Shadows Of The Stumps

Chapter - 119

After a while, Athiya had fallen asleep beside an unconscious Rahul, holding onto his hand as if to keep him tethered to the world. The room was quiet, save for the soft breathing sounds. In the next room, Virat, Harry, Shubman, Jadeja, Jasprit, Rishabh, Anushka, and Sanjana were gathered, Rohit was patting a disheveled Hardik on the back, who, although a little appeased after his conversation with Athiya, still looked disturbed.

Virat stood against the window, gazing out at the bustling city below, lost in thought. The weight of recent events hung heavily in the air. Jadeja walked up beside him, breaking the silence. "There's nothing you could have done about it, Veere," he said, trying to offer some comfort.

Virat sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, but we could have just stopped things from spiraling down so much, probably."

Anushka, who had been quietly observing, turned to both Virat and Rohit. "None of you could do anything about it. These two are grown-ups, not kids," she reminded them, her tone firm yet understanding.

Jadeja seconded her, glancing over at Harry, who was lying in Rohit's lap now. He said, "Tu bhi gadha thayi gayo che,"You've really become a fool, haven't you? You could have talked to any of us."

Harry looked up, a hint of defensiveness in his eyes. "I did talk to Jas," he replied, his voice a mix of frustration and sincerity.

Sanjana, sitting beside Jasprit, shot up. "Yeah, he's the greatest bowler, but he's actually the stupidest at times."

Jasprit shot back, "Hey, what did I do?"

Rohit raised his eyebrows at Anushka. "See, sis? And you think they're not kids?"

In the midst of the commotion, Shubman looked up, his brow furrowed. "Guys, where is Meera di? I mean, she should be here considering Rahul bhai is in this state, but she's not."

This got everyone thinking. Jasprit spoke up, "Actually, I left her in the room. She had a light sprain, so I thought it was best for her to rest."

Virat nodded, his expression serious. "Well, we should tell her about all this." He then looked at Hardik and Jasprit. "I assume Meera knows nothing about Harry's feelings for her, right?"

Rohit added, "Yeah, we can't afford to complicate things with her right now."

As they both finished, Harry shook his head in denial, while Jasprit cleared his throat nervously. Rishabh stammered, "Actually, bhaiya..."

The others looked at the two, while Harry shot them a questioning look. Rishabh gulped in fear, while Jasprit looked like he wanted to disappear.

Rohit used his stern captain tone. "What's wrong, guys?"

Virat urged, "Speak up, guys."

Rishabh, in one breath, blurted out, "Meera knows about all this. Woh, mai aur Jassi bhai baat kar rahe the iss baare mein when we were playing football today. Unhone sunn liya tha. She later asked about it to Jassi bhai. Unko shaq hogaya tha shayad, and unke puchne pe Jassi bhai agreed. Aur ye sab mujhe bhi nahi pata tha. Abhi Rahul bhai ko dekhne aaya tab bataya inhone."

The room fell silent as the weight of Rishabh's words sank in. Harry's expression shifted from confusion to concern. "What do you mean she knows? How much does she know?"

Virat immediately pressed, "Why didn't you tell us if you knew that she knows?"

Jasprit, looking a bit meek, replied, "I'm sorry, Harry. She had overheard us, and Virat bhai, you know how pissed Rahul was, right? I wasn't sure how he would react to it."

Rohit spoke up, trying to find a silver lining. "At least it's all in the open now."

Jadeja looked at Shubman. "Go get Meera. Bring her here."