Shadows Of The Stumps

Chapter - 98

The sun streamed into Rohit’s room, casting a golden glow over the gathering. The team was sprawled across the space, lively chaos reigning supreme. Rishabh and Shubman were at the center of it, running around and turning Rohit’s once-tidy room into a complete mess. Cushions were strewn about, the coffee table was barely upright, and Shubman had somehow managed to trap Rishabh under a blanket while shouting, “Caught you, Rish!”

Meanwhile, Rohit sat helplessly on the couch, shaking his head. “I swear, these two were never this bad when they joined the team. They’ve regressed!”

Jasprit, leaning against the wall, smirked. “Good luck handling them. I gave up five minutes ago.”

Rahul tried to intervene, but he was no match for the sheer energy of Rishabh and Shubman. “Guys, stop it! This is Rohit’s room, not a playground!” But his scolding only earned him a cheeky grin from Rishabh.

“Lighten up, Rahul bhai!” Rishabh called, dodging a cushion Shubman hurled at him.

Amidst the mayhem, Virat sat cross-legged on the floor with Vamika, completely unfazed. She animatedly narrated a story about the adventures she had with Meera at the water park. “And then, Meera Bua went down the biggest slide ever! She wasn’t even scared!”

Virat listened intently, nodding along. “Of course, she wasn’t scared. Meera's the bravest, isn’t she?”

“Exactly!” Vamika exclaimed, her hands gesturing wildly as she continued her tale.

On the other side of the room, Arjun sat cross-legged with Akaay and Angad crawling over him. Despite his exhaustion from the day’s security briefings, he couldn’t help but laugh as the toddlers tried to climb onto his shoulders.

Finally, Anushka and Sanjana arrived with a breakfast trolley, “Alright, everyone,” Anushka announced, “time to eat! Rishabh, Shubman, if you don’t behave, you’re getting nothing!”

The two instantly froze, dropping their cushion arsenal and sheepishly finding seats. Rohit exhaled dramatically. “Finally, some peace. Thank you, Anushka.”

Sanjana laughed as she began handing out plates. “You guys really are a bunch of overgrown kids.”

As the group settled down, the noise finally mellowed into light chatter. Rahul, taking a sip of his coffee, glanced around and asked, “Hey, Arjun, where’s Meera?”

Arjun leaned back,“She’s out on a jog. She’ll be back in a while.”

Rahul nodded. “Good. Oh, by the way, Harry is joining us for the tour. Meera’s going to be glad to see her ‘irritating best friend’ back.”

Arjun smirked. “I’m not sure if she’ll be glad or annoyed. It depends on how much Harry’s been pestering her lately.”

Rohit chuckled. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t add to the chaos in my room when he arrives.”

The door creaked open, and Meera stepped in, her cheeks flushed from the jog and her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. She paused, surveying the scene.

“Who’s coming?” she asked, pulling her earbuds out.

Virat, still engrossed in Vamika’s storytelling, glanced up and replied, “Harry.”

Meera’s eyes widened briefly before she rolled them with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. “Who called that idiot?”

Without missing a beat, Arjun grinned. “Your anna, of course.”

She turned to Rahul, her face caught somewhere between disbelief and fondness. “Really, anna?”

Rahul raised his hands defensively, smirking. “What? He’s free, and it’s been ages since we’ve seen him. Besides, I thought you’d be happy.”