This team in blue has my entire heart filled with love ❤️

Dil tuta hai but yeh rishta nahi.. 💝

You'll were great both on the field and for us. You played like heroes so you'll always remain as one.

You're the champions who played like the champions this entire tournament!

P.s. we all still love you guys.

💙

|Love invades when time awaits for a stranger that turns life bright with each passing day|

by medicallymessedup

•past•

Samiksha couldn't sleep that morning until the late hours of midday disturbed by a familiar face that washed away the sleepiness from her senses. Aryan Mallik stood at her door along with Ajitabh Mallik, his grandfather with a worried expression lingering on his chubby face which otherwise remained stoic all the time she saw him around.

She can't believe her best friend, Ruchi had befriended a loser like him.

Actually, it was a one-sided friendship because Aryan - the epitome of insolence, had never uttered a word back to her if it was not to condemn her efforts in hope to hang out with him. But, Ruchi still possessed a courageous will to not give up on developing a bond with Aryan.

She used to carry his favorite oily foods everyday and that ungrateful boy filled his mouth without letting out a word of appreciation except sparing a cold shoulder which didn't waver Ruchi away.

Unknown to both the girls, Aryan did hear everything that Ruchi blabbered since the day she voyaged his aphonic life but he castigated tempestuously if Samiksha attempted to talk to him for some sick reason. And Samiksha hated him for his guts and felt inferior whenever Ruchi paid more attention to him than her because she never missed the victorious grin of that sly fatty boy who snatched her innocent 'Baby' and was hell bent on ruling her heart without a fail.

He was a future 'playboy', Samiksha was assured while boiling in her rage against him.

"What?" Samiksha glowered at him, "If you don't sleep that doesn't mean the world shall sit by your side, motu!!!"

[Motu - fatty]

"Sammy!" Aryan uttered distraught.

"Why are you talking like this, huh? School mein toh tu bada rasgulla ban ke betha rehta hai. Ab teri aawaz kaise nikal rahi hai?" She poured and then turned to his guardian, "Oh dadu, yeh motu aapka hi pota hai na? Isko sikhao phir kuch manners. Meri Baby akele hi bolti rehti hai aur yeh pagal kuch bhi nahi bolta." She rebuked, "Akal wakal cho dhando!!!"

[You sit like a big syrup filled ball in school. How is your voice coming out now? Grandfather, this fatty is your grandson, right? Then make him learn some basic manners. My baby keeps on speaking alone while this idiot never utters a word.]

[Akal wakal cho dhando - Gujrati phrase used for someone who lacks common sense]

"She's a troublemaker not me!" Aryan gnawed, "I hate her!!" His voice inaudible to her ears or he'd be turned bald by now.

His grandfather could just chuckle seeing her fiery attitude and nodded his head in agreement assured his grandson was a tough walnut to put up with.

"Sammy, how's Baby now?" He asked tentatively as he impatiently waited for her to answer, "And where does she live?"

Samiksha narrowed her eyes at him with a look of suspicion, "Why should I tell you?"

"Because I want to meet her."

"Why?"

"I want to see her."

"Why?"

"I want to talk to her."

"Why?" She taunted, "You don't speak to anyone."

Aryan's cheeks puffed up in anger and he couldn't prevent himself from shouting at her, "Are you hard of hearing? I said, I want to meet her!!"

"Aur main bhi nahi bataungi!! Kar le kya karega!!" Samiksha told back, matching his tone, enjoying his frustrated state which resembled her own when she tried to talk to him and unlike Ruchi gave up on her trials.

["And I will not tell you too!! Do whatever you can do!!"]

"Dadu!!" Aryan shook his arm, gaining his attention, "Maine kaha tha na yeh bahot bolti hai aur bewajah chillati hai. Ab aap hi isse pucho na ki Baby kaha rehti hai!!!"

[Dadu - Grandfather]

["I told you that she speaks a lot and yells even more. Now, only you can ask her Baby's address."]

Samiksha teased him furthermore when the senior Mallik intervened, unable to look at his grandson's troubled state anymore.

"Beta, tell him where does your friend lives. He has gone berserk since last night and he'd go mad I think if he doesn't meet the girl sooner." Ajitabh whispered to Samiksha who agreed.

"Okay! Main bata dungi ki woh kaha rehti hai par tu school mein mil lena usse. She is going to attend school from today." She said.

["I will tell you about her place but you can meet her at school."]

"That's a good idea."

"No!" Aryan was adamant. "I want to see her now, Dadu!" He was resistant in his approach to meet Ruchi whose sight and soothing words shall only calm down his incensed mind.

His grandfather and Samiksha want to avoid visiting the Batra's this early when it was barely seven in the morning but seeing Aryan's determination even Samiksha gave up her theory and gave into his childish demand to meet Ruchi.

They took up the car which they came into assuring Samiksha's Aunt who was fully skeptical of sending her along with the strangers who turned up their door at such an odd hour but knowing Samiksha's careless nature she couldn't do much.

Ajitabh sat on the passenger seat while Aryan and Samiksha occupied the back ones quickly.

Aryan was nervously chewing onto his nails anticipating to meet 'his Baby' as early as he could and apologize to her for his aloofness and gladly accept her forced friendship with vigor and love. He also wanted to bid her on about the secret wish he'd carried that he too wanted to promise her that he'll be the one marrying her when they grow up and built a house near the river with two puppies named Butter and Berry just like her choice.

"Are you going to tell her that you love her?" Samiksha propelled urgently, pinching Aryan's arm who looked at her as if she had grown horns. "Are motu bata na..."

["Hey, fatso tell me.."]

"Were you mad since starting or just developed the symptoms!!?" He asked in a taut voice.

Samiksha ignored the jibe, "If you plan to tell her that you love her then you should present her white roses along with coral lilies, a box of nutty chocolates and..." She thought for a second, "Yeah! And a white tuxedo because she loves suits."

"Girls do not wear tuxedos!" Aryan requisitioned not surprised a bit by her poor IQ which her best friend callously narrated to him about, beforehand.

"Shut up! I'm helping you here. Ehsaan faramosh kahi ka!!" Samiksha squinted her nose at him hotly done with his rudeness which was no less than her favorite source of fun, namely Kartik Batra. She loved to riddle people and her best friend's brother was a kickstart for her pranking mood.

["Ungrateful!"]

"Where was I? Oh yeah, remember to buy her favorite flowers and also you'd have to write my homework for the next two months as a complementary gesture of gratitude."

"Fine!" Aryan grumbled, agreeing to her depraved proposition.

Samiksha after a few minutes shook his shoulder again earning a murderous glare from Aryan which didn't affect her much as she was used to an ample amount offered by Kartik.

"Par tune mujhe abhi bhi nahi bataya ki tu meri Baby se-"

["Until now you didn't tell me that are you going to propose to my Baby-??"]

"Okay, listen at once now! I am proposing to my Baby once we reach her home and now don't dare bother me!" He declared loud enough for the driver and his grandfather to hear and covered it with an awkward laugh, "Aur woh meri Baby hai." Aryan certified remembering the thing he wanted to let out for so long, especially to Samiksha who went around bragging of her orthodox entitlement on his girl.

["And she is my Baby."]

Samiksha's eyes widened in rage hearing him making her glower at Aryan, "Oye, motu! Tu abhi aaya hai aur mein tujhse pehle se uski best friend hoon. Apni had mein reh, ehsaan faramosh!!"

["Hey fatso! You have just come now and I have been her best friend since before. And stay in your limits, you inconsiderate fellow!"]

"I'm her soon to be husband, short stuff! She will obviously love me more than you or anyone else." Aryan told arrogantly, gladly imagining the endearment for himself that'd associate him with his girl.

"Motu, teri toh main na-!!" Samiksha grated her teeth furiously with his proud claim when the car suddenly came to a halt pushing them to the front.

["Fatty, I am not going to spare you!"]

"What are you doing, driver uncle?" Aryan voiced rubbing where Samiksha's hard head collided with his due to the commotion.

"What the hell do you feed on, short stuff?" Aryan chided while Samiksha punched his face causing him to groan in frustration.

"Lo aa gaye hum!" Samiksha informed, noticing Ruchi's lane from the car's window. She jumped out of the car followed by Aryan who eagerly stood by her side searching for the house.

["Here we come!!"]

"Par Baby kidhar hai?" Aryan questioned fervently.

["But where is Baby?"]

"Ghode pe aa rahi hai woh tere liye, motu!!" Samiksha shouted teasingly, running away in a crowd that was gathered followed by Aryan who tried to match her pace but lacked behind.

["She'd be coming riding on a horse for you, fatty!!"]

Aryan stopped and huffed once reaching where Samiksha stopped by and chastised her for her thuggish capers, "Once I tell Baby of your roguish self, she'd disown you."

But Samiksha surprisingly didn't reply to him and concentrated on the sight in front of them where Sujal was carrying an unconscious Ruchi while tears brimmed his eyes followed by Kartik who urgently sat in the car settling her on his lap while his father drove away while the people around talked in blatant whispers.

"Why did you run, kids?" Aryan's grandfather asked, then looked at the crowd concerned, sensing a problem, "What happened here?"

"Oh! The girl living in that house got locked in the house bauji, she's barely breathing and her family took her to the hospital just now." A fellow neighbor informed.

[Bauji - An Indian form of respectful address for an elderly man.]

"Arey, the poor girl has got a bad fate to deal with." A woman interrupted, "A drunk father and what could be said about her runaway mother-"

"Don't talk rubbish about my brother! He didn't know anything except when he arrived early in the morning from his catering shift." Sushma admonished the lady, asking the crowd to scatter away from their entrance. "It was Ruchi who mistakenly locked the door."

"How can your niece lock the door from inside, Sushma? When you know the door was found bolted in the morning. All of us heard her yelling reverberating late through the night and a barely standing Sunil who answered the door an hour ago who reeked of liquor." The woman retorted, "And we all know what a great father your brother and his wife had been!" She mocked further.

"Even roadside beggars treat their child better than your family, penji."

[Penji - sister]

"Where's Ruchi, aunty?" Samiksha interrupted, "Where did they take her?"

"Uh.. she's having a fever." Sushma said nervously seeing Samiksha there, "Go back to your house now. She's not coming back any sooner. Go now."

"But-" Samiksha and Aryan protested when his grandfather held their hands and brought them near the car.

"Kids! We are going back." He stated.

Ajitabh had understood what kind of a twisted family Ruchi had and he wanted to avoid the situation as much as he wanted to meet the girl himself hearing Aryan's adoration for her but this was the right thing to do at the moment. Aryan and Samiksha both were not in an age to understand the complexities of vicious people and their actions and the social picture displayed by Batra's were anything far from generous

"Dadu, No!" Aryan and Samiksha objected to his verdict. "Ruchi is unwell and we need to meet her."

"We are returning and that's final. You can meet her when she gets well and attends school."

Samiksha begrudgingly agreed to sit in the car after rounds of fussing while Aryan retaliated to no end, moving his hands up in the air and bent on waiting for Ruchi to come back. He was ready to defy the words until Ruchi returned sound and fine so that he could meet her.

His feral objections made Ajitabh to forcefully carry away Aryan to the car because he wasn't giving up without a fight that was a first because his grandfather was his first go-to person and that encouraged him to confide about Ruchi and bring him along to see her unknown to his rest of the family but now Aryan couldn't digest why his grandfather was taking him without fulfilling the purpose of their visit.

"I want to meet her!" Aryan cried clutching the car door trying to open it and once again stood outside her house, "Dadu, please I want to see her!!" He shouted.

"Tu kyun kuch bhi nahi bol rahi hai, short stuff?" Aryan bellowed, fed up by her silence, "Don't you want to meet Baby?"

["Why are you not speaking anything now, short stuff?"]

"I'll come again and further investigate her brother. I know they all are lying but Kartik would never lie to me. He always spills the truth on my face." She told him boastfully.

"But-"

"Do you want me to cry like you then?" Samiksha propelled, "You look like a stinky pig resembling a fussing kid." Aryan's face turned into streaks of whimpers again when Samiksha growled at him with a warning, "Stop making those faces now else I'll murder you before you can meet Baby..!!"

"Your Aloo will wait for you, Baby. Please get well and come back home soon." He mewled softly trying to suppress his voice painfully, "And I promise, your Aloo loves you too, Baby!" He sobbed as the car wheeled out from Ruchi's lane beginning his journey to practice patience and proving the purity of both his loyalty and his innocent love for her.

Hopefully, this update helps to heal our heartbreak for now.

Lots of Love,

ANKITA