Rohit felt his shirt getting a bit wet, which meant Virat was shedding tears. He softly caressed his hair and said softly, "Shh, don't cry, Vi."
Virat pulled away from the hug when he heard "Vi" from Rohit. "You called me 'Vi'?" he asked, wiping away his tears.
"It's nice, right? Virat sounds so long and formal-'Vi' is what I'll call you," Rohit said with a smile on his face. It was as if the smile had stuck on his face there because of Virat's hug.
"I- sorry, I don't know how," Virat said, fidgeting with his fingers, still unsure about the hug.
Rohit sighed at that. "Vi, it's fine, I didn't mind. In fact, you know your hug is so comforting? I felt such a peaceful feeling," he said softly.
Virat was surprised by that, but he couldn't forget how people had pushed him away when he had hugged them in the past. He folded his arms across his chest and rubbed them, feeling anxious.
Rohit noticed this and stepped closer. He gently stopped Virat from rubbing his arms, as it seemed to be causing him pain. Placing his hands on Virat's arms, he softly caressed them, easing away the tense, anxious touch of Virat himself.
"Try not to be so harsh on yourself," Rohit said softly, continuing to caress his arms. Virat couldn't even look at Rohit - first, because he felt embarrassed by his own actions, and then because the soft, gentle touch from Rohit made him feel an unexpected warmth.
Rohit noticed that Virat was feeling a little, or maybe even more, nervous about everything that had just happened. He gently said, "Let's get inside."
They moved inside, and Rohit closed the door as it had become very cold. As he was about to close the windows, he heard Virat's request, "Please keep one window open."
Rohit did as Virat asked, knowing there must be a reason behind it.
Rohit helped Virat prepare dinner, with Virat giving him instructions. Every now and then, their hands and shoulders brushed softly, and each touch affected Rohit more than he'd expected.
Virat tried to avoid it as much as possible, feeling overwhelmed by how suddenly everything was happening. He wasn't sure how to process it all.
Rohit was a bit confused about what he was feeling, as he kept replaying Virat's hug in his mind over and over. In the end, he decided to focus on helping him and put his thoughts aside.
They had dinner in silence. Once they were done, Rohit applied cream to the areas that were still a bit dark on Virat's hand. It seemed a little better than yesterday.
Rohit freshened up and saw Virat grabbing the blanket and heading towards the living room. He felt a wave of sadness again, as Virat hadn't shared the room with him. A lone tear slipped down his cheek. He didn't know why it affected him so much, but it did.
Virat freshened up and noticed Rohit lying on his bed, his back turned to him. Quietly, he walked into the living room and lay down on the couch without saying a word to Rohit.
Virat soon dozed off, feeling completely exhausted. The weight of the emotions he had experienced had taken a toll on him.
"Virat beta, please understand, you have to go to your Mama and Mami. I'm sorry, it's too difficult here at the moment, bacha," said Virat's mom, cupping his cheeks.
Virat gently removed her hands from his cheeks. "No, Ma, they're not even our real Mama and Mami, and she doesn't like me. I'll leave cricket, but please don't send me away from you-please, Ma," Virat pleaded.
But Virat's mom was firm due to the circumstances. She didn't listen to his pleadings and allowed his Mama and Mami to take him with them the next day.
He kept screaming for her, for his siblings-- "Ma please meko dur mat karo, bhaiya, di please don't send me away, please Ma", but they didn't do anything-- just stood there, watching him go.
They were helpless and couldn't do anything. Their house was on the verge of being seized by the bank, and it would take some time for them to stabilize. She couldn't make Virat go through this. Above all, she wanted his cricket career to progress smoothly, just as his father had hoped.
"Ma, please, Ma-I'll be a good boy, please don't make me go," Virat pleaded, but his Mama just dragged him to the car.
"Papa!" he screamed, longing for his father, but he was just taken away from his family.
Rohit, who was sleeping in his room, was startled by a painful scream. He rushed to the living room to find Virat thrashing and crying in his sleep, calling out, screaming for his father.
Rohit knew that Virat had lost his father when he was just 13, but he never found the courage to speak to him about it. Zak Pa had once told him how deeply Virat missed his father.
Rohit moved towards him, slowly kneeling down beside the couch. He gently caressed Virat's forehead in an attempt to calm him down.
"Vi, it's just a dream-calm down," he said softly.
Virat was breathing heavily, and it was really scary for Rohit to see. Still, he tried to keep his composure, knowing that Virat needed him now more than ever.
"Please, Vi, wake up," Rohit whispered, gently caressing his forehead and shaking him a little.
After five minutes of thrashing and struggling to breathe, Virat woke up, gasping for air. Rohit stayed close by on the couch, knowing he needed to be there for him.
"He's not there, he's not here," Virat murmured, looking around, his eyes wide with confusion. His father was nowhere to be found.
Rohit gently took his hand, trying to calm him down. "They just stood there, they let them take me- pushed me away," Virat murmured again, his voice filled with pain.
"Vi, Virat-you're here with me, no one is taking you away," Rohit said firmly, trying to bring him back to the present, away from the nightmare. He repeated it for five minutes, knowing that if he yelled Virat's name, he would snap back to reality. But for some reason, Rohit didn't want to do that to him.
So, he decided he would do it, even if it took the whole night. But he would do it gently, making sure Virat felt safe and comforted.
"Rohit," he heard Virat whisper, and finally, after half an hour, Virat registered his voice.
"Yes, Vi, I'm here with you-no one is taking you away. No one will ever take you away from me, I promise," Rohit said. He didn't know why he said it, but it felt right in that moment.
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