A Hardik Pandya/Shubman Gill Fan Fiction

The first meeting...

After the tediously long and tiring car journey, Amara and Shefali have reached Rambhagh palace hotel, where they will spend the next week amongst the hundred or so guests attending Tara and Veer's marriage.

"Woah." Amara whispers to herself as she is astounded by the palace's exterior which stands tall in front of her. Her neck aches from trying to see the top of the vast pillars drilling into the ground.

"My friend had a birthday vacation here once, it was okayyy, like a 6/10. I wish it was at Umaid Bhawan. It's bigger than this palace." Shefali sighs.

Amara shakes her head. She had personally never even seen something like this before, let alone stay at a palace full of grandeur for a week, so she couldn't relate to her rich friends' lives.

She and Shefali are just about to enter the doors when they see 3 red Ferrari's entering the drop off point, surrounded by 3 range rovers either side of the cars.

The girls stop in their tracks. While Amara is quite clueless, almost starting to think whether the prime minister had come too, she sees a group of young men getting out the cars, with the paparazzi running around them clicking pictures.

"Is that - Virat Kohli??" Amara says. "Wait is that the cricket team?"

"OH MY GOD!!!!!" Shefali completely ignores her and runs (or at least tries to in her Jimmy Choo heels) up to a young man, of around 25 whom she hugs tightly. Amara gets her answer. Yes. It's the cricket team. She feels a slight excitement upon seeing Virat and Anushka, because they're the only people she knows. The others seem grand too.

"Hardik!!!" Shefali squeals as Hardik breaks the awkwardly long hug as she plays with a strand of her hair.

The man looks rather taken aback, but still has a smirk on his face.

"So we meet again?" He says to Shefali, trying to walk to the entrance of the door with Shefali following beside him like a clingy puppy.

Amara is waiting at the entrance, watching this rather frantic sight.

Hardik is the first out of the team to reach the entrance as he is hurriedly trying to go in and get rid of Shefali following him, however he stops in his tracks at a stunning sight.

Hardik spots Amara waiting at a corner with her head turned to the side to take in the commotion that had come with the cricketers, her beautiful light brown hair fluttering gently in the monsoon weather.

He slows down his hasty walk, seeming to completely block out what Shefali is blabbering to him while he watches Amara, blinking softly.

Before Amara turns back to see them Hardik takes his eyes off her, but stops and waits where he is.

This time, Amara sees this young guy, with a giant golden locket around his neck, with a weird haircut and baggy Gucci hoodie.

Amara simply watches Hardik run one hand through his hair as he also instructs the chauffeur to put his luggage on the trolley.

She can't help but look at him, not in awe but rather the opposite. She is disgusted by this frivolous golden chain that bounces up and down as this man walks. And what are those awful white and black trousers? They don't even fit properly.

While she stood with her arms crossed over her perfectly fitting light yellow kurti, she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear which Hardik notices.

"Oh and - that's my best friend. Over there." Amara hears Shefali say.

Hardik seems to be more interested now than before in talking to Shefali, and responds curiously.

"Ah, I haven't met her before. Intro toh kara doh" he smiles.

Shefali grabs hold of Hardik's hand as she drags him to Amara.

"Bhai, girlfriend already milgayi?" Jasprit smiles as he whispers into Hardik's ears before going into the palace.

"Chup kar yaar" Hardik brushes him off playfully.

"Amara! Meet my b... friend Hardik. By the way he is the cricketer."

Amara now sees Hardik up close, however she only sees herself in the reflection of his orange tinted sunglasses.

He takes his sunglasses off as he squints his eyes at Amara who's still standing with crossed arms and a frown, like he's in surprise.

"How do you not know how I am?" He asks in his deeper than expected voice.

Amara shoots a look at him. "Why, are you a president?"

Hardik's mouth is left slightly opens as he lets out a single laugh.

"Your friend is pretty sharp eh?" He nudges Shefali.

"But... nice to meet you Miss..?" He expects an answer, as he offers a handshake.

Amara moves her eyes from his face to his hand, then twirls on her back foot, leaving him hanging with her rejection.

"Okay then!" Hardik bites his lower lip and puts his hands into his trouser pockets, smiling.

"Oof... savage much!!!" Bhuvi teases.

Shefali becomes tense. "Err.. Hardik don't mind her, she's not usually like this." Shefali runs to catch up with Amara.

"Pehle hi din rejection!!!" Bhuvi, Virat MS and Rohit all laugh, while Shikhar whistles a teasing tune.

"Chal... lets go in". The boys enter.

They all leave him still standing outside the palace as it thunders and rains.

Hardik smiles as the water falls onto his face.