when 77 met 32 [ishman ff] [shubish]

U-19

It was august 2017 and we were on the grounds practicing for the upcoming under 19 world-cup. The team was announced and me and abhishek we both made it on the team. I was selected as the vice-captain and it was an amazing feeling. My parents and few of my friends called to congratulate me. Abhishek's family also called.

The 2017 ipl was currently on going so Ishan hadn't called yet. "yeah thank you." I replied when rishab called to congratulate me. "vice-captain and all hah." "yeah I was walking in on your footsteps bhai." I replied. "ishan called?" he asked. "nope." "oh....but there is no match of his these days right." "yeah, maybe he got busy with the practices you know last year they played until semis but got eliminated in the eliminator 2 so maybe it is hectic there." "that is also possible. Chal okay, play well alright and don't be nervous you are an amazing player." Sometimes I liked Rishabh quite a lot. "thank you bhai."

I was on the ground practicing but my mind drifted to ishan again. I have not talked with him in the past month not even a message. At first, I thought maybe he got caught up with the ipl so I did not call either. Yesterday when the team was announced I thought he would call me or at least message me a formal 'congratulations' but even that hadn't come. I was starting to get worried now. Is he maybe angry with me? Did I do something he didn't like? Was he purposely avoiding me?

"aaaaiii shubman someone is here to meet you." It was abhishek's voice that got me out of my lala land. Some one was here to meet me? But who? "who is it?" I asked "go to our room." Abhishek pushed me away towards the direction of our room and I was too stunned to question him so right now I was walking towards my room not knowing why.

"hey... who is it?" I asked while entering the room. The person that stood near the window looking out turned towards me. I froze. It was ishan. "what the fuck are you doing here?" I blurted out because I was so damn shocked. What the fuck was he doing here? he was supposed to be practicing for the ipl right now. In Hyderabad. "I really expected a better reaction but okay." He walked towards me and hugged me. I just wrapped my hands around him and stood there, in trance. "you don't want me here?" he said still hugging me. "what nonsense Ishan of course I want you here its just you were supposed to be in Hyderabad right now. What are you doing here?"

He chuckled at that. "did you memorize all the places I would be at throughout the ipl or what? Yeah, I was supposed to be in Hyderabad. Yesterday was our flight but the under 19 team was announced and I had to meet you. So, I took the captain's permission and booked the first flight here. I am so sorry it was so hectic that I couldn't even call."

And if Ishan was not hugging me right now I might have just been on the ground because my legs felt like jelly and I had this sudden urge to cry. He rescheduled his flight took permission from the captain in the middle of an important tournament and travelled this far just so he could congratulate me in person?

God I really don't know how to feel about it. And just then Ishan broke the hug maybe because he wanted to look at my face, to read what I was feeling, but it was quite impossible; even I had no idea about what I was feeling right now. "you look like you are going to cry shubhi." There it was again, his soft voice. "why?" it was the only thing that I could manage to say right now because why would he do so much just to meet me. He smiled at that "because I wanted to."

"All the best shubman gill. Go and win the world cup. I want you to convert my silver into gold." His words carried so much emotion that I wanted to die before losing that gold he wanted. I made a promise to myself that day, I would actually die but not return without that gold. "And you look like you are going to cry again." Ishan said with a chuckle.

"helloooo did I disturb your reunion shubhi?" it was abhishek and his bad timing entering the room. "you knew it was him." It was not a question, I waited for abhishek to reply. "well yeah he kind of called me this morning because your phone was switched off, to inform about his arrival so I might have suggested him to keep it a secret and surprize you." Abhishek's face looked very punchable right now. "I mean it was a good surprize." Ishan added helpfully, yeah it was not helpful at all. Both of them were idiots.