The graduates filed onto the stage one by one to collect their degrees.

 When it was finally Vritika's turn, the announcer called her name and a wave of applause filled the room. She walked up with a proud smile with her black graduation gown flowing behind her and her cap tilted slightly to the side. But she had barely stepped onto the stage when a pair of loud whistles cut through the air.

PHEEEEEW-WHEEEEEET!

Heads turned sharply toward the sound.  It was Virat and Rohit, whistling and clapping like proud maniacs. 

"My queen just graduated!"

"Woooooo! Go Rits!

"That's MY girl!" 

They whistled once more.

Vritika's cheeks burned and her ears turned red. She wanted to slap her hand on her forehead. She had very specifically told them to not do anything but did they listen? No! She just hoped nobody recognised them. Thank god she had given them big caps and masks to hide their faces.

She reached the dignitories and the whistles started again. 

"Oh my god," Vritika muttered under her breath, fighting the urge to rub her temples right there on stage. She shot them a warning glare that practically screamed behave! But her brother and boyfriend were immune to her silent threats. They had already cupped their hands around their mouths and let out another loud whistle.

A ripple of chuckles spread through the crowd. The Dean glanced toward the audience with a bemused expression but carried on as if nothing had happened.

Vritika turned toward her mother in the front row, silently pleading for some parental intervention. Surely, she would put a stop to this madness. But to her horror her mother had her phone out, recording the entire scene with a proud smile. In fact, she even gave them a thumbs up as if encouraging their antics.

"Rohit Sharma aur Virat Kohli hai na?" someone whispered loudly enough for her to hear.

The dean handed her the certificate.

"RITS FOR PRESIDENT!" Virat shouted.

"And a Bharat Ratna!" Rohit added clapping enthusiastically.

That's it. Vritika was done. These two were utterly ridiculous. She just hoped now that the fans wouldn't go crazy. She accepted her degree with a smile, gave a polite nod to the dean, and hurried off the stage. A few had pulled out their phones to snap pictures. 

When she passed by her mother, she muttered, "Control your children!"

Her mother waved her free hand dismissively. "Arre, graduation ek hi baar hoti hai!"

Vritika now walked towards the back where those two devils were seated.

"I think we're dead," Rohit whispered to Virat.

Virat nodded. "A glorious death, though."

"She's definitely plotting our murder right now," Rohit added, his eyes on the daggers Vritika was throwing their way.

"Worth it," Virat replied and raised his fist for a bump, which Rohit immediately returned with a muffled laugh.

"Definitey. Did you see how badass she looked up there?"

"Yeah, she did. Totally nailed it."

Vritika reached them and they both shot to their feet like schoolboys caught misbehaving. Before she could unleash the storm they knew was coming. Rohit quickly stepped forward.

"Baby, you were so amazing!" he exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug before she could react. "Gold medal, my god! That speech—I'm in awe! Kya baat hai!"

Vritika froze for a second but narrowed her eyes the moment he pulled back. "What—"

"Seriously!" Virat jumped in, cutting her off. "I didn't know you could speak so well, chudail! Since when do you give speeches like that?"

"Don't try to change the topic, you—"

"Uh, Ritz, look!" Rohit said. "Fans! I think they're coming to take pictures. We should go. Now."

Vritika frowned glancing over her shoulder to see a few people pulling out their phones, some already pointing toward them. "What—"

"Exactly!" Rohit interrupted again, steering her toward the exit while Virat followed. "We can't have your special day turning into a mob situation, right? Come on, let's go before it gets crazy!"

"Rohit, I swear—" Vritika tried to protest, but Virat placed a hand on her other shoulder.

"Arre, don't swear on your big day, na," Virat said with a sly grin. "Think of your sanskari image."

"And think of us getting trampled!"

Vritika groaned pinching the bridge of her nose. "You two are the worst, should have left you two at home," she muttered allowing them to hustle her toward the nearest exit. Her mother too followed them.

They reached the car and entered. "This isn't over."

Rohit grinned sheepishly. "Wouldn't expect it to be."

"But hey, admit it Chudail—you liked it"

Vritika rolled her eyes and got into the car. "Drive. Before I change my mind about forgiving you." She said though a small smile crept onto her face.

"Chill. And enjoy the surprise we have planned for you."

They reached Rohit's home. And inside everything was decorated. There was a cake in the center. Vritika cut the cake and they all had a huge celebration. Virat and his mother left early cause they had a flight back to Delhi. She wanted to go back at their home and had also taken Magic with her. So Vritika stayed over at Rohit's home.

At midnight Vritika abruptly awoke and her hand instinctively reached beside her. But instead of the warmth of Rohit, she found the empty coolness of the bed. Frowning, she sat up and brushed her fingers out of her face as she glanced around the room. Where was Ro? 

She swung her legs off the bed and padded down the hallway only to see Rohit ironing his captain jersey. 

Again. It was the third time today.

Vritika leaned against the doorway, watching him for a moment with a soft smile on her lips. She loved how seriously he took everything, especially when it came to his responsibilities. Unable to resist, she walked into the room and slipped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his broad back.

Rohit jumped slightly at the unexpected contact but relaxed when he felt her arms. "Can't sleep without me?"

"Mmm-hmm," she hummed rubbing her cheek against his back. "Just like you can't stop ironing that jersey. It's perfect already." She kissed the back of his neck. "Couldn't find you. Thought you had run away."

He chuckled setting the iron aside as her arms tightened around him. "Run away? From my biggest supporter? Not a chance."

Vritika smiled sliding her hands up to his chest where she rubbed soothing circles. "It's midnight, Rohit. You've ironed this jersey more times today than you've eaten."

"I just..." he trailed off... "I want everything to be perfect tomorrow. The first match as captain...I don't know if I would be as good as Sachin da for MI. He was such a great captain you know. Even Mahi bhai..I don't know if I will ever have even one percent of their captaincy."

Vritika frowned. "No. You won't be as good as Captain MS Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar. Never."

Rohit's heart sank at her words. He looked down.

"You won't be them, Rohit. Because you're not supposed to be. You're meant to be Captain Rohit Sharma, India's Hitman."

"Captain Rohit Sharma... doesn't quite have the same ring to it," he muttered, "Mahi bhai has a legacy, Vritika. I'm just—"

"—about to create your own legacy," Vritika cut him off stepping around so she could face him directly and placing her hands on his chest.

 "Maybe I just... I've got big shoes to fill, you know? What if—"

"What if you don't try to fill them?" she interrupted. "What if you shine even brighter because you're doing it your way? No one expects you to be another Dhoni or Sachin. They're legends, yes but so are you, Rohit."

"But I don't know how to lead a team Rits."

"Then you will learn. You're not supposed to know everything on day one, Rohit. Nobody does—not even Mahi bhai when he started."

"You make it sound so simple."

"Because it is," she replied "You're not stepping into anyone else's shoes, Ro. You're building your own path. And it's going to be brilliant. Trust me. You yourself will be surprised."

A genuine smile lit up his face and Rohit pulled her closer and rested his forehead against hers. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Well, you'd probably still be ironing that jersey," she teased. "And honestly, it's time to call it a night. You need your sleep, Captain Rohit Sharma."

Rohit and Vritika settled back into bed and he couldn't help but smile as she curled into his side, her head resting on his shoulder. 

"Goodnight, Captain," she murmured with so much affection.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight, my love."

A few hours later, Rohit stirred awake. The first thing he noticed was the silence, then the faint glow of the digital clock on the bedside table.

2:00 AM.

He groaned softly, running a hand over his face. Why the hell am I awake so early? He never woke up at this hour, but tonight—or rather this morning—was different. The nervous energy bubbling within him refused to settle. Damn it. This captaincy thing is making me go crazy.

He shut his eyes tightly, willing himself to fall back asleep. You need rest, Rohit. Today's big. Just sleep. But no matter how hard he tried his mind kept racing. Finally, he decided to pull the blanket up and cocoon himself for some extra warmth.

Except... the blanket wasn't there.

"Not again," he muttered under his breath, exasperated. Turning his head he saw Vritika curled up on her side with the entire blanket wrapped around her like a cocoon. 

Kab sudhregi ye ladki. Rohit sat up slightly and attempted to tug the blanket away gently. No luck—Vritika had somehow managed to sleep directly on top of it

Vritika groaned. "Ro, yaar," she mumbled sleepily, her voice muffled against his chest. "Keep your cold feet away!"

Rohit chuckled. " What do you expect when you steal the blanket every night? Maybe if you shared the blanket, my feet wouldn't be cold."

"You're exaggerating," she muttered

"No, I'm not. You're literally sleeping on it this time."

"Deal with it," she grumbled

Rohit grinned. He wasn't about to let this go that easily. "Okay," he said and slowly he pressed his cold feet against hers, rubbing them together deliberately making sure his icy toes brushed against her warm feet.

"Uggggh! Rohit!" Vritika cried out pulling her feet away but not breaking the embrace, "You Cold-footed devil!"

"You said to deal with it, so here I am, dealing with it!" he teased with laughter as she squirmed.

"You are the worst," she hissed, still too sleepy to put up much of a fight but glaring at him through half-closed eyes.

"Now, either share the blanket or prepare for the full icy treatment."

"Fine!" she grumbled, twisting and tugging at the blanket until it finally came loose. "Take it, you blanket bully. But if your cold feet touch me again, I'm kicking you off the bed."

"Noted," Rohit said wrapping them both up in the blanket as he held her close. "But for the record, your feet are just as cold."

"Shut up," she muttered though the small smile on her lips betrayed her fondness. She snuggled into him and threw her leg over his. Rohit smiled and closed his eyes. God he loved her so much. How was it possible that this woman could ease every ounce of his stress with a single touch?  How nice if he could have her with him forever?.....

He glanced down at her peaceful face. Even now, with her hair slightly messy and her lips slightly parted, she looked like the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

The thought of her not being by his side felt unbearable. He wanted her laughter, her silly quirks, her endless encouragement, and even her blanket-stealing tendencies—forever.

Forever.

He'd been thinking about it for a while, but the intensity of the feeling hit him now, in this quiet moment. Rohit Sharma wanted to spend his life with Vritika Kohli.

He could already picture it: her walking down to the mandap, their families coming together, her laughter filling their home, the way she would encourage him before every match, and the life they would build together. It felt so natural, so right.

Maybe it was time to stop just imagining and start planning.

He kissed the top of her head gently inhaling the faint scent of her shampoo. It was comforting familiar—home.

"Rits," he whispered softly..

"Mmm?" she murmured.

"What if we made this... permanent?"

She stirred slightly lifting her head to look at him through drowsy eyes. "Permanent? What are you talking about?"

"You and me," Rohit said. "I don't just want moments like this. I want you. Always."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Are you... are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Rohit smiled as he took her hand in his. "I don't have a ring right now, and this might not be the most romantic setting, but I want you to know—I can't imagine my life without you, Rits. Will you marry me?"

Vritika's breath hitched as she stared at him and a smile broke across her face.

"Rohit Sharma," she said with emotion, "you're proposing to me at 2 AM, after a blanket fight without a ring?"

Rohit chuckled nervously. "Well, when you put it like that—"

"Honestly!"

"So yes or no."

"....."

"Rits?"

"Rohit! Rohit, wake up!" Vritika's voice cut through his sleep. "It's 4 a.m. already. Come on, you have a match at 7:30!"

Rohit groaned, burying his face into the pillow."What... what happened?" he muttered.

"You tell me," Vritika said, hands on her hips as she loomed over him. "You were mumbling in your sleep. Calling out my name."

 Shit! It was a Dream!  Rohit groaned again"Kya yaar, Rits... mujhe bas jawab milne hi wala tha.."

"Kaunsa jawab?"

"Nothing," he muttered, sitting up reluctantly. His hair stuck up in different directions, making him look like a sleepy, overgrown child. "Five more minutes," he mumbled falling back to bed and burying himself in the blankets.

"No way," Vritika said, yanking the blanket off him entirely. "Captain Rohit Sharma can't show up late for his first toss!"

"You stole my blanket again last night. I barely slept."

"Oh, please," Vritika teased, handing him his jersey that she'd neatly folded the night before. "You were out like a light. Now, go freshen up while I make you coffee and eggs."

Rohit headed to the bathroom to freshen up. As he splashed water on his face the dream replayed in his mind. He glanced at his reflection with a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Not today," he murmured to himself. "But soon."

******

A/N: Who got excited thinking it was the real Proposal?  🤣❤️😏Vote and Comment if you want a real one soon.