Nothing can Change Us (A Virat-Jinks Friendship Fanfiction)

'Stranger'

Jinks kept on feeling that something had changed in the few months he had been away from the team. The World Cup journey--especially the loss in the end--seemed to have created an unnatural bond among the members who had been there (which included all his friends except Ash, and Ash hadn't arrived yet)--and he couldn't fit in.

In the evening, Rohit was sitting looking really morosed.

"What happened to you again?" asked Jinks.

Rohit maintained an injured silence.

What's up with him? Jinks looked at Virat.

He lost his wedding ring again, and Ritika gave him an awful telling off, Virat smirked.

Poor Ro. Jinks was grinning too. So did he finally find it?

No, Shikhar and I have it, and we managed to give him the impression that it has gone off with the garbage vat, said Virat gleefully.

'Shikhar and I' made Jinks feel left out again, but he ignored it.

Seriously, Virat, tell him the truth, scolded Jinks. He's miserable!

Let him be, said Virat heartlessly.

Virat...when-- began Jinks.

"Virat bhai, help me out with this part!"

Kuldeep thrust his phone into Virat's hands.

"You're stuck again," said Virat disapprovingly.

Jinks leaned in and saw an unknown game opened on Kuldeep's phone. "What's this?"

"It's the best game in the world, Jinks bhai!" said Kuldeep enthusiastically. "It's called '2048'. Virat bhai is the champion in it, he reached 9192!! I've only reached 1024, but Rohit bhai, Bhuvi bhai and Jassi are worse, they can't get past 512."

"Kuliya, let him understand the game first!" said Virat in exasperation, and Jinks realised with a start that his immature friend was actually acting like a proper elder brother to Kuldeep.

Shikhar came over and told Kuldeep teasingly, "You're taking Virat's help again--I'm going to tell Yuzi."

"No, don't!" said Kuldeep hastily. "It's just for a few moves. Thanks, Virat bhai." Kuldeep took back his phone.

Jinks looked at Virat questioningly again.

"The kids are running a competition regarding this game," said Virat indulgently.

Virat suddenly seemed so grown up, and Jinks couldn't help feeling that he had missed out on his best friend's growing up process.

After a few hours, Virat no longer seemed grown up, though.

Shikhar had finally returned Rohit his wedding ring.

"You hid it, Shikhar?" said Rohit in such an aghast, betrayed voice that Shikhar said at once, "It was all Virat's fault."

Rohit turned to Virat with a very familiar scowl, but before he could say anything, Bhuvi said quickly, "Remember you two promised you'll never fight again after the semi final dugout fiasco?"

Semi final dugout fiasco? wondered Jinks.

"All right, fine," muttered Rohit, and Virat grinned.

Jinks turned to Virat again, raising an eyebrow.

Long story, said Virat.

Yeah, well, tell me the long story, said Jinks, annoyed.

When Hardik and Rishabh were batting... began Virat.

Jassi came running up to them to tell Virat accusingly, "You helped Kuldeep, Virat bhaiya!"

Under normal circumstances, Jinks knew he would have found it all funny. But it seemed like everytime he was talking with Virat, people would interrupt, and Rohit seemed so indifferent to him, and he only felt like a stranger among his own friends.

Radhika's call came just then and he went out of the room.

Virat waited till he was out of earshot and then told everyone, "We need to send him off somewhere whole day tomorrow so that we can make all the preparations."

"How can we just send him off somewhere?" asked Bhuvi wryly.

"Let's see," said Virat optimistically.