In Every Story of Mine (A Jassi-Hardik story)

All in the head

After Rohit's car went out of sight, Hardik turned to walk back up the road to the hotel, and came across Jassi.

He didn't seem to be doing anything much but strolling in the lawn, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Jassi?" called Hardik.

Jassi must have been in deep thought, because he didn't appear to hear.

"JASSI!"

Now he started out of his daze and looked around. "What, Hardik?"

Hardik, who had yelled Jassi's name just for the sake of it and didn't have anything particular to say, went with, "Coming for dinner?"

"Not now," said Jassi. "I'll order in later."

"Why?" asked Hardik, in his usual nosy manner.

"No reason," said Jassi blandly.

"If there's no reason why can't you come and eat with the rest of us now—" said Hardik in one breath.

"Because I don't feel like it, all right?"

Hardik raised his hands in surrender, though he considered that Jassi was getting tiffy for no reason.

"All right—if you don't feel like it."

Jassi's lips twitched like he was about to smile. But that was as far as the smile went before he resumed his pacing in the lawn, and Hardik had no choice but to walk back alone.

_________________

Later that night, Hardik hadn't meant to be opening his Instagram, he could swear. He didn't know what made him—all his family members, his seniors, his friends, and even some of his juniors had told him to strictly stay away from it.

Because once you started going through the nasty things, it was like some sort of a self-destructing drug—you couldn't stop, no matter how miserable they made you feel—and it led to a negative spiral impossible to get out from.

That was how he came across a bunch of posts glorifying Jassi...Jassi showing his support for his 'true' captain by refusing to accept the 'fake' captain.

Initially, Hardik was completely confused.

Jassi hadn't been happy at all when he'd got to know the news, of course, and Hardik vaguely remembered he'd posted some cryptic 'silence' story around that time that'd led to a social media meltdown. It had been a harrowing few days, but they had made it through and everything was fine between them. Then what did these mean now, Jassi ignoring Hardik and making it clear he was on Rohit's side?

Of course, Hardik knew, most people of the media and on social media didn't need much factual backing to be making up thrilling stories. He'd come across a lot of stuff that seemed to be highlighting how Rohit was making his displeasure known in public, too—

Somehow, though, Hardik found the stories about Rohit easier to brush off than the ones about Jassi.

Why was it so? he wondered, and he had finally given himself enough distaste that he could make himself exit the negative spiral and keep his phone away.

_________________

It came to him in the middle of the night, when he woke up with a suddenness that suggested he'd had a jump scare in a dream. He couldn't recall what the dream/ nightmare had been about, but he seemed to have realized something.

It had been over a fortnight since the MI camp had gathered, and Jassi wasn't there...ever.

How long had it been since he'd spoken to Jassi properly?