Can Never Stop Looking out for You (A HulRat fanfiction)

'Same'

Rahul had his treat that evening from his captain in Sydney's best restaurant voted by Virat.

When they returned, a group from their team besieged them and threw a volley of questions at Virat, all pertaining to where they had been and why he had not informed them.

"You're really the limit," Shikhar told him.

"I'd just taken Rahul around Sydney," defended Virat. "We weren't gone more than a couple of hours."

"A couple of hours is a lot when you haven't taken your phone," said Ash severely.

"Anyway," said Rohit. "We're going for a walk, c'mon, Vi, Rahul."

"Uh—" Virat hesitated.

"Come with us, Virat," said Bhuvi. "Please. The whole team's going."

"I'm really not in the mood," said Virat, backing away. "Some other time, Bhuvi? Maybe tomorrow morning. Yeah, tomorrow morning!"

"Why not now?" demanded Jaddu.

"I'm tired. I want to sleep," said Virat. "He would understand that." He indicated at Rohit.

Rohit frowned, but of course he could not press Virat any longer, because then Virat would pay him back in kind the next time he felt sleepy during a team walk.

"You're coming," said Shikhar firmly, lunging for Virat's arm.

Virat dodged it and ran away, pausing to glance back at Shikhar triumphantly.

*************

Rahul found Virat sitting beside the pool of the now-silent hotel, his ankles dipped in the water.

"I thought you'd gone with them," Virat said, looking up.

"No, well...I didn't feel like going either," said Rahul, joining him.

Virat resumed staring into the cerulean depths of the pool, tapping his finger on his knee in what appeared to Rahul as a rather wistful gesture.

"You do know playing the victim and pushing them away is going to achieve nothing, Virat?"

Virat looked up again and stared.

"What?"

Rahul gave him a don't play stupid look.

"You're trying to act like...they're the ones excluding you or something," said Rahul. "When they're not; they're trying their best to include you, and here you are, playing the victim."

"Really, Rahul..."

"And you also don't have to pretend, you know. Today in the bus...you were trying to convince Rohit that the recent turn of events doesn't bother you. Which was a lie anyway. Why're you so set on convincing your friends you're the villain?"

"You don't know anything, Rahuliya," said Virat, a scowl creeping into his face.

"So tell me," said Rahul simply.

Virat turned back to the pool. So did Rahul.

The minutes ticked by as Rahul waited in silence for Virat to 'tell him.' He whiled away the time throwing pebbles into the pool rhythmically.

Virat remembered an almost identical scenario when he had waited in silence for Mahi bhai to speak after his first fiancee's death. The memory cut through his heart.

Virat drew his feet out of the water and rested his head on his knees, trying to push it away.

Will everything Rahul ever did keep reminding him of himself and Mahi bhai?