The Curtain Drops

"You expected this, Ishu?"

"Did you?"

"No! Obviously not! He's a goddamn cricketer who runs after his own ball is delivered. I don't expect him to lose sense just after seeing his teammates kissing who he has been trying set up for kissing any—"

"Okay, okay Shubi, calm down!" Ishan rubs his palms over Shubman's chest soothingly.

Shubman huffs deeply.

"But if you put it like that way, it sounds really traumatizing."

Shubman snickers, "Then we should do it again."

Ishan kicks him with his feet, "An utter nuisance that you are!"

"Huhh?!" Shubman mock gasps, "And you aren't?"

"Dramebaaz.."

"You too babe."

"Shut up and sprinkle water on Siraj bhai's face."

"Oh yeah, right!"

"Others coming?"

"Yeah, called Virat bhai. He's on his way. Probably a doctor too."

Virat and KL are the first ones to barge through the doors. The others come toppling behind them.

"What the hell happened?" Virat calls out.

Ishan and Shubman are sitting on the floor. Siraj's head on Ishan's lap and Shubman is fanning and occasionally pouring water on a half-conscious Siraj's face.

KL immediately takes the charges, rubbing Siraj's neck and on his chest, and shake his face. Ishan had opened his gym shirt to loosen him up.

"Siraj? Siraj you alright?" KL asks, "Can you hear me?"

Siraj answers something brokenly.

From the group, someone says, "Told him not to go to the gym in the evening. It never suits him after eating."

Virat silently looks at Rohit, who gives him a deadpan expression back.

"Its your fault!"

"I know, just don't let it out."

After all, it had been Virat to send him to the gym when Ishu and Shub were working out.

The doctor isn't needed much, it's a simple black out. But they keep Siraj remain seated on the gym floor, until he understands what is really happening around him.

Siraj just stares blank in no particular direction, just ahead of himself.

"What's happened to him? Saw a ghost or what?" Kuldeep asks in Shreyas' ears.

"Arrey Siraj bhai? Are you okay?" Jadeja kneels beside him and asks. Siraj looks so shocked.

Rohit had enough.

He turned towards Ishan and Shubman sticking close, just beside Siraj.

"You two! Spill now. What happened?" Rohit asks them.

Obviously, it's them. Who else?

Two pair of innocent eyes look up at him.

Fuck! Rohit sighs. As if he has any power over them.

"Nothing Rohit bhai. We're just talking—"

"You were just TALKING?"

KL almost gets his soul out of his body, at the sudden pump of energy and voice from Siraj.

He points at the duo. It's almost as comical as it gets.

"Nope you were not just talking! You had your fucking tongue in each other's throats."

"Excuse me, what?" Someone in the group shouts.

KL looks a Shreyas with a lightning snap of his neck, Shreyas looks at Kuldeep, Kuldeep gazes back at him, Jadeja and Harry were on the verge of laughing out loud.

Oh! this was much than they expected. They have special seats reserved in hell for relishing in the trauma their team-mates are going through cause of those little devil minions.

They had been waiting for this for so long.

It's like achieving nirvana.

"Yeah!" Siraj turns from Sky to Virat with urgent eyes, filled with horror. "They just kissed telling me they are already dating, they- they are together and they kissed— wait." Siraj eyes widen.

Seconds of silence pass among the room. It's defeaning but no one said a word. Afraid to break whatever equilibrium is left.

Virat purses his lips together, a small smile threatening to break.

Behind him, Rohit's chuckles are a bit too loud.

Virat dramatically turns at him, "You're not helping Ro! What the fuck!"

"You knew." Siraj says slowly, as realisation dawns upon him. He slowly sees how Virat's face morphs.

Virat raises his hands in surrender, "See, it's not my—"

"YOU FUCKING KNEW!"

See, what followed is all God's fault.

Before such a deduction by Siraj, there was this one group of people, who absolutely revelled in the knowledge of knowing the 'khul ja sim sim' to Ali Baba's cave.

But them knowing, that they all had been played along, that too by the two of their seniormost team-mates is just firing a gun at point blank range.

"Of course, he knew." Shubman interrupts dumbly, "Him and Rohit bhai are the first ones to know." The whole team KNOWS he's not that dumb to supply the information this dumbly.

If anything, Ishan laughing out loud beside him just confirms that.

Chaos breaks out among the ICT.

Also, what else is new.

"Virat bhai you knew, what the fuck!"

"Hey! Why only me, Rohit also knew."

"Bas Cheeku, why throw me under the bus too?"

"Then why only me?"

"You too stop! We get to shout at you two, not you two at each other."

"But—"

"No buts, you knew and still made us to plan up stupid plans to get these two together."

"It was fun."

"Wait what plans to get us together?"

"Arrey, to get us hitched together."

"Not you Ishan, you don't get to talk now."

"Yeah! We'll see you later."

KL, bless his soul, really wanted to throw a fucking dumbbell at his former and present captain.

Leave Ishan and Shubman, Rohit and especially Virat had been fucking with him and all others since day one.

"Wait for a damn moment!" KL screams. And he never screams.

The Gym room falls silent.

He accusingly points at Virat and Rohit.

"Just why?"

"Why what?"

KL breathes in deeply, "Why did you do this? Cause if you knew, they are already together, why made all of us go through all that."

Kuldeep raises his hands, frowning, "You didn't go through anything. You and Iyer bhai literally were the first ones to know this, after Virat and Rohit bhai."

Jaddu screams, "EXACTLY! Fuck man! If anything, I literally caught them fucking like rabbits! If anything, you also let others suffer too."

Shreyas rubs his temples. Enough revelations tonight. And he knew what's coming at him next.

"Oh yeah, cause its Shreyas who told me to not tell anyone." KL points at Iyer. Enough of him being thrown under the bus.

"Yes, 'cause I didn't want to out them without their consent. What? You did it too. Jaddu, Kullu, Harry all did that."

"Yet you all are exactly doing that!" Ashwin says calmly. He looks up, expecting a little bit of shame among his quarrelling members.

Siraj removes the wet patch from his forehead, "What? It's not my fault that they started shoving their tongues in each other."

Ashwin groans out loud. What did he even expect?

Virat just looks over at Shubman and Ishan. Shubman holds his hands up and Ishan just shrugs.

~

"'Cause we also expected the same?"

"No. Not you guys being shameless, no!" Ishan kicks Shubman at his legs, saying "Don't interrupt me idiot!"

He continued, "We also expected the mayhem that will break. And it did."

"That's why we first just told Virat Bhai and Rohit bhai," Virat smiles at Shubman, "We wanted our most senior players to know about us.''

"Ey! Is that your way of telling we're old"

"You already are Rohit bhai!"

"Shut up you chotu pocket! Or I'll drop you from next match."

"That you do anyway."

"Hey let's not divert!"

"Yeah, we knew our relationship will somewhat change the dynamic among the team. So wanted at least some people to know."

"So, a very teary-eyed Mr. Gill came knocking to our room one day, tightly clutching an equally teary-eyed Mr. Kishan's hand in his."

"What had he said Cheeku? You remember?" Rohit laughs, saying mimicking voices, "Please Virat bhai, Rohit Bhai. I love him so much. Please do make us leave each other."

"Please Rohit bhai! Don't say it like that. I had meant it!"

"Okay, okay kiddo, you don't have to be angry! But it's still funny."

Virat continues, suddenly very serious, "But they're so genuine. They were so young, so in love yet so mature. They were so ready to sacrifice their love for the sake of team. I remember Ishan clearly saying, 'but if it creates problem among the team, we'll stay apart' after which Gill sahab said those iconic lines. Proper Bollywood, isn't it?"

"Anushka bhabhi is eating your head, Virat bhai!"

Some snicker out, some still engrossed in the story.

"It was like, they knew, what are the consequences to all these and how it will affect the team. They had so much to handle. So, Rohit decided to keep it a secret for the time being and test the waters. I, obviously said yes too."

Virat then looks at the entire team, who are sitting in a circle, on the gym floor itself. He feels he's a grandpa telling stories of pre-independent India.

"Test the waters? What do you mean? We wouldn't have accepted them?" Jaddu sounds quite offended.

"We didn't know that right. Anything was possible. But then you guys started what you started at the Wankhede practice."

Sky says looking at Ishan and Shubman, "Well I'm sorry if we ever made you two feel not safe enough to come out to us." He then points at Virat, "But Virat Bhai, you also added fire to the whole thing during the practice."

"Guilty as hell, Sky. But I's also curious about your reactions. Couldn't keep my babies too long in the dark, can I?" He winks at his two babies.

The two babies.

The two babies who are absolutely the heart and soul of the team. Maybe the ICT are a little behind in their matchmaking skills, but that's okay. They are happy to see their babies glow and bathe in their love, be shy and pout at their teasing and be more in love with each other every day.

But Sky has taken it to his heart.

How did these two oblivious idiots started dating without their matchmaking plans, without his exceptional theories.

He frowns, "But how did you two even get together? How come it crossed your thickheads?"

Ishan giggles.

Shubman grows a little red, "Oh! Sara dared me to kiss him."

Needless to say, some people are ready to throw hands.

~

FIN.

~

So with this, the story comes to an end. It was amazing to write this. And you people really hyped up me to write this awkward story. So, thanks to you! I hope I will be starting more ShuIsh stories. Support me then as well. Thank you for all the votes and comments and pushing this story.

It was such a new thing for me to write on wattpad. You guys made it so fun for me!

My other social handles on tumblr: @/stuckyandlarrystuff or twitter: @/aneshb25. I'll very happy to connect with you guys! 

~Ta