Virat felt a tingling sensation at his waist and then his stomach.
He snuggled closer to Rohit, hiding his face against his chest, wanting to sleep a little longer. But there it was again. He opened his eyes and saw Rohit teasingly smiling at him.
"What are you doing?" Virat asked, already knowing it was Rohit's touch.
"Waking you up," Rohit replied, tracing patterns on his stomach. "It's afternoon, and I'm hungry."
"And this is how you wake up someone?" Virat raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Not like you're not enjoying it," Rohit teased, caressing his cheek.
"Who says I'm not enjoying it?" Virat shot back, a playful smile on his face. "Keep doing it, and I'll make lunch."
"Make lunch, I'll keep you company in the kitchen," Rohit said, dragging him downstairs.
Rohit back-hugged him, and Virat laughed. "How am I supposed to prepare food with you doing that?"
"I don't know, you're the one enjoying it!" Rohit grinned mischievously.
"Shut up and go to the living room," Virat pushed him playfully.
Virat's eyes shot open as he suddenly woke up with a jolt, realizing it was all just a dream.
"What?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes as he noticed Rohit looking at him.
"You were breathing heavily," Rohit said, his voice laced with concern. He had woken up to Virat shaking on the couch, breathing erratically.
"Sorry for waking you up," Virat mumbled, his mind still tangled in the dream. It felt so real. It had been his reality once.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Rohit asked, sitting beside him.
Virat shifted uncomfortably and quickly got up.
"Virat?" Rohit called, hurt by the sudden distance.
"Go to sleep, Rohit," Virat said curtly, walking towards the balcony to get some space.
Rohit sighed, watching him leave. He knew this was how things were going to be from now on.
Rohit started receiving the silent treatment from Virat. He was talking to everyone else but not Rohit. It was irritating Rohit a lot.
On top of that, Virat was extremely close to Aman, which was getting on Rohit's nerves. He knew Aman was Virat's manager and friend, but that didn't mean he should be that close.
_
It was the first test match against England. Rohit was not playing, so he was in the dugout watching Virat play. They had lost the match, and Virat's performance was horrible.
Rohit felt so bad for him. He wanted to comfort Virat, tell him it was okay, but Virat wouldn't even spare him a glance. This happened in the second and third matches too—Virat had become distant, shutting himself off from everyone, especially Rohit.
Rohit made sure that he would talk to Virat once they were in their room. Rohit freshened up quickly and waited on the balcony for Virat to arrive. It was late, and Virat still hadn't arrived.
He heard the lock of the door, but it didn't open right away. Rohit went and opened the door, holding Virat immediately in his arms as he was about to fall. He took him inside and closed the door.
"Vi?" Rohit called. "Are you drunk?" he asked, sensing the smell.
"Why do you care?" asked Virat, pulling away from Rohit's hold.
