Clean Bowled

Chapter 52

*Viraj*

I run faster as the music blasts loudly in my ears. Believer by imagine dragons is playing. My legs start paining from all the exertion. I can feel my heart thumping loudly in my chest. Faster.

Finally I stop the treadmill and take long breathes. I look at the clock. 5.30 am. Ek ghante me meri flight hai. To Goa.

To. Fucking. Goa.

Aur ye sab uss idiot Rudra ke wajah se. Shaadi kar raha hai saala.

A few months back, I was on Instagram scrolling through my feed as I was on my way home in my car. Waise mere paas time nahi hota ye sab ke liye but I had nothing to do.

With more than 5 million followers, the constant pings get irritating.

There was a message on Instagram and I usually ignored them because I get thousands of them in a day but the username caught my attention.

Rudra_Rajput.

What the..

*Viraj??*

*Bhai I know to online hai. I saw you liked some pictures a few seconds ago*

Saala stalker.

I look at the messages appearing on my screen and contemplate whether to open them. It's been more than 4 years I left that place. Left those people. Almost 5 years.

*Bhai shaadi kar raha hu*

I see the next message and that's it. I open it.

Shaadi? Shaadi! Abhi toh bass 23 ke hai hum.

What the fuck should I say? Kya karu? Kya likhu? Damn!

*Kisse?* I ask, although I know the answer.

Pari.

*Shit! Tu reply diya. Pari se kar raha hu shaadi obviously* comes his reply.

I smile. I miss him. He was like a brother to me. He was, scratch that, is my brother.

I suddenly feel really really bad for what I did to them. My friends.

Ek faaltu ladki ke liye sab ko abandon kar diya mai.

*Bhai kaha gayab ho gaya? Please ab gayab mat hona. Apna pact tujhe yaad hai na? Tu promise kiya tha* he messages again when I don't reply, and suddenly I remember.

Once when we were in the 5th or 6th grade I saw Rudra's eyes fixed on something. Or should I say somebody.

He was staring at Pari. Like always.

I always felt it stupid. Idiotic. Pyaar agar itna pagal banaa deta hai toh pyaar karna hi nahi, I had thought.

"One day I'll marry her" he had said out of the blue and I had smacked him on the head.

"She doesn't even talk to you. Uske bade bhai kitne khatarnak hai pata hai na" I had replied.

"Jo bhi ho. Ek din mai usse shaadi karunga. Aur sabse pehla invitation tujhe de raha hu. Promise kar tu aayega".

"Kya bol raha hai tu kuch bhi" I had rolled my eyes.

"Chal ek pact banate hai. Apan ek dusre ke bina shadi hi nahi karenge. Tu mera bhai hai. Tu rehna hi chahiye. Aur tere shaadi me mai. Pakka promise" he said spitting on his hand to shake it. I rolled by eyes but did the same.

And there a promise was made. A brother's promise.

I decided to call him after that message. I still had his number. Hopefully he hadn't changed it.