Shadows Of The Stumps

Chapter - 43

The house was calmer today. Arya, Ayan and Arjun had left, although Meera felt a strange tug at her heart for that she knew she had to let it go off.  There was a little time before the second test against New Zealand and right now they were all huddled in the Sharma residence.

Virat lounged in a beanbag, Rahul besides him as they chuckled at old pictures on his phone.

Hardik and Rishabh were locked in a popcorn battle, as Shubman and Meera tried, unsuccessfully, to save themselves from it.
Everytime Meera notched her specs up, a popcorn hit and she had to do it again.

Shubhi on the other hand was trying to protect his new hoodie from butter stains.

"Stop, Harry ! Yeh brand new hai, bhai!" Shubman cried dramatically, as Rishabh flicked another kernel in his direction.

Athiya sat cross-legged on the rug, entertaining little Akaay, who was gleefully knocking down every block tower she built. In the next room, Ritika and Anushka were valiantly trying to teach Sammy and Vami.

Hardik lobbed a handful of popcorn at Rahul. "Yaar, kuch maza nahi aa raha. Yeh sab theek karne ke liye Sharma ji ki zarurat hai."

Virat nodded solemnly, as if Hardik had just made the most profound observation ever. "Haan. Ro ki presence is crucial for balance."

Meera just groaned, "I'm getting bored with you guys, Ro bhaiya kahan hai yaar."

Rahul added dramatically, "You guys are nuts. He must be hiding so that he doesn't have to deal with you all."

"Arre, mujhe jaana hai. Ro ko khoj kar lana padega," she declared, jumping up from the couch and heading toward Ritika.

---

At the Study Room:

Meera barged in, catching Ritika mid-sentence. "Ritsy, ek question."

Ritika looked up, mildly amused. "Haan?"

"Rohit bhaiya kahan hai?" Meera asked expectantly.

Ritika blinked. "I don't know."

Meera leaned closer, narrowing her eyes. "Are you sure?"

Ritika stifled a laugh. "Haan, Meera. Mujhe genuinely nahi pata."

Meera huffed and stormed back to the living room. "Guys, she doesn't know."

Virat's jaw dropped in disbelief. "IMPOSSIBLE. Ritsy ko sab pata hota hai." He stood, determined. "Mujhe khud poochhna padega."

He marched to the study room and leaned against the doorframe. "Ritsy yaar, Ro kahan hai?"

Ritika gave him an exasperated look. "Mujhe nahi pata, Virat!"

Virat scratched his head, clearly confused. "Weird." He turned around and shouted, "Rahul, tu dekh le yaar. Mujhe kuch samajh nahi aa raha."

Rahul, intrigued by the situation, got to his feet. "Mujhe lagta hai ab mujhe khud hi dekhna padega. Main kisi pe bharosa nahi kar sakta."

He marched to the study room and leaned lazily against the doorframe. "Ritsy... B-Ro kahan hai?"

This time, Ritika burst into laughter, shaking her head as she turned to Anushka. "Yeh aaj mere pati ki itni demand kyu badh gayi hai?"

Anushka, scribbling sums for Sammy to solve, grinned knowingly. "Aaj tumhare Rohit ko sabne national treasure bana diya hai, Ritika."

Ritika shook her head in disbelief. "Ajeeb log hain yeh!"

Before any more search parties could be dispatched, the front door creaked open, and in walked Rohit Sharma with a grocery bag in one hand and his car keys in the other.