A/N

Do respond guys, it doesn't take much time to hit a little vote.❤️

*****

Rohit was starting to heal slowly but the recovery was made fast. Because every day after college, Vritika arrived without fail. She carried with her neatly packed containers filled with home-cooked meals prepared after following the nutritionist's instructions. Rohit couldn't help but smile when she walked in.

"Chef Vritika at your service," she would tease, unpacking the containers onto the small table beside his bed.

"You're spoiling me, you know that?" Rohit said one day, watching as she arranged the dishes.

"And you deserve it," she replied. "Now sit up straight. No arguments today."

He chuckled, relenting as she adjusted the pillows behind his back and placed a steaming bowl of soup in his hands. "You're bossier than the coach."

"Good that you know who is the boss here."

When he was done eating, she'd clear the dishes and insist on applying the cream to his ankle, even though he'd started to manage it himself. "I'll do it," she'd say firmly, leaving no room for argument. Her soft hands applied the ointment every day on his ankle and though he pretended to protest at times, Rohit secretly cherished the attention.

It wasn't just her actions-it was the love behind them that left him feeling more healed than any medicine could.

"You know," he said one evening as she finished cleaning up, "you're the reason I'm recovering so quickly."

She glanced at him and lifted her brow. " And here I thought it was the physiotherapy and strict diet."

Rohit shook his head. "Nope. It's you."

Vritika's cheeks flushed, but she didn't reply, instead busied herself with packing the containers. Yet, the way her lips curved into a shy smile betrayed how much his words meant to her.

Now after a month of care, Rohit could effectively move on his own but he was still restricted from playing too much. One afternoon, Vritika let herself into his room, carrying yet another home-cooked meal. She expected to find him lounging on the bed, perhaps engrossed in the TV or one of his books. Instead, she stopped short in the doorway, spotting him standing by the window.

"Rohit?" she called softly, setting the bag down on the table.

He didn't respond.

Her brows furrowed in concern as she moved closer. When she reached him, the sadness on his face stopped her in her tracks. His jaw was tight and at the corners of his lashes, she noticed the unmistakable glint of unshed tears.

"Rohit," she murmured

Still, he didn't respond. She took the final step toward him, her arm slipping around his shoulders, the curve of her palm coming to rest against his chest, over his heart.

"Ro, what's wrong?" Vritika asked gently, her tone urging him to open up.

He exhaled shakily. "I'm fine," he said. The words were unconvincing even to himself.

"No, you're not," she replied softly, tilting her head to catch his gaze. "Talk to me."

"It's... them," he said, nodding toward the window.

Vritika followed his line of sight and realized he was watching his team members playing cricket in the yard below.

"I should be out there," he whispered. "I should be on the field, playing, doing what I love. But instead, I'm stuck here... useless. Mahi bhai came to inform me I was the....reserved player. I just feel so useless."

The last word came out like a bitter curse, and Vritika's heart clenched at the pain in his voice. She tightened her hold on him and her fingers curled slightly against his chest.

"Ro," she said softly, "you are not useless."

"I can't even do the one thing I'm good at, Vritika. Cricket is everything to me, and now..." He trailed off.

"And now, you're healing," she interjected firmly. "You're not giving up, Ro. You're recovering, and that takes time. It doesn't make you any less of who you are."

"I just feel like I can't do anything for my team. This World Cup team, they will be playing the biggest tournament feeling proud to be an Indian. And I can't contribute anything to it. I will only be the waterboy...."

Vritika moved so that she stood directly in front of him and took his hands in hers. "Listen to me," she began, "you are so much more than what you do on that field. Yes, cricket is a big part of you, but it doesn't define your worth. You are an inspiration, Ro. To your teammates, to the fans who look up to you, and most importantly, to yourself."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she pressed a finger to his lips.

"No. Don't diminish your role just because it isn't the one you imagined. And Ro why are restricting yourself? Actually, you can help your teammates in the biggest way possible!"

"How?"

"They'll be engaged in practice all the time, focused on their drills and techniques," she explained. "But you? You have time. You have a unique opportunity to step back and observe-really observe-their opponents. Study their weaknesses, their patterns, their strategies. You can help your teammates in the biggest way possible. You have such a brilliant cricketing mind, Ro. You can see things others miss. Use that. Share your insights with the team. Help them prepare. And meanwhile, start your training again. You'll be back on that field before you know it."

Rohit let out a deep breath. "You always know how to make me feel good, don't you?" he said with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"It's my superpower," Ritika teased as she brushed her thumb across his knuckles. "Just trust yourself okay? Because you are not at fault here. You have the ability. It's just the situation that is not in your favor right now, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, come on," she said with a teasing lilt, tugging gently on his arm. "Spend some time with me. Tomorrow you'll be off to Europe, and I'll be stuck here. Do you know how miserable that's going to feel?"

"You'll miss me that much, huh?"

Vritika rolled her eyes but then sighed. "I wish my exams weren't there. Or I would've definitely come with you," she said. "But I am going to watch every match. It's World Cup after all."

"And remember, I'll be right here waiting, cheering louder than anyone else-even if it's through a screen."

Rohit pulled her into a gentle hug, resting his chin on her head. "That's all I need." He held her close but soon his phone lit up catching Vritika's attention.

"Rohit Sharma doesn't deserve to be on the team. Why did they even take him as a reserve player? Couldn't they find anyone else?"

She pulled away slightly, turning to look at him. Rohit had seen the notification too. His smile vanished from his face.

"Seriously?" Vritika muttered, grabbing the phone before he could."Doesn't deserve to be on the team? Are they out of their minds?"

"Vritika, it's just a comment," Rohit said. He reached out for the phone, but she held it away, her grip tightening.

"No, it's not just a comment, Rohit!" she snapped. "Why do you even let yourself see this trash? Who are these people to decide what you deserve? Do they know the hard work you've put in? The sleepless nights, the sacrifices?"

Rohit sighed, running a hand through his hair. " Let it go, love."

But Vritika wasn't having it. She dropped the phone onto the couch, screen down, and crossed her arms. "You know what your problem is? You're too nice. You think it's okay for people to say whatever they want about you, and you just... take it. Well, I'm not okay with it."

"Vritika-"

"No," she interrupted. "You're human, Rohit. You feel things. And I'm not going to let some random person on the internet plant doubt in your head. You've earned your place, whether as a reserve player or the captain of the damn team. You've worked too hard, sacrificed too much, to let these faceless trolls make you question yourself."

"It's not like it's the first time, you know. People are always going to have something to say. I've learned to live with it."

"Have you? Because it doesn't look like it. If you were really okay with it, you wouldn't be sitting here, letting their nonsense dampen your spirit." Vritika shot back. She grabbed his phone before he could protest and silenced the notifications from social media. "There. Done. They can scream into the void all they want, but you don't have to hear it."

"You're pretty hot when you're mad, you know that?" Rohit chuckled.

A faint blush crept over her neck but she still raised a brow. "Am I? Prove it then."

Rohit's grinned and took a deliberate step toward her. "Abhi prove kar deta hoon," he murmured

Vritika's she chuckled nervously and stepped back instinctively as he advanced. "Woh toh maine aise hi bol diya," she stammered "Uski koi zarurat nahi hai, really."

"Zarurat kaise nahi hai?" he drawled, his tone low and teasing, the huskiness in his voice sending a shiver down her spine. He stepped even closer and Vritika's back hit the wall. She gasped softly as she realized she had nowhere left to go.

He leaned in, one hand coming up to rest against the wall beside her head. His body was close now-too close-and Vritika felt her pulse quicken.

"Rohit..." she began but her voice betrayed her as it came out as little more than a whisper.

He smirked, clearly enjoying the effect he had on her. Slowly, his other hand trailed upward, sliding beneath the hem of her crop top. His fingers brushed against the bare skin of her lower back. She jolted slightly at the contact with a soft gasp as he pulled her gently closer. It was so possessive that she felt a shiver once again.

"See?" he murmured "Zarurat toh thi."

Before she could respond, he tilted his head and dipped down, pressing his lips softly against the curve of her neck. Vritika froze for a second and instinctively clutched his shirt as his lips moved against her skin. His kisses were slow and the slight graze of his stubble ignited goosebumps along her arms.

"Rohit..." she breathed again, but this time it lacked any resistance. She wasn't sure what she was pleading for.

"Kya hua?" he teased as his lips lingered against her skin. "Ab bolti band?"

Vritika opened her mouth to respond, but his arm tightened slightly around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer, and the words dissolved on her tongue.

Rohit's lips trailed along her neck and before Vritika could fully process the shift, she felt him suck at her neck, His mouth latched onto her skin with a new intensity, his kisses turning into aggressive sucks. The shift was electric and Vritika couldn't help the small involuntary moan that escaped her lips. Her fingers clenched his shirt tightly, holding on as if to steady herself. His stubble scraped lightly against her neck. She let out another small sound and her head tilted slightly to give him better access.

But then, out of the corner of her eye, something-or rather, someone-caught her attention.

Her eyes widened in pure horror as she spotted Virat standing in the doorway, his mouth hanging open in disbelief and horror.

"Rohit..." Vritika gasped, her tone now panicked, but he didn't budge.

"Hmm?" he hummed distractedly, still wholly engrossed in his task.

"Rohit!" she hissed, trying to nudge him away with her hand, but he simply tightened his hold on her waist, oblivious to her attempts.

"Rohit," she squeaked in a high-pitched and panicked voice but Rohit didn't stop.

"Hmm? Chup. Abhi prove kar raha hoon," he mumbled against her skin and aggressively sucked and licked her neck.

Virat's face turn an alarming shade of red. He looked like a volcano about to erupt, steam practically pouring out of his ears. His hand flew to cover his face, his fingers peeking through as if he couldn't decide whether to shield himself or continue watching.

"ROHIT STOP!" Vritika shoved at Rohit's chest with all her strength, her cheeks burning hotter than the sun.

"Kya hua? Itni zor se kyun-"

"Veer!" she snapped, frantically trying to pull her crop top up to cover the red mark she was sure he had left on her neck.

Rohit finally noticed Virat standing there, still frozen in place. He turned to face him.

"Virat... hey, man," he started, his voice unusually high-pitched. Vritika ran to the adjacent bathroom and shut the door, her head pressing against the door.

Virat groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't even know what to say to this. I'm scarred for life. You know that, right?"

"Come on, it wasn't that bad."

"Wasn't that bad?" Virat repeated, his voice rising an octave. "I just walked in on you making out with my sister. And you were ....like a bloody vampire sucking..."

"Shut up okay. Just shut up"

"Right. I should just shut up. I was calling you for dinner but looks like you were already eating...."

Rohit groaned. "Come on, man, don't make it worse than it already is."

"I think I need to bleach my eyes now."

"Can you just... not? Please?"

"Oh, I can't just not, man"

"VEER GET OUT!!" Vritika shouted from the bathroom.

"Fine, fine. I'll let it go. But don't think I won't be bringing this up later. I am not letting this go. Not in a million years. " Virat laughed like a villain but left.

Rohit closed the door and walked towards the bathroom door. He knocked softly "Ritz? Hey, it's me... I-"

"Go away, Rohit."

He winced but didn't give up. "Come on,Ritz. Don't be mad at me. I didn't mean for all this to happen. I... I got carried away, okay?

The bathroom door creaked slightly. "Can you just bring me the concealer from my bag?" she asked, sounding exasperated.

"Right. Okay, sure."

After a few moments of sorting through the items, Rohit sighed, unsure of which one it was. "Uh... which one's the concealer?"

"Are you serious right now?" came Vritika's voice from behind the door.

"I-look, I'm sorry! I don't know what I'm doing," Rohit replied in confusion. He held up a tube of lip gloss. "Is this it?"

There was a brief silence on the other side of the door before Vritika's voice broke out in laughter, though it was a bit muffled. "No, you idiot! That's lip gloss."

"Right. Of course," Rohit muttered to himself, holding up another item-a small bottle with no label. "This one?"

"No, that's a highlighter."

"Highlighter, lip gloss... same thing, right?" Rohit muttered as he sifted through more makeup items.

"Not the same thing!" Vritika shot back, now more amused than upset. "Can you just grab the concealer from the zipper pocket?"

He unzipped the pocket and, finally, found the small tube of concealer. "Aha! Found it."

"You are so hopeless," she said "Hand it over, and don't break anything."

A few minutes later, the bathroom door creaked open, and Vritika stepped out, looking much more put together. She had fixed the red mark on her neck, and the concealer worked its magic.

Rohit immediately noticed the change and squinted at her neck, now looking perfectly smooth. "Wait, what? Where's the mark?" he asked, a little pout forming on his face.

"I fixed it."

Rohit groaned, leaning back against the wall. "But I was kind of proud of that mark. I mean, come on! It was proof of... that you are mine." Before Rohit could complain any further, she leaned in quickly and planted a soft, sudden peck on his lips.

"Don't you dare bring this up again," she warned.

Rohit narrowed his eyes. "Baby, just wait for the day. There will be so many marks and hickeys that you won't be able to hide it."

Vritika's eyes widened in disbelief, and her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. "Is that a promise, Mr. Sharma?"

"Trust me, when I'm done, you won't want to hide a single one of them."

It wasn't like Vritika didn't want to take their relationship forward and be more intimate. She wanted to.....she wanted experience everything with him. But right now she felt that he needed to focus on something else and didn't need any distraction.

"Keep dreaming, Ro, keep dreaming."

"Oh, I'm not dreaming. It's a promise. One day, you'll be begging for me to leave my mark."

"And that day will never come! Goodbye." Vritika ran from there towards the dining hall.

She did not hear Rohit chuckle darkly.

*****

A/N

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