fingers as he inched closer and placed a hand on Dhruv's chest, feeling the irregular drumming of his heart.

In a sudden move, Dhruv caught Dev's wandering hand in his own, and brought it closer to his mouth. Without breaking eye contact, he placed a sweet kiss on each of Dev's fingers, and trailed his lips to his palm, placing tiny kisses there as well. In a true gentlemanly fashion, a kiss on the other side of the hand followed, after which, the hand returned to its desired position on Dhruv's face, cupping it gently. Dhruv exhaled, and closed his eyes, savoring the touch. He opened his eyes and bestowed Dev with a small smile.

"I very much intend to kiss you, my sunshine, but only when you are perfectly healthy and not concussed."