Virat's ankle was okay now, and he was feeling much better. He was ready for practice. Thankfully, those confusing feelings hadn't come back.
"Virat, you ready?" Bhuvi asked, and Virat nodded, taking his position.
He faced nonstop throwdowns and Bhuvi's bowling, as he had not practiced for two days.
After an hour, he stopped and was walking towards Rohit, but something inside him stopped him from taking another step. He saw Shikhar and Jaddu with Rohit. Rohit was laughing carefree with them.
Virat's mind and eyes were stuck on his smile. But then, something else felt strange when Shikhar and Jaddu put their arms around him.
After a while, Rohit was holding Jaddu and laughing, clinging to him. That weird feeling was back. Something was off.
Virat went back to the nets, hoping playing cricket would calm him down.
"What is this? Oh God!" Virat muttered, smashing the ball aggressively.
He again noticed Jaddu hugging Rohit and Rohit laughing, holding him back.
"He didn't even spare a glance at me," Virat thought, smashing the ball again.
"Virat, I think that's enough for today," Mahi called from outside, seeing he wasn't stopping anytime soon.
"Nahi bhai, thodi der aur," Virat replied, smashing another ball.
Mahi shook his head, knowing only Rohit could drag him back.
"Rohit, drag your Virat back, he's not listening to me and has certainly exhausted himself," Mahi said, diverting Rohit's attention from Jaddu and Shikhar.
"Your Virat," Rohit said, not wanting to pay too much attention but liking the way it sounded.
He turned and saw Virat, drenched in sweat, swaying a little but still trying to play.
Before he could reach him, he heard a scream from his side.
"Ahhh!" Virat had stumbled after the ball struck his elbow, the force of it making him lose balance.
"Vii!" Rohit yelled and rushed to him. As he reached out to hold him, Virat pushed him away, shocking him.
"What's wrong with you?" Rohit asked, seeing him like that. Virat didn't answer and walked to the physio.
The physio sprayed medicine and bandaged it. After that, he left. Only Virat and Rohit were left on the field.
"Vi, is it hurting a lot?" Rohit asked softly, seeing Virat sitting silently.
Virat looked at him, and again, that disturbing feeling surfaced. He couldn't understand why he felt discomfort when he saw the pain and concern in Rohit's face.
"Virat, what's wrong? Did you hurt yourself somewhere else?" Rohit asked, thinking maybe Virat had gotten concussed or something.
Virat closed his eyes, resting his head, feeling confused, just like he had earlier.
Rohit sat beside him and held his other hand, and that touch made Virat release a deep sigh.
What is wrong with me? What are these feelings? Virat thought.
______
"Virat, what's wrong with you?" Rohit asked after a while. "Chal, let's go to the room, it's dinner time already"
Virat didn't say anything; he was confused about his own feelings.
He got up but swayed on his feet from overtraining. Immediately, a hand supported him at his waist.
And then there it was again—the safe, different feeling of leaning on Rohit as he helped him back to his room.
"Umm, I should stay in my own room. Neha wouldn't like it," Virat mumbled, trying to stand straight without Rohit's support.
Rohit just pulled him closer, surprising Virat. He took him to his room without listening to anything more.
"Your luggage is in my room. This is our room, and Neha won't visit us on this tour," Rohit said, making Virat sit on the bed.
Virat watched Rohit go into the bathroom to freshen up.
Once Rohit was gone, Virat sighed. Why was he happy that Rohit wouldn't see Neha anymore? But Rohit would still be on calls with her—how did that make such a difference?
"Oh God, what am I thinking?" Virat stopped himself, but all he could think about was Rohit's hand on his waist and when Rohit pulled him closer—"Oh, fuck, stop it!" he cursed himself.
He walked to the side table and gulped down an entire glass of water.
As he was about to take another sip, he saw Rohit coming out of the bathroom in a T-shirt and shorts, drying his hair.
"He's so cute... Wait, where did that come from?" Virat thought, quickly turning away and going straight to the balcony to calm himself.
Rohit didn't notice. He ordered dinner first and then moved toward the balcony.
"Vi, freshen up. Dinner's gonna arrive soon," Rohit said, placing his hand on Virat's shoulder. "Also, do you need help with anything? Your elbow's hurting, right?"
Virat just nodded no, not wanting to think about the underlying meaning of Rohit's question.
He knew Rohit meant it in a friendly way, but his mind was all over the place, thinking of it in other ways. Virat went straight into the bathroom.
"Vi, you okay?" Rohit knocked on the door after half an hour.
Virat was standing in the shower, trying to clear his head. All he could think about was when he saw Rohit with Shikhar and Jaddu.
"Ha, ek minute, ho gaya," Virat said, stepping out of the shower.
"Tu thik hai?" Rohit asked, arranging the dinner, to which Virat nodded.
He started drying his hair but put more pressure on his elbow, causing him to wince in pain.
"Arey, I told you to tell me if you need help," Rohit said, making him sit down and taking the towel from his hands.
"Rohit, I will—"
"Shut up," Rohit said sternly, and Virat fell silent.
Rohit sprayed pain relief on his elbow, and Virat closed his eyes in pain.
After wrapping the bandage properly, Rohit said, "Ek minute, bas ho gaya, Vi. Sorry."
Then Rohit took the towel and started drying his hair. Virat just closed his eyes, unable to handle the feelings building up inside him.
"Why don't you take care of yourself, Vi? I was so worried for you," Rohit said, offering him a bite of food.
"Why are you so close to Jaddu and Shikhar?" Virat suddenly asked, unable to keep it inside anymore.
It was a shock to Rohit. He didn't expect Virat to ask that, especially not so directly. He knew Virat was a bit possessive about their friendship, but this was new.
"They're U19 friends, so naturally, I'm close to them. We've spent so much time together," Rohit said, trying to explain.
"So, they're more important than I am to you?" Virat asked, gritting his teeth.
"Why would you compare like that? You all are my friends," Rohit replied, confused by the sudden tension.
"So, there's no difference between them and me? I'm just like everyone else—just another friend to you, right?"
"Umm, yeah," Rohit answered without thinking, which caused Virat to get up and storm out of the room to the balcony.
Rohit was shocked by his reaction. He didn't understand why Virat was so angry, but he could feel the distance growing.
_________
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