Sandcastles | A Virat Kohli Fanfiction

15 • the epiphany

Virat's POV

The evening before the final match, I was summoned to a short press conference. All through the last few days I'd been feeling uplifted. A kind of lightness pulled me over the horizon of self-belief.

I unknowingly began to cherish every breath I took - a habit of gratitude I likely acquired from Kavya.

I answered every question I was asked by the reporters - even those cleverly constructed controversial questions!

Words were with me like never before. And for quite some time, I was myself amazed by what I spoke.

"The end result is something that can make someone too happy or too nervous but that's what you have to stay away from. You have to stay in the moment, stay in the process. Eventually, things take care of themselves.

At the end of the game, whether we win or lose, we understand that this is the only game we have as a team this season and we would like to enjoy that together because the journey has been wonderful so far.

We need to understand that tomorrow is not going to be paused forever. Whatever happens, there has to be another day, there has to be a new day after that.
Whether you win or whether you lose, that will not stay. Just to stay away from that. Be attached yet be detached, it's a classic example of that saying where you want to win, but at the same time you are not so attached to it that you are cursing yourself or being too hard on yourself.
At the same time, if you win, you must enjoy with your team-mates, you must enjoy the occasion but understand that that's not the end of everything.

The juggernaut doesn't stop rolling there, you still have to keep working hard in any of the games you play afterwards. I think that sort of mindset where you can be probably very measured in terms of approaching a loss or a victory helps you stay in the right focus."

Having presented the most I could as a leader and sportsman, I returned to the hotel.

It rained nonstop for the rest of the night. The black clouds stretched over the sky, hiding the full moon while it fought to keep shining. In a way, it seemed an ominous sight to behold, with its own bravery bordering as it floated through my vision.

However, it didn't lowered my mood even a bit, like it does every other time. I was in my highest spirits - as swift as a humming bird in a garden. Nothing around or within could bring me down anymore. I was happy enough to not care about the melancholic weather, except wishing for the sky to shut up during the match at least.

Not only had I responded sharply to the media's questions but also had found answers to those rocky questions life had thrown at me.

The answer was simple - I was in love. It was so easy and fast to love her; and yet so difficult and slow to realise it.

Sipping some drink from my cup, I thought how the once intricate strings of life had now been suddenly untangled in the most beautiful way.

Each moment brought with it an echo of her memories. As if it had been ages since we last met. Maybe that was why I didn't notice what I was drinking and what it tasted like.

I made up my mind to confess this to her as soon as the tournament ends. I would go to Goa, take her to the same beach she took me to and admit every letter of what I feel. FINALLY I WOULD!

The rain stopped and left behind the breeze elevating my fancies.

Was that how love truly feels like? Does it sweep you off the floor weightlessly, like butterflies swirling in heaven? It felt as though this love could read me like a poem - I had my flaws, but its recitation made them look rather beautiful. As if the flaws were what made us eligible for living a perfect life.