Shadows Of The Stumps

Chapter - 44

The Sharma household was in its usual delightful disarray. It was three days to the next test, and the team was scheduled to leave for the next venue tomorrow. But at the moment, cricket wasn't on anyone's mind—only playful chaos reigned.

In the living room, Meera sat cross-legged on the rug, gleefully trying to steal a ball from Akaay, who giggled uncontrollably. Nearby, Rishabh was in the middle of an intense game of dodge-the-pillows with Shubman, Vamika and Samaira ducking behind the couch and occasionally using Meera as a human shield. Athiya watched the madness unfold, chuckling softly as she perched on the edge of the sofa, throwing in half-hearted warnings every time the kids took things a little too far.

"Rishabh, control kar yaar! Pura living room football ground bana diya hai!" Meera scolded, though her grin gave away her amusement.

Rishabh laughed, tossing a cushion at her. "Tujhe lagta hai koi control kar sakta hai mujhe, Meeru?"

Shubman, wrestling a stuffed toy from little Sammy's grasp, muttered, "I swear, yeh ghar kabhi serious nahi ho sakta."

Athiya's laugh was soft but genuine. She threw a glance toward the others but kept sneaking peeks at the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Amid the lighthearted chaos, something gnawed at her, tugging her attention toward Rahul's absence.

She had noticed it all morning—Rahul's usual quiet presence had been conspicuously missing. He hadn't joined breakfast and hadn't stepped out of his room, not even for the playful madness now filling the house. He was the type to disappear occasionally, but this felt different. Athiya could feel it in her gut. Something was off.

She bit her lip, debating whether to disturb Virat. He was pacing near the balcony, engaged in what sounded like an intense phone conversation about the upcoming series. She stood, hesitating at the threshold of the living room, as if waiting for the right moment to speak.

Virat noticed her out of the corner of his eye but held up a finger, silently asking her to wait while he finished the call. Athiya gave a small nod, though concern flickered across her face.

That's when Rohit, passing through with a mug of coffee in hand, stopped in his tracks. He scanned the room, noticing the usual suspects—Meera, Rishabh, Shubman, the kids—but no sign of Rahul.

"Rahul kidhar hai?" Rohit asked, brows furrowing slightly as he took a sip from his mug.

Athiya's gaze flicked toward the hallway again, her concern slipping into her voice. "Woh... apne room mein hai. But he's been there all morning, hasn't come out."

Rohit's frown deepened. "Kyun? Koi bolne gaya usko? Sab theek hai na?"

Athiya shifted uneasily, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't know, Ro bhaiya. I knocked once, but he said he's fine. He just..." She trailed off, struggling to put her unease into words.

Rohit gave her a quick, reassuring nod, though the wheels were already turning in his head. Something didn't sit right with him either. Rahul wasn't the type to shut himself away unless something was seriously bothering him.

"Main dekh ke aata hoon," Rohit said, setting his coffee down and heading toward the hallway.

Athiya gave him a grateful smile but stayed rooted to her spot. As Rohit disappeared down the hall, she let out a small sigh and cast another glance at Virat, still on his call, hoping he would wrap it up soon.

Rohit reached Rahul's door and gave it a gentle knock. "Rahul? Kya chal raha hai, bhai?"

There was a moment of silence, followed by a faint, muffled voice. "I'm fine, BRo. Bas aise hi... rest kar raha hoon."

Rohit frowned, not buying it for a second. "Pakka? Tu zyada rest kar raha hai toh kuch toh gadbad hai."

There was another pause, longer this time. "Bas... thoda thak gaya hoon. It's nothing, seriously."

Rohit lingered outside the door for a moment, debating whether to push further. But he knew Rahul—if he wasn't ready to talk, forcing him wouldn't help. With a sigh, he gave the door one last glance and headed back to the living room.

Virat who has heard snippets of the conversation hastily ended his call, slipping the phone into his pocket.

"Rahul room mein hai," Rohit said, his tone casual but edged with concern. "Lekin kuch toh gadbad hai. Baat nahi kar raha, aur nahi maan raha ki kuch problem hai."

Virat's brow arched as he processed Rohit's words and he looked at Athiya.

"Sab theek hai?" Virat asked gently, his voice low, though his question carried more weight than it seemed.

Athiya gave him a faint, almost tired smile. "Mujhe nahi lagta." She paused, the worry etched deeper in her expression now. "He's not saying anything, but... he hasn't been himself since the last match. Something's eating at him."

Virat rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling through his nose. "Overthinking kar raha hoga. Rahul toh hai hi aisa—sab kuch andar rakhta hai."

Athiya nodded, lips pressed into a tight line. "Main jaake poocha tha... but he just smiled and said he's fine. And you know how he does that, na? That fake smile jo bolti hai ki kuch toh gadbad hai but he won't admit it."

Virat gave a slow nod, his gaze steady. "Haan, pata hai. Uska 'I'm fine' matlab hota hai ki kuch bilkul theek nahi hai."

Athiya's arms tightened around herself. "I just... don't know how to help him. I tried to stay with him for a bit, but..." She trailed off, her voice laced with helplessness. "He doesn't talk. And I hate seeing him like this."

Virat stepped closer, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey," he said softly, "I'll talk to him."

Athiya looked at him, her eyes searching his face as if hoping for some kind of assurance. "He listens to you... I think he'll be okay around you."

Virat gave her a small smile—more a gesture of comfort than anything else. "Don't worry, Athiya. Rahul is built to handle more than we give him credit for." He squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Tum sab lunch karlo, okay? I'll sit with him."

Rohit noticed the tension in Athiya's shoulders, her arms still wrapped tightly around herself, and offered her a warm, brotherly smile. He gently bumped her arm with his elbow. "Arre Athiya, itna stress kyun? Rahul theek hoga—he's made of tougher stuff, trust me. Thoda space deke sambhal lenge usko."

Athiya's lips twitched upward, though the worry lingered in her eyes. "I know, Ro bhaiya... bas thoda ajeeb lag raha hai. He's never like this."

Rohit gave her a one-armed hug, pulling her close in a reassuring, protective gesture. "Don't overthink, Athu. Yeh bhi pass ho jayega. Hum sab uske saath hain, na?"

Athiya leaned into the embrace, feeling momentarily lighter. "Hmm... bas kabhi kabhi lagta hai jaise pata nahi kaise help karoon."

Rohit pulled back, giving her a playful grin. "Help karna hai toh ek kaam kar—apne us chocolate cake ka slice bacha ke rakhna. Rahul ke mood ko theek karne ka shortcut wahi hai."

That earned a soft chuckle from Athiya, her expression easing just a bit. "Thanks, Ro bhaiya. You always know what to say."

"Of course," Rohit winked. "Yeh kaam nahi aaya toh kya Rohit Sharma hoon?"

Just then, Anushka and Ritika entered the room, picking up on the subtle tension hanging in the air. Anushka, carrying a small jar, placed it gently in Virat's hand. "Yeh lo, headache balm. Rahul ko zarurat toh zaroor padegi." She gave Virat a teasing look. "Waise tum bhi use kar lena agar usne tumhara bhi dimaag khaya."

Ritika chimed in, flashing a quick grin. "Exactly! Aur don't worry about lunch, Virat. We'll get your plates upstairs. Tum bas jao, baaki hum dekh lenge."

Virat gave them both an appreciative nod, the balm already tucked into his pocket. He turned back to Athiya, squeezing her shoulder lightly one last time. "Hum sambhal lenge. Rahul ko theek karne ka experience hai apne paas."

Athiya smiled softly, feeling a bit more assured now. As Virat headed down the hallway, the rest of the group slowly fell back into their playful chaos, but the care and quiet concern for Rahul lingered, unspoken yet deeply understood.