Accidentally yours

Chapter 44

|Writer's POV|

After one year...

"Another one!" Virat demanded, banging the empty shot glass on the counter.

It was 1 a.m., and the bar was nearly empty. But none of that mattered to him; all he wanted was to drink until he couldn't feel anymore.

It had been a year without her. A year without seeing her beautiful face. He wondered if she still smiled the way she used to. Did she still get cranky when her kitchen wasn't clean? Did she still love him and miss him as much as he missed her? He didn't know where she was, how she was doing, and most importantly, if she was okay without him.

These thoughts tormented him, driving him to become a drunken insomniac on the brink of losing his career.

No one had ever imagined Virat like this. His health had deteriorated drastically, prompting BCCI to issue him a final warning: perform well in tomorrow's match or risk the end of his career.

But did he care? Not at all.

At a time when he should have been resting for the match, he was at the bar, downing vodka shots relentlessly.

Hardik hadn't told him anything about her. Every time he saw Virat's condition, he wanted to reveal where she was, but something held him back. Tonight, however, he decided to change that. He knew Virat was drowning himself in alcohol. Every day brought new media reports condemning him, which deeply concerned his family members. It had been so long since Virat had even visited his home; he avoided it because he knew his mother would break down seeing him like this. But when you're Virat Kohli, news like this spreads to every corner of the world.

"Sir, the bar is closing now. I think you should leave, sir," the bartender nervously suggested.

Virat's eyes were bloodshot. He wasn't even capable of standing up from his seat, and even if he could, he knew he would fall.

"I am Virat Kohli! Don't you dare tell me when to leave! Just give me the damn shot!" He slammed his fist on the table, giving the bartender a deadly glare.

The bartender hesitated. Who would dare go against an enraged Virat?

Hardik knew exactly where Virat would be, as it had become a nightly routine for him to come and drown his sorrows in alcohol. Knowing that no one else could handle Virat in this state, Hardik rushed to the bar.

"Virat! Again?" He snatched the shot glass from his hand and dragged him outside into the open air.

"Don't s-stop me! Pandya! Let me drink!" Virat slumped onto the grass, gazing up at the sky.

Hardik sat down beside him.

"I miss her! I fucking miss her, Hardik! It's been a year, and I haven't seen her, but I still remember how wide her smile would get, how flushed she would become when I complimented her. Ahhh! I miss every inch of her. I have no reason to live. There's no escape; all I can do is drink until I die," he continued to murmur, as he did every night, pouring out his heart while looking at the sky.

"What should I do? I'm finished!" He blurted out, not to tell Hardik but because in his current state, it all spilled out.

Hardik's patience was wearing thin. He knew he was partly to blame for Virat's condition.