Hardik Pandya Imagines✔

Crushes

"She's just around me too much. Like I get it but I need my space sometimes."

Those were the words that broke me as I overheard Hardik discussing me with his teammates while I stood around the corner hidden from view. I hadn't realized I had been overbearing or suffocating. I hadn't even realized Hardik was bothered by me but I guess it made sense.

I had just recently admitted my feelings for Hardik in the corner of a room at a loud party I had been invited to by a mutual friend of ours. Wasn't the best place to do such and his reaction wasn't all that soothing. All he did was give me a small smile before being tugged away by a friend to join the playful banter going on in another section of the room.

He hadn't mentioned it since and neither had I. I just continued on as my normal self, sending him messages and calls without bringing up the fact that I had admitted my liking for him just days prior.

Now I was beginning to realize why it was never a focus of conversation since. He didn't like me.

I was currently still stuck in my place in the empty hall until I was startled by Krunal rounding the corner and nearly bumping into me.

"What are you doing?" He asked and that was when his features softened, putting two and two together. "You heard him..." His words trailed off. I didn't offer any verbal response, just decided to avoid his sympathetic gaze.

"He didn't mean it like that." But I wasn't trying to accept his pacifying statements. I shook my head to motion him to stop.

"Don't worry about it, K. I-I'm just going to head out," I stuttered.

I didn't know how I was going to escape past a living room of a bunch of friends, huddled together over conversation and food, but I couldn't stand to sit there in the same room as Hardik and act as if everything was normal.

I stepped around him before he could protest and began heading for my bag on the sofa next to my best friend. I grabbed it and she looked up towards me, breaking away from the laughs she was having with everyone else before my appearance.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not feeling well," I lied. Maybe I would tell her about the conversation later. Well, not maybe. I would definitely talk to her about it soon enough but Purnima was the type to try to pacify me with encouraging statements even when encouragement was the last thing I needed.

"You want me to walk you to your car?" Mayur butted in as he heard me complain of not feeling well but I quickly rejected the offer, not wanting any company just incase I broke down in tears on my way to the car.

That feeling rose in my throat more as I saw Hardik re-emerge from the other area of the house he had been standing with a few of his teammates while he talked about me.

I purposely avoided his gaze and put my bag over my shoulder before saying my goodbyes, insisting I was fine to leave. Thankfully, they all let me go.

-

I made sure to avoid anything involving Hardik for the next few days. I didn't text him like I normally did, didn't even mention him to my friends who knew my feelings for him. Whenever they mentioned him I just simply avoided the conversation which was hard considering that the IPL was going on and he often made headlines for being the match winner for Mumbai Indians or for something else cricketwise . He was the hot topic everywhere even in my college canteen. 

And for the first week, Hardik 's name didn't pop up in my inbox but when I awoke this morning there was a notification from him. A message.

"Hey."

I rolled my eyes once I read the message and exited out of it, not bothering to respond to it. He found me clingy and annoying. I wasn't going to encourage his thoughts any longer.

So I let the message sit for a few hours until my phone vibrated again with another text message.

"I know you saw my message. Your read receipts are on. Are you busy?"

And again, I ignored it. I didn't care that he knew I was purposely ignoring him. In fact, I wanted him to know. I wanted him to feel as stupid as I felt then .

But Hardik was persistent and when my phone rang again and I heard my familiar ringtone, I knew it was him. I once again ignored it all and his call ended with a voicemail message.

"Krunal told me everything. Look, I know you're pissed at me but just please answer my call so we can talk. I don't like this feeling of you being mad at m-"

I didn't bother to listen to the rest of the message. I didn't care to hear his apologies. To be honest, if I could, I wouldn't have minded forgetting all about Hardik. I felt painfully stupid for thinking there was even a slight chance the feelings I had for him were reciprocated. I felt even worse for not realizing this before I stupidly spilled my guts to him. Like what was I thinking? He's a professional cricketer  who had represented India and will continue to do so. He is not for commoners like myself.

The sound of someone's knock at my door broke me out of my thoughts. I frowned to myself, wondering who could possibly be coming to visit me unexpectedly.

Of course when I got to the door it was Hardik

"What are you doing here?"

He didn't bother to answer my question but instead he just pushed past me and into the room, beginning to talk without my approval first.

"I'm sorry. I really am. And yes, I'm aware I'm an idiot for saying those things about you. I get why you're upset but just hear me out."

He now turned to me, waiting for my response. I simply crossed my arms over my chest and remained mum as my way of telling him he could continue on and so he did.

"I didn't realize how much I actually enjoyed your early morning texts and you wishing me good luck on my games and my performance but I really do miss them now that you don't send me those little messages."

"But you were tired of me, remember?"

Hardik huffed a deep and defeated sigh. "I'm aware of what I said and I won't say I didn't mean it at the time because I did. That's how I felt but now...I don't know. It's weird without you."

All I could do was chuckle in response. It seemed he was trying to find every way to make it seem as if he had done no harm but he did. "Whatever." I rolled my eyes, my body language definitely showing I was being standoff-ish but Hardik wasn't backing down.

"Do you miss me?" He questioned. My eyes immediately narrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Do you miss me?"

I didn't know exactly what to say so I stumbled through my answer. "Well I..."

"Simple question. Simple answer," he interrupted. He walked closer to me, his brown eyes staring down into mine as I struggled to verbalize my feelings. Yes, it was obvious I did miss him but I felt saying yes would play into his advantage.

"I don't know," I responded.

"So you didn't?" His eyebrow rose and he continued to deepen our eye contact, causing me to stammer my words again. "I did. I mean...no," I corrected, already realizing it was far too late to deny anything.

A smile began to spread his features. "So you did."

I simply huffed in response, beginning to walk away but Hardik quickly pulled me back towards him. "I missed you too."