A Hardik Pandya/Shubman Gill Fan Fiction

Confession!

"right - we have to pretend you didn't spend last night here okay? I don't want Maliha to know. Pretend you're here to meet me or something today."

Hardik rolls his eyes at my concern as we walk to my apartment lift, to keep our relationship under cover. We enter the elevator and the doors are just about to shut when 2 kids barge in.

"Aunty aunty! Wait"

"Aunty?! From which angle do I look like an aunty?" I mutter, in response to which Hardik bursts out laughing, attracting the kids attention. Hardik catches them looking at him suspiciously so he quickly puts up his hoodie hood, and clears his throat. He looks around the elevator awkwardly, hoping the kids wouldn't recognise him.

Thankfully they don't and our floor comes.

"I'll go in 1st." I say, making him wait outside the door.

"Hi Maliha." I say.

"Oh... Hi - di! Di! Look it's Hardik ji!!!' She says excitedly, pointing to the door.

Didn't I tell him to wait a minute?

"Hi Hardik." I smile through gritted teeth. "What are you doing here?"

"Umm... I - you forgot this at the wedding so I came to return it - I forgot to give you it yesterday when I came." He hands me a bracelet. I look at in surprise, a gentle smile drawing on my lips.

Maliha freezes with a broom in her hand and smiles in awe at Hardik, her mouth dropping again as he sees him handing me a bracelet which isn't mine - perhaps Hardik bought it or me as a gift. I see him wink at my expressions.

"Er, Maliha, Hardik will be having lunch with us today." I say, she nods slowly and wakes her way to the kitchen.

§

Ater an hour we all sit on the dining table and dig into my avourite - Aloo ke parathe and yoghurt, but Hardik was having his healthy chicken soup as he was on a diet.

"Hello ji." Maliha greets the person. As I get up to see who it is, I choke on my food and almost vomit.

"MUM!!!!!!" I squeal in shock. Oh my god - that's it - when she sees a boy at our house I'm dead. Hardik gets up too and goes up to my mum.

"HI aunty." He says, trying to act all sanskari. She looks at him, then at me, then back at him in utter confusion and shock. An uncomotable pin drop silence surrounds us.

"Mum - he... I -" I begin as she walks over to me slowly. I know I'm getting slapped. I bet a hundred dollars I'm getting whooped by her, however to my surprise she leans in to me and whispers:

"Beta, what is Hardik Pandya doing at our house? It is him right - or am I dreaming?!" Her voice is excitedly squeaky as she looks at him like he's an alien from Mars. I nod with a smile.

"Aunty, sorry I didn't introduce mysel - I'm H..."

"Yes yes! We know! Oh my God!" She cups her ace with her hands and goes up to him, her eyeballs about to all out. She places a hand on his cheek and runs her eyes over his face.

Hardik's anxiety transorms into a sigh and smile of relief as she didn't get angry like we expected. He lets her stroke his hair.

"Beta... what are you doing here?"

"Aunty voh - Amara forgot that in rajasthan so I came to return that..." He says, pointing to the bracelet on my hand. I sense that he feels guilty lying about it. "My family is also not in India so I thought it's a good chance."

"So there's no one to cook for you at home??!" My mum asks, almost as if he's some God; although he's pretty close to it!

"Err..." He shrugs. "No?"

"Darling... just wait - let me make you something to eat, with my own hands." She says. "I'm a huge fan of cricket - how amazing you are. My husband and I-" She trails off.

Hardik holds her hands and gives them a little squeeze. "Aunty aunty aunty - please don't take the trouble, I'm on a little diet." He laughs. "I'm going to practice."

"Wait! Let me pack some parathas or you. Please - I would love it if you have some more."

Hardik couldn't disagree so let her give him a huge bag full of food that looked like it would last him a week.

"Amara you didn't tell me you were friends with Hardik beta!" My mum looks at me.

"Um.. I-"

"Yeah, Amara? Why didn't you? I could have come here more often to eat aunty's parathas!" Hardik jokes, making my mum burst out in laughter.

"Beta please keep coming here. We would love it." My mum says warmly with a huge gleam.

"Of course." Hardik winks and we drop him o to his car.

'Such a nice family.' He says to himself with a smile as he drives off, waving at us through the window.

§

"Such a sweet boy." My mum says to herself. "I thought he was one of those spoilt and silly little boys with those tattoos and hair but I was so wrong." She smiles.

I smile. Thank God she likes him.

"Vaise Amara, uske haath mein bracelet kaisi ayi?" She asks me curiously. I feel my breath stopping; I hated lying to her.

I walk over to her. "Mum? If I tell you something will you be mad at me?" I ask timidly.

"Nahi toh - tell me."

That's it. I would tell her.

"Mum - Hardik and me aren't just friends." I start. She looks at me in shock.

"But we're.... special friends..." I continue. Oh God how awkward! What was I blabbing on about??

"Of course you are, he's a cricketer - he's bound to be special." My mum says, going back to reading her novel.

"No no... you don't understand. I mean that kind of special."

"Main kuch samjhi nahi..." My mum looks at me confused.

'Mum! Like you and dad special-"

what. the. hell.

To my surprise she breaks into a smile. "What did you think, I was stupid? Couldn't I see the love or him on your face?" She laughs.

Wait - is this actually happening.