How it all began (A Rohit-Virat Friendship Fanfiction)

Family

The next morning, after Virat returned from breakfast, his phone rang.

It was Ritika.

"Virat, is Rohit with you?" she asked, sounding breathless.

"No," said Virat, frowning. "Why?"

"Could you please check if he's in his room? He hasn't been picking up calls since yesterday," said Ritika anxiously.

"Oh...just a minute, wait." Virat rushed to Rohit's room and found it locked from outside. "He's not here--I'll check the others' rooms once..."

"When did you last see him?"

Now that he came to think of it, he realised he hadn't seen Rohit since the bus journey, and he told Ritika so, who sounded deliberately calm as she said, "I'm coming over to your hotel."

Ritika wasn't even in Manchester then, so Virat told her reassuringly, "Don't worry, Rits, we'll find him in no time. He must be around somewhere. You stay where you are. I'll keep you updated."

"Ok, thanks."

Virat hurried to check all the other rooms. No one had seen Rohit since yesterday.

Jinks, with whom Virat had talked for a long time last night, called him again and said in a worried tone, "I've been calling Rohit since yesterday night, and he's not responding. Is he all right?"

"We don't know where he is," said Virat, starting to panic.

"What?" cried Jinks.

Jaddu snatched the phone from Virat's hand and told Jinks, "We're looking for him, don't worry."

Yuzi looked like he was panicking too.

"Don't look so scared, Yuzi, Virat--you're just worrying unnecessarily," said Jaddu in a very sensible voice. "He could be anywhere around. Go and look for him, everyone."

They all obeyed without a word.

___________

After about half an hour, Virat felt sure that Rohit wasn't in the hotel. He kept calling Rohit every five minutes, but there was no answer.

By now, he was in full blown panic mode, and he left the hotel and went in any random direction, trying to clear his head.

Suddenly his phone rang.

Rohit, it said.

His hand shaking, he picked up the call.

"Virat?"

The familiar voice filled Virat with such relief that he had to sit down on a fence nearby.

"Rohit!"

Virat's voice sounded desperate enough for Rohit to ask anxiously, "What happened?"

"You're asking me what happened? Where the hell are you? Why haven't you been picking up calls?" began Virat.

"It was on silent," explained Rohit, apparently not realising the hue and cry he had caused back at the hotel.

"Don't give me that nonsense! Do you have any idea about how worried we were? You just vanished without a trace, Rohit. Why would you do that?" Virat's relief had given way to fury, and he was positively shouting by now.