The News

Fortnight bolke ek mahine ke baad update dalti hui ye author 😅.This is supposed to be a filler chapter, I'll try to add more romantic moments from next chapter. Until then happy reading!!

Note: This chapter is set in late January 2024.

Har shaam aankhon par Tera aanchal lehraye....Har raat yaadon kiBaarat le aaye...~~~~

Shubman looked at the screen twiddling his thumbs as people one by one joined the zoom meeting he had set up. Ishan who had joined the meeting first looked at him through the camera and gave him a thumbs up as they heard their coach's voice in the speaker. "Yes Shubman, what did you want to talk about?"

"Wait!! Are you and Ishan finally declaring your relationship???" Virat butted in making the captain and the coach chuckle.

"Shubman bol na kitna wo khayega???" Rohit finally said losing his patience.

"Wo bhaiya.... wo actually....." Shubman gulped, trying to regulate his breath.

"Shub, I know you said you'll follow Rohit's footsteps as a captain but please don't adapt his yeh-woh habit!!" Rahul Dravid said, making the captain pout a little.

"Darr to aise raha hai jaise Ishu ke liye sautan le aaya ho!!" Virat chimed in again.

"Ha bhaiya!! Yahi Kiya hai isne!!" Ishan finally exclaimed in a dramatic voice.

"Sach mein?!?!? How can you do this to my child, Shub?" The captain decided to add more fuel to the drama.

"Ruk ja main hi India aake isko seedha karta hu!!" Virat said this time receiving a smack on the back of his head from Anushka who now entered the frame, heavily pregnant and glowing. She waved at the screen and said glaring at the three boys, "Atleast let him talk!"

"Thanks Anushka." "Thanks bhabhi!" Shubman and Dravid said at the same time. She walked out of the frame as everyone's eyes fell back on Shubman.

"Uhh.. yes, I'm dating someone!" He said his eyes closed.

"I knew he is dating Sara!" The ex-captain said with a little disappointed face.

"Bhaiya it's not Sara.... Neither is it me!!" Ishan said quietly.

"Then who?" It was Rahul Dravid now, his curiosity had taken better of him.

"Her name is Anamika Kulkarni, I met her in Mumbai." The dimpled youngster said still fidgeting with his hands.

"Okay.... Do we know her?" Rohit said, scratching his head as if trying to recollect.

"Yes bhaiya, you especially have met her! Remember the time all us youngsters were in Mumbai for that BCCI exhibition and heritage walk." Ishan now said making him remember.

"Ahh yes, who's ankle was sprained! And Shub had dropped her at the railway station." He slapped his thigh finally remembering the girl's face. "Yup really sweet girl!"

"What does she do?" Virat asked.

"She works for a company called Historia Inc. they set up exhibitions for other institutions and also conduct heritage walks." Shubman replied a little confident now.

"Which means she is a commoner?" Dravid mused as Shubman nodded. "Which also means, you two have to be careful and make sure this news does not get leaked and causes any harm to her or your career." He advised gently.

"Yes sir." Shubman nodded along as he received advices from the three older men.

"Can we see her picture?" Virat asked curious about this mystery girl now.

Shubman quickly shared his screen and displayed the picture clicked outside the BCCI building on the day of exhibition, pointing out his girlfriend.

"Yes, now I remember her. She gave us the tour of the exhibition too when I visited with Dada and Sachin." Rahul said. "Rohit, you're right. She very sweet and intelligent.... Oh man look at this guy blush!" He pointed out at Shubman's faintly pink cheeks as he blushed more furiously now.

"Haww... This means I'm the only one who hasn't met her!" Virat said pouting a little, his face resembling Vamika's when she asked for chocolates.

"Maine bola tha chala ja waha!" Rohit said teasingly.

"Aree Vi bhaiya don't worry. Aap mil lena Anu se baad mein. Waise bhi ye usse meri sautan banake hi rahega!" Ishan said teasing his bestfriend more as his blush and dimples became more and more prominent.

"Okay guys, jokes aside. Shubman you've to be careful with her, make sure no paps see you while you two meet. Also your focus should remain on the game too." The coach said in his professional tone now. "We've a test series with England coming on and there's IPL before the T20 world cup. I should not be receiving any complaints from your end."

"Yes sir! I'll make sure this does not affect my performance." Shubman said his voice sure and confident now.

As the meeting was about to disperse, everyone congratulated him and gave him a few more advices before ending the meeting.

***

Anamika tiptoed quietly into the kitchen. She had taken a long nap after she got home and couldn't sleep now. All she desired was a cup of hot chocolate that would help a little to sleep. She was about to grab the box with cocoa powder and marshmallows from the top shelf when she sensed some movement behind her.

Anamika quickly grabbed the empty sauce pan she had kept on the gas stove for self defence.

It was 2am, her heart beating fast as she approached the door, Hey Dattguru, raksha kara!! She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around before a hand was clamped on her mouth.

"You shouldn't stay up this late, Anu..." The person said slowly taking his hand away from her face.

"Dada! What the hell are you doing! Scared me!"

She whisper-shouted to the man who was silently laughing at her, his shoulders shaking. She smacked her brother's bicep with the pot in her hand. "Grab the box from the top shelf. I'm making hot chocolate, will you have some?"

"You sit, I'll make!" He said and started mixing the ingredients as Anamika took a seat on the kitchen counter.

"Why are you up late?" She asked popping a marshmallow in her mouth.

"Couldn't sleep. Thought this would help." Anamika saw her elder brother, Ayush, concentrated stirring the milk in the pot. His company had sent him to Bengaluru for training for a year and he had returned a couple of days ago. Making hot chocolate at nights when they couldn't sleep was a little tradition of theirs, she smiled slightly at him as he added 2 marshmallows in her mug and handed it to her.

"So how was Chandigarh?" He asked taking a sip from his mug.

"Great! The presentation went well, I made some good contacts and also went around the city. It was fun just a bit too cold."

"And how was your Prince Gill? Did you meet him?" He asked with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Uhh... Yes," she said hesitantly, her hand playing with the end of her braid. She knew this was the right moment to tell her brother. "Dada, I need to tell you something."

"Did the prince ask you to be his princess?" He started giggling at that but stopped when he noticed her face turning pink while she now played with a rose quartz pendant around her neck. He knew she did not have it before. "Stop joking Anu. You're not 17 anymore and you're not y/n! This is not a fanfiction!"

"Ayush, stop shouting! Aai baba will wake up!" She said putting a finger on his lips. "And I'm not joking. He really did! He gifted me this necklace." She twiddled with it more. A silence enveloped the kitchen as the siblings finished their cups of hot chocolate and Anamika proceeded to clean them.

"So does that mean, I will get to meet Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma at your wedding?" Ayush finally said as he dried the mugs.

"We started dating yesterday, Dada! Stop acting like Aai!" Anamika said again smacking him with the now clean and wet sauce pan.

"Ahh! Bavlat, it hurts!" He said rubbing his arm. He lightly hugged her shoulders, "I'm so happy for you baccha, but I'm scared too. As much as I like Gill as a player, he has a lot of rumours going around him. You'll have to be strong for this to work, which you are. But he's a celebrity and you'll have to be so much more strong and patient to deal with all these things. Would be able to do this?"

"I know what I was getting into when I said yes. Honestly, I'm a bit scared too." Anamika said softly, leaning more towards her brother.

"I hope he treats you well or he'll have to face me!" He said flexing his bicep. "Nobody hurts my sister or I'll choke him to death! I'm not scared of his muscular physique or fame!"

"This is day one and you are acting like this?!?! Damn I'm scared for him now!" Anamika said faking anger. "Go sleep! No need to be so cheesy!"

"Damn people do change after getting rich! Deva, what happened to my sweet little sister?" Ayush said dramatically raising his hands in air.

"Good night Dada!" Anamika said, smacking his head as she left the kitchen.

***

The next evening, Shubman's phone pinged with his message tone. It was Anamika replying to his message after 3 hours. 

Shubman Hey!

AnamikaHey!

ShubmanAre you busy?

Anamika Umm yes, I've some workload since I took a long leave to visit Chandigarh 😅

Shubman Ohh okay.... We can talk at night then

AnamikaNo.. it's fine. I'm on a break... I've to rush for a meeting in 10 minutes tho 🫠

ShubmanUff ye zaalim duniya! Can't a man talk to his girlfriend in peace 😭

Anamika's heart did the little flutter after reading the word 'girlfriend' on her phone. She did a little fist pump in the air, "I'm his girlfriend!" She said softly only to look up and find Pooja standing right in front of her. 

"Sandhya ma'am is calling you." She said her doe eyes, shining with mischief.

"Tell her I'm coming in a minute." She quickly typed back a reply and left with a file in her hand.

Inside Sandhya's office, the two women sat discussing the conference and its outcome, while Pooja sat quietly sipping on her coffee. As Anamika ended her little report, her phone piqued with a notification from Shubman. The device kept on Sandhya's table lit up showing a red heart and a kissing face emoji sent by the cricketer. It was at this moment the teenager decided to speak. "Someone's sending you hearts, huh?" She nudged Anamika, only to receive a smack from her. Sandhya watched this interaction with amusement, her romance radar was never wrong. 

"What happened in Chandigarh, Anu?" Sandhya asked as another message came from the cricketer and Anamika quickly took her phone. 

"Did he..." Pooja asked and Anamika nodded affirmatively. "I get my tiramisu!" She added smirking at Sandhya, who rolled her eyes as she opened the food delivery app. 

"Hawww.... You guys bet on my love life?!?!?" Anamika said dramatically. "Et tu, Brutus?" She added looking at Sandhya, who smiled sheepishly at her. 

"Congratulations!" Pooja leapt at her, hugging her tightly as the older woman stood up joining their hug. "But we missed you here. The exhibition on Marathi theater went so well, so many celebs came in too."  The teenager added bubbling with excitement. 

"Yes! I had no one to laugh with when Pooja was gaping at Lalit Prabhakar like a fish!" Sandhya told her as the two shared a hifi. 

"And when Sandy here was giving heart eyes to Milind Soman!" Pooja added smirking. "You should've seen her! She was looking at him like-"

"Like?" The three women turned around to see Tanmay walking in. Tanmay Dixit was the CEO of a leading media company and Sandhya's fiance through an arranged marriage. The two had gotten engaged in December and were to be wedded by the end of February. "Sorry to interrupt ladies! Sanu, we've to leave for jewellery shopping at 4." 

"So you just barge in my office without knocking? We could've been discussing something confidential here!" She retorted. Anamika and Pooja looked on to the exchange quietly. Though the couple claimed it to be an arranged match, Pooja had found some pictures of the duo at her college's archive as they were alumni from the same institute. 

"First of all I knocked thrice. Second of all, how does Sanu look at Milind Soman?" He smirked looking at Pooja, who exchanged an amused glance with him. Anamika took a quick glance at the man. He had a bulky muscular built, slightly long hair and hazel eyes that pierced through one's soul. The man could give a bunch of models a run for money with his looks and aura. 

"That's none of your business and I'll be ready in five. You can wait here." She said getting up and straightening the creases on her dress. 

"She looks at him like Anamika looks at Rahul Dravid!" Pooja quickly said, getting a smack in her head by both her seniors. 

"No tiramisu for you!" The older woman said entering the attached bathroom.

"You can't do this to me!!!" The teenager screamed behind her boss. 

"I can and I will!" Came a scream through the door. 

As Tanmay laughed on at the interaction. 

"What's with women having crushes on men twice their age?" He mused loudly only to get glares from the two girls as he sat down on the armchair Sandhya was sitting on.

"Like you never simped over Sushmita Sen!" Sandhya said entering her cabin again. 

"Can you blame me? She's so pretty" 

"So can you blame us for admiring charming men?" She said, raising an eyebrow. 

"As you say, ma'am!" He said, giving her a charming smile as he stood up to leave and grabbed Sandhya's laptop bag from her. 

The four filed out of the cabin as the two girls watched the couple leave, engaged in their banter. 

"Definitely not an arranged marriage!" The two girls said to each other. 

~~~Let me know how you like this!!And I promise to update faster from now . Also, just in case someone needs to see,

Lalit Prabhakar (Also how I imagine Tanmay to look like)

Milind Soman (Younger picture, hopefully you know this man)

Rahul Dravid (I'm judging you if you don't know him)