Where Nitish Kumar Reddy is faced with the impossible, unfair choice of choosing between his family and being with Abhishek. He wants to pushback. He wants to fight. But Abhishek Sharma let's him go, freeing him. And soon, their love learns to quietly exist, imprisoned in the pages of unsent letters and diaries. Until it can no longer be caged. Disclaimer: this story is a complete work of fiction with no intention of hurting anyone's feelings. All the scenarios and characterizations are imaginary in nature with no direct connection to the characters' real lives.

Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma spent their teenage sharing a dream. That someday, they would open for India together. When that dream finally comes true, they can't stand being in the same room with each other. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shubman would say they never dated. Abhishek doesn't have proof to counter that. But he has known for some years now that he was always only a side character in his closest friend's life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nitish comes into Abhishek's life at his lowest when Shubman has found his soulmate and tells him their childish romance had merely been a glitch in the matrix. And Nitish makes Abhishek hope that the past can be left behind. Shubman and Ishan know they are each other's forever. There was never any doubt. But when Ishan loses the central contract and fades out of the national team while Shubman is promoted to new heights every day, they find an ocean between them. And Shubman finds that it's so lonely at the top. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ But it was Shubman-and-Abhishek first. Before there was Ishan or Nitish. Before they were famous. Before they were successful. Before they even knew themselves. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Do you ever really get over your first love?

Shubman looks at Ishan like he is the sun. Ishan would spend his life trying to douse out the light Shubman sees, if only he could identify it. Or, five times Shubman couldn't say it, five times Ishan heard it anyway and the one time they chose silence.

~𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟐 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐛𝐡𝐢𝐍𝐢𝐭 𝐃𝐮𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲~ Nitish doesn't face problems head on. He runs from them. And at one point, running does seem so much easier than fighting the world and most importantly his family for Abhishek's sake. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Wasn't it supposed to be obvious that we couldn't end up together?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When Nitish leaves him, Abhishek knows he hasn't ever been good enough for anyone and he loses his ability to trust too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I can never stop loving you. But...I don't think I can trust you again when you say you-you love me, or anything of that kind." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Or, Nitish ruins his own life and that of the person he loves more than anyone in this world and then decides to put it back together, or die trying. Metaphorically, of course.

Somewhere between answering journal prompts and praying, Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy fall in love.

What happened when the two bestfriends of the Indian cricket team realise that there might be something more to their friendship?

~𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐛𝐡𝐢𝐍𝐢𝐭 𝐃𝐮𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲~ As far back as he remembers, Abhishek's been in love with his best friend. He has borne Shubman's undying love for Sara, then him flitting from girl to girl always with a smile on his face. What would he complain about?-he prefers men (or one man); his best friend prefers women. But the day he realizes Shubman's soulmate is Ishan...that day finally, a ten year long unrequited love shatters his heart completely. ~~~~~~~~~~~ At the same time, overwhelmed by the glamorous life of IPL, Nitish finds steadiness and warmth in someone who has played for their team for years. Because Abhishek Sharma is like sunshine...he tries to make everyone happy, always, wherever he is, and whatever he is feeling. ~~~~~~~~~~~ "I know a broken heart when I see one. But I can heal yours." ~~~~~~~~~~~ "Thanks, but no...you can't." ~~~~~~~~~~~ Or, Abhishek refuses to entertain the idea of getting over the love of his life, though he needs to so badly and Nitish knows he's the worst person for that job and can't help attempting it anyway.

In hindsight of the deepest bonds, the first encounters are priceless memories.

Society. Misunderstandings. That one word you said at the wrong time. That one impulsive reaction of yours at the wrong time. That one time you broke the trust of the person you love. Jassi and Hardik have seen it all, done it all. They've tried their best to move on. They've got married. They have kids. They are normal best friends, now; perfectly normal. Or they would be, if life ever stops hitting them in the face with the cruel lesson that there are some loves you cannot get past, even after a lifetime of trying. Some loves are, truly, forever. Which should be beautiful, right? The cruelest lesson they've learnt is that those loves-the forever ones, the ones that should be beautiful-sometimes end up becoming the ugliest thing in your life.

The story of Harshit Rana and Riya Ganguly's presence in each other's life going through all the dyes of autumn till they discover what was meant to be...