Courage

10: The Exit

1. Many locations, family members, matches will obviously be fictional as timeline is very tricky to control. Please bear that in mind.

2. Rinku's 'god's plan' will be a nauseating repetitive running gag, I am so sorry about that.

3. I have the entire story mapped out but my scenes get stretched out and then I have to cut- paste the next part onto the next chapter and so on....

As always, comments and views and votes are appreciated. 

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Even after their stellar performance, Rajasthan Royals, unfortunately, could not quality. Devdutt knew it happened - teams play, teams lose - and he was equally sad to not go ahead as he was about missing his RR family. In a short time, everyone had become a lot close. Yash and Riyan were some of his closest mates, and even the occasional pats from Ashwin and Yuzi soothed him. It had been weird for him at the start, being the introvert he was, but within a few short months, he felt like a part of the RR family. Currently, though, an entirely different issue nagged at him.

What was going to happen to him and Dhruv?

His mother always said he had an overactive brain that never calmed down, but how could it calm down, when Dhruv had yet to say anything about them? Sure, they kissed a lot (Devdutt felt a blush creeping up even now when he remembered how Dhruv liked leaving marks on his chest and nibbling on his lips until they turned luscious red) and spent a lot of time together, just hanging out, but that was when they were together all the time!

What will happen once they go their separate ways? Will they even meet? Did Dhruv have any feelings about not seeing Dev?

It was these thoughts milling around Dev's head when he joined the team for the last celebratory night. He had opted for a light white shirt and a pair of simple grey trousers. He was one of the first people to enter the ballroom, and his eyes kept straying toward the door. Should he have gone to check with Dhruv first? Should he have initiated a conversation tonight? Everyone was dispersing tomorrow morning, and Dev was having a tough time controlling his feelings. A tap on his shoulders jostled him back to reality.

"Aise akele kya baitha hai?"

Yash came into his view, and Riyan trailed behind. They both took the empty chairs besides him, and Dev felt a pang of disappointment.

"Dukele kaise baith te hai?" he still quipped, which earned him a laugh.

"So, what next for you guys?"

"I am going home for some really good homemade food. The food here is good, but nothing beats a steaming hot bowl of comfort food," Riyan reminisced.

They all murmured, agreeing.

"Um, Rinku has invited me to hang out with him and Dhruv for a couple of days, so it's home first and then a trip to Noida. Man, we gonna have some gooooood times!"

"Oh yea, those guys know all the best spots - I had gone there and I kid you not, the food was amazing! How Rinku bhai manages to have those abs and still wolf down an entire biryani is a miracle."

Oh, so Rinku has invited Yash to stay at his Dhruv's place.

I didn't get an invitation, he thought glumly. Before he could prod further, though, everyone else piled in, and the ceremony began.

Devdutt saw Dhruv and Jos bhai come in a little later, Dhruv holding one of Jos' daughters in his arms. His worries instantly melted away at the sight, and he could feel his cheeks getting warmer. They looked so cute together, he thought! He saw Dhruv making funny faces to make her laugh, but stopped once he heard a tinkling of laughter from the other end. Dev put a hand over his mouth when Dhruv spotted him, who slowly bent down to set the cutie down.