𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔

𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗨𝗘

99 runs in 50 balls. Both of them stood on the ground, fierce and determined to make a comeback in her presence. The stadium held its breath as they waited for the king and the prince to rise again. The cameraman kept panning the camera to Nehmat's masked face. You might wonder why her face was masked. Well, after three years of being missing in action, she didn't want all the attention on her. But as the sister of the king of cricket, it was never really possible to stay unnoticed. People could recognize her even if she was covered from head to toe in a sack. She still wondered how she managed to hide among the mountains without being found. And of course, it was her brother who eventually found her. He has that kind of power, doesn't he?

"Uff! Too many thoughts and rants," Nehmat said to herself, trying to concentrate. Just as she attempted to focus, a thud echoed through the stadium. It was a perfect cover drive by her paaji for one run. Her soul was blessed—a century and a comeback with his trademark shot. Could it get any better? Maybe, she thought, as she remembered the man now on the crease. The same man who had bowled her over with his charming dimples on this very ground four years ago, and the bow-down celebration she could watch for hours, like his photo that rests in her purse. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts once again to concentrate, waiting for the king and prince to celebrate together. Yes, together—that seemed to be the plan on the ground. Despite the crowd cheering, Virat remained calm. Her eyes were trained on her man's bat as she watched the scene, peeking through her fingers with hands covering her face.

The Australian bowler was taking so much time, that she felt she could faint any minute. The feeling intensified as he took his run-up and released a deadly yorker. She was ready to cry, her fingers closing as she anticipated the stumps rattling. Before the sob could even come out, a cracking sound met the empty seat next to her.

The crowd erupted into a deafening roar. Nehmat opened her eyes to find the men of her life letting out a guttural cheer. The two main women in her life, after her mother—her bhabhi and niece—joined her, matching the men on the ground with their own roars. Vamika jumped into Nehmat's arms in excitement, both of them cheering for the cricketing stars' comeback. Their ritual celebrations followed the roar, and Nehmat couldn't help but tease her bhabhi, bumping shoulders with her as her paaji blew a kiss towards their stand.

"Stop it, lady," Anushka said, blushing and blowing a kiss back.

"Oh, I won't. It's been so long since I've seen this," Nehmat teased, swaying Vamika in her arms. Vamika, content with the century, laid her head on Nehmat's shoulder.

Anushka's eyes narrowed mischievously. "Oh look, I'm not the only one receiving kisses," she said, turning Nehmat's face towards the ground.

Nehmat's eyes widened as she saw Shubman kissing his bat and raising it towards her. She thought he would stop after acknowledging his family in the seat above her, who he would introduce later after the match. But boy, he went a step further and blew a kiss towards her. Her face turned redder than the wine she sold. The camera tried to capture her reaction, but luckily, the mask she wore helped. She bit her lip, trying to cover her emotions as she teared up at the gesture. She knew the internet might hate on him for this, but she couldn't care less because she was back where she belonged. A kiss on either cheek from her loved ones brought her back to reality. She turned around to see his family's reaction, only to find his sister and mother shrugging teasingly while his father laughed. A sense of peace washed over her as she watched them accept her. This is what it feels like to be everyone's favourite. She felt lucky to witness this moment finally.

******

As the match was won and hugs and kisses were exchanged, the much-awaited introduction was finally happening—the one that had been awaited since the West Indies tour.