Shuttles And Stars

Neeraj

The morning after the party felt like it stretched on forever. I barely slept. My mind kept replaying Sia’s abrupt departure, the words she hadn’t said, and the unanswered questions that swirled around me like a storm. I tried calling her several times, but her phone just rang and rang. No answer. I shot her a couple of messages too, but with no reply, I started feeling this pit of unease in my stomach.

Was I overstepping? Was I being annoying? The thoughts kept coming, but the worry wouldn’t leave. I tossed and turned in bed, the silence of my phone louder than ever.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. Throwing off my blankets, I slipped into my jersey, grabbed my kit, and stormed out of the house. I needed to hit the court, feel the burn, and hopefully, clear my mind. The drive to the badminton court was a blur, my foot heavy on the gas, my thoughts racing even faster.

When I arrived, Abhimanyu was already there, warming up. He noticed me right away and raised an eyebrow as I tossed my bag to the ground, already dripping with intensity. “Whoa, whoa, what’s up with you, man? You look like you’re ready to break some skulls, not just play badminton.”

I didn’t respond, just grabbed my racket and jumped straight into practice. From the first rally, I was on fire. Every shuttle I hit was like a bullet fired from a gun. My feet barely touched the ground as I lunged, smacked, and sliced through the air, each movement charged with this bottled-up frustration.

Abhimanyu kept up for a while, but even he could sense something was off. “Neeraj, calm down, dude!” he shouted as another shuttle zoomed past him. “You’re gonna kill someone with that thing!”

I didn’t listen. The anger, the worry—it all poured into the game. I smashed the shuttle so hard that, with a final crack, the strings on my racket snapped. The racket went limp in my hand, and I finally stopped, panting heavily.

Abhimanyu walked over, shaking his head. “Alright, break time. Sit down before you bust a blood vessel.”

I slumped onto the bench, wiping the sweat from my forehead. My mind was still racing, and I couldn’t shake the knot in my chest. Abhimanyu sat down next to me, his tone softer now. “Listen, I get it. You’re worried about Sia. But man, it’s her job. She’s probably neck-deep in work, just like you when you’re on the court. She can’t just drop everything and look at her phone every two seconds.”

I nodded, but the unease was still there. “But she didn’t even give me a heads-up. She just left. She seemed... happy before that. Then nothing.”

Abhimanyu shrugged. “Yeah, maybe something came up. Don’t read too much into it. Just like you zone out when you’re playing, she’s probably deep into her work right now. And don’t forget, she’s got that uniform on—pretty sure taking calls isn’t exactly encouraged when she’s on duty.”

He leaned back, stretching his arms. “Besides, I told Meera to give you a heads-up as soon as Sia’s back. So, chill out. Stop being a brainless lover boy and give the girl some space.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Brainless lover boy, huh?”

“Yeah,” Abhimanyu smirked. “You’re all over the place. Just take a step back. She’ll reach out when she’s free.”

The advice was solid, and I felt a little better after hearing it. But still, I couldn’t help but wish Sia had just stuck around a bit longer last night. “She was happy,” I murmured, more to myself than to Abhimanyu. “Right before she left. It didn’t make sense.”

Abhimanyu clapped me on the back. “You’ll figure it out, man. For now, let’s focus. We’ve got practice, and you’ve got that sponsorship meeting later, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. And my parents are flying back to Mumbai tonight. I should head to the airport to see them off.”

“Good call,” Abhimanyu said. “Just remember, play it cool. Don’t overthink everything with Sia. It’ll work out.”

The practice session ended on a lighter note, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Sia. After grabbing a quick shower, I headed to the airport with my family to see my parents off. Just before they left, Saraswati, my sister, pulled me aside.

“Neeraj,” she whispered, “don’t stress about Sia. I can see it all over your face. You’re rushing things. Let it breathe. And remember, Mom and Dad are here—try to act normal.”

I forced a smile. “I’m not rushing anything.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Sure, you’re not. Just... give it time.”

After bidding farewell to my parents and sister, I returned home, but there was no rest in sight. I realized I had another task looming over me—I needed to find a rental apartment in Delhi. With the training center being here, it made sense to move closer. Plus, it would give me some space to clear my head.

I called up Abhimanyu again, and we discussed some apartment details. “I found a couple of good options,” he said. “Let’s check them out tomorrow.”

The next day, we spent the afternoon visiting apartments. Each place we saw was decent enough, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how close they were to the Army quarters. Abhimanyu, ever the joker, couldn’t resist pointing it out.

“Bro, don’t think I didn’t notice where these apartments are. You’re totally picking this one because it’s near Sia.”

I grinned, unable to deny it. “Well, it’s convenient. What’s wrong with that?”

Abhimanyu shook his head, laughing. “Convenient, my foot. You’re picking this place because you want to bump into her on her way to work, admit it!”

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen and saw Sia’s name. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly answered. ““Sia! Where have you been? Are you okay? What happened?”

Her voice came through, calm but with something slightly off that I couldn’t quite place. “I’m fine, Neeraj,” she said, as if forcing her tone to stay light.giving it a strange tinge“Just got caught up with work. Left my phone at home.”

There was a pause, but still I continued “I’ve been so worried. You disappeared after the party. No calls, no texts. I thought… I don’t know what I thought. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“I’m okay,” she reassured me.

I breathed a sigh of relief. “No problem. I was just... worried.”
We talked a few moments but then
Sia hesitated, and for a moment, I thought she was going to say more, but she didn’t. She just said“I’m fine. I’ll catch up with you soon.”

“Sure. Take care, alright?”

As I hung up, Abhimanyu gave me a look. “Well? How’s your mystery woman?”

“She’s fine. But there was something... strange in her voice.”

Abhimanyu smirked. “There you go again, overthinking. Just be happy she called back.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, shaking my head. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

We finalized the apartment—one conveniently near the Army quarters—and as we left, Abhimanyu slapped me on the back. “See? Everything’s falling into place. Now stop being a brainless lover boy and focus on the next game.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes, but deep down, I was grateful for his advice. Still, as we walked back to the car, I couldn’t help but wonder about Sia, and what had really happened the night she left the party.
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Sorry for the delay next chapter will be updated as soon as possible for me..............thanks for your support 💖