Bade Sapne

Part 1

Shubman’s POV

As me and Abhi stormed through the apartment and I skipped a couple of steps on the way, almost tripping up once or twice, adrenaline surging through my veins, I held my head up high, ready to confess my love to the woman who I'd fallen so hard for.

I can do this!

My phone buzzed again—a notification from some sports outlet. Probably another article dragging my performance through the mud. I ignored it. What was the point? My game was currently shit, and everyone could see it. Coach was pissed, the team was frustrated, and I couldn’t bring myself to care because my mind wasn’t on cricket right now. It was on her.

I wanted to shake it off, to focus. But every time I stepped onto the field, it was like I carried this weight with me—the weight of wanting her but knowing I couldn’t have her. The guilt. The frustration. The anger at myself for even feeling this way.

“Yaar, tu theek hai?” Abhishek’s voice cut through the fog in my head.

I blinked and looked up. He was sitting across from me, concern etched on his face. I realised I hadn't said a word to him since.

“I don’t know,” I muttered, rubbing my hands over my face. “Everything’s just... fucked right now.”

Abhishek opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, his phone buzzed. He glanced down, then frowned. “Bro, you need to see this.”

“What now?” I groaned, grabbing his phone, half-expecting some tabloid crap. But as soon as I saw the headline, my stomach dropped:

“Inside Shubman Gill’s Struggles: The Love Triangle Affecting His Game.”

“What the fuck?” I breathed, my pulse racing as I scrolled down.

-----------------------------------------------
"Insiders claim that Vira Malhotra, rumoured girlfriend of Ishan Kishan, has confessed feeling guilty about her connection with rising cricket sensation Shubman Gill.

‘Mujhe Shubman ko lekar guilty feel ho raha hai,’ she reportedly said, adding, ‘Kal practice ke baad ghar gaaye the, aur woh thoda off lag raha tha... shayad mere wajah se ho raha hai.’ It is also reported that Malhotra mentioned being unable to tell her current rumoured boyfriend, Ishan Kishan, the whole story, worrying what he would think. To find out more about the cricketing world saga, stay tuned, and get ready to put some spice in your daily chai." (I'm feeling guilty after seeing the state Shubman was in. Yesterday, after we came home from practise, he seemed a little off.) "
-----------------------------------------------

I stared at the words, the quotes. Her words. My heart hammered in my chest, rage simmering under my skin.

Vira had said this? To someone? To some fucking journalist?

“What the fuck is this, Abhi?” I demanded, my voice shaking with fury.

Abhishek’s expression darkened. “I don’t know. But this is out there, bro.”

I could feel the heat rising in my face. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. She had said all this? About me? About my performance? To some random person who just turned around and sold it to the media?

“Ye mazak hai kya?” I spat, pushing the phone back at him.

Abhi sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t think so, Shub. Kya chal raha hai yaar? Kahan se aaya?”

I stood up, pacing the floor, the anger boiling over. “Why the hell would she say that? Why the hell would she talk about me to someone, knowing it could get out?”