Beautiful mood board made by perhaps Biggest Fan of mine, my ranlia FC and FROS <3 Ily sumuuu 

As promised, here's getting back to our original ongoing relationship timeline track :)

I'm so proud of the way you guys took the discontinuation news of *New Track* , so positively! 

You'll get random story lines in each chapter (in fact that's how an OS works but I was keeping a chronological order in my story - right before the new track). I might even repeat a story plot, that could have been already published in this book, but with a new perspective and diff imagination altogether. You get the deal right ? 

Got more than thirty story ideas already for this book so lemme do all of them as fast as I can. I cannot wait to write their marriage and post marriage chaps (ughhh) ! I've got even kid scenes hahaha xD

I'll write stuff acc to my mood and passion in respect to that particular ranlia memory/spotting/imagination. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[ BKC Sports Complex Ground]

The ground simmered with players. 

All Stars Football Club aka ASFC were ready for their big match. As part of their charity football matches, they had joined hands with Aamir Khan's young and thoughtful daughter Ira, to help raise fund for her NGO. 

Big celebrity players were present, buzzing all over the complex, discussing strategies, developing friendships and most of all, enjoying the attention they've been getting all along from public, soccer fans and media. 

Players mostly came along with their spouses/children/love interests/cousins and friends. It was a matter of flaunt and pride. To have their loved one's cheer for them and their team. 

Ranbir had never invited girlfriends from his past for any of his match! 

They of course joined him in his success bash and celebratory parties but never on his ISL/ASFC matches. There are two reasons for the same : 

a) They don't get soccer the way he does. Probably hate the game more for the attention it gets from him. Ranbir and football are a mental match made in his head. 

b) unwanted media attention and the hassle that comes alongside being his celebrated partner. 

Besides the above mentioned reasons, there exists a secret reason as to why his girlfriends were never even asked out to join him for his soccer ventures. Ranbir like any other man in love with his field game, wanted his partner to cheer for him from the stadium. But given the lack of interest shown by his then partners, he thought it was better they never attended his game. 

But the season changed and so did his love interest. 

Ranbir watched the roads brush past him, as his driver drove their vehicle. He wore his usual game attire - shirt, shorts, most days a brightly coloured bandana adorning his head with pride and his extra gripped nike shoes. 

As he scrolled through his whatsapp chats, his hands stopped moving upon finding her name. 

A l i a 

Should he call her ? Won't she be busy ?

He had been thinking and in fact over thinking about this for more than a week. Ayaan and Rohit had laughed with their stomach's clutched, when they heard his reason of misery. 

Without playing more with the same depressing thought, he began typing on his phone. 

" Hi :)"

"ASFC match today. On my way to BKC. Would you mind if I ask you to join ?" 

he smiled at how formal it seemed but then again he was scared to know her reply. 

"xoxo" ended the lil morning message for his girl. She giggled every time he sent an xoxo after every chat. It made him real and fun, she said.

Also cute, she would add. 

Switching his phone off, his mind retraced to the more important deal at hand - to give their best performance today. They had to put up an impressive fight in spite of the fact that they'd still be able to raise a generous amount of fund even if they fail or succeed. Crowd would buzz in to see them. So there was no point of fuzzing over how much they'll collect. 

As the vehicle dashed inside the gate of the complex building, he waited at first for his driver to make sure he could get off from the car. Media men shouted at his name, covering the car from all side.  got out first and made sure to create a comfortable space for his boss to emerge out. After making sure it's safe, he pulled the door and out came Ranbir, who walked ahead with sass, leaving behind a chaos of fans and media. 

Upon reaching the stadium entrance, he met with the officials and Ira who smiled at him with gratitude. Shaking hands with some fifty odd men and women, he moved past to meet his team who had already assembled on the green ground below. 

As he immersed in communicating with his boys, giving them random advices here and there, taking in a sharp detail of the field and discussing strategies, a hand snaked around his shoulder in a firm grip. 

His face lightened immediately. 

Wow, she's fast !

As he turned head to his right, with a big grin, he met with a pair of eyes, familiar but not the one's he expected. 

"Fubu ?"! 

Argh, groaned Ranbir, hitting his head. 

He expected his girlfriend but was offered his oldest good friend - Arjun Kapoor, grinning at him. 

"Aww, you expected somebody else Rana ?" chuckled Fubu, applying salt to his friend's wound. 

"Nahi, teri bhoot jaisi shakal ka intezaar kar raha tha and yay! you dropped from heaven." His snarky statement caused a laughter tremor across the field and a large booming voice echoed in their ear. It was Abhishek, captain of ASFC. 

He walked up to them and hugged both his pals. "Why are you annoying him in the morning itself Fubs ? Not fair" exclaimed Abhi, protecting his little brother aka Ranbir. "Janaab kisi aur ka intezaar kar rahe hain. I thought pooch liya jaaye." Arjun had a sixth sense that kicked most of their butts, at the wrong time. 

"Ooooooh" Abhishek had his face turn up in a knowing grin. He wasn't a great fan of Ranbir's interest in love. He had known the kid ever since he was handed a little bundle of weird looking baby, by his mother, at the hospital. They had gone to visit the heir of the Kapoor's, their family friends. Ranbir was born into great pomp and celebration. He was after all the prayer of one entire clan.

A gentle kick from the new born had little Abhi flash a toothy laugh and he declared him as his own kid brother ever since. He was fiercely protective of Ranbir. And for some reason he never got along with his other two partners even though they had worked in films and he had a healthy colleague bond with them personally. 

News of Alia and him dating came as a breeze of surprise. 

Alia had always been upfront about her fondness for Ranbir which made the relationship, more precious. Because he knew how fond Ranbir himself was of Alia, but never spoke much about it unlike her. Secretly he had wished for them to be together and they did, which made him and his wife, quite too excited. Alia was perfect for him in every way. 

"Come on  boys, let's gear up" clapped Abhishek , loud and clear, to assemble his team to the other side. The game was about to begin. Players were ready to burst. Neeta Ambani and her son Aakash were already making their presence felt in the gallery. Media had settled themselves with their huge camera's, as well.

Ranbir had a quick warm up session with his team and they jointly did a cheer up ritual to boost energy and confidence. As his eyes trained on the field and the net, his ears perked up all of a sudden. 

A familiar voice, subtle yet strong enough for him to catch, reached him. 

He was quick to recognize it's fall and rise. It was her. 

She had arrived !

His whole body snapped towards the gallery to see two young girls, one in a jersey similar to his and the other in a crop top, talking animatedly to Neeta Ambani and her son Akash. His eyes twinkled like the stars, on a silent blue sky. Glittering with a passion. His face curved up to form a dazzling smile, lightening his entire body. 

At last she had arrived, along with Kanch. 

While he figured it was Akansha her best friend who wore a crop top, the other one automatically had to be Alia. And she was. 

But it raced his heart to see her in a blue jersey, similar to his. With number 8 !

She had her hair flowing down her shoulder, sun glass over her eyes, natural to no makeup and a shirt tied around her stomach. He couldn't help but flash a full blown smile at her laughing self, even though she couldn't see him. They were busy chatting with the Ambani's and Alia was making it hard for him to not blush with the the kind of gorgeous laughter emanating from her. 

As he kept staring at her like a fool from the field below, Kanch spotted him and waved with a bright smile. He waved back and waited for her stupid friend to turn in and do the deed. As if reading his mind, she did turn around to find him looking at her. 

His hand automatically rose again in the air to wave at her, with a smile he rarely flashed. 

Alia smiled back at him and waved back while motioning him that she will climb down to meet him. He shook his head with a chuckle (for no reason again, just normal ranbir in love with alia thing). As he rushed to reach her first in the middle, a body crashed against Alia, making her gasp. 

It took him few minutes to realize that someone was actually hugging her and not had bumped into her, although it seemed so. A tall guy was hugging the hell out of his girl and Ranbir stood few feet below from them, watching the scene like a hawk. 

Who on earth is he ?

He counted in his head up till ten, waiting for this jinn to evaporate from whichever lamp he came from. But he didn't. 

The bastard had the nerves to stay clung to her body, even after they had ended their sweet hug session which again felt like an eternity. Ranbir couldn't figure out his identity since they had their back towards him. Upon walking closer to where they stood, he heard her speak in a cheerful tone. 

"Rishabh ?! Omg what a surprise. Where were you all this while ? My god look at him Kanch, he's grown hotter than he used to be back in school." The said guy rubbed his back with sly, making Ranbir cringe at her words. Oh, so he's a college sweet heart who apparently was hot , he thought. 

"I know Als. Look at them muscles. I'm sure you've got girls falling for you everywhere" laughed Kanch in her high octane, tar - ish voice making him cringe more. She must have heard him murmuring. "Hey RK, come na meet Rish" called Kanch, making him startled at first but he composed back into his neutral 'nothing-affects-me-kapoor-guy' setting. 

He approached them with his head held high, shoulder stiff and a curt smile. She shouldn't have even an iota of doubt over his uneasiness on her 'rish' ! Instead of greeting her, he went in to hug Kanch first and from his shoulders, he saw her raise her eyebrows playfully. 

Of course you don't know miss, he groaned. 

"Hi Alia, thanks for coming." He grinned and forgot the rish episode for a second while he held his queen in his arms.

She was too small and petite. Just perfect for his big self to hug and engulf. Though it may seem slightly misogynistic, he wanted to protect what was his and be her man. He wanted to feel her sigh and have her tiny hands wrap around him when they hug, and for that reason alone, he had desired for a shorter than him partner . 

Her head came rested right where his heart pounded, with love for her. 

This was a emotion he'll always cherish and be fiercely protective of. He just wanted to blur the world while they stayed cocooned in each other's arm, basking in their love and warmth. 

"Ahem..." a forced cough from Kanch made them separate with a grumpy face. 

"Remind me to cancel this friend of yours. By the way my jersey looks better and sexier on you" he whispered into the shell of her ear, making her inhale deeply. With a quick motion of his perfect finger, he pushed a lone tendril of her hair behind her ear in a seductive sway. Alia smiled in a trance at her audience while her boyfriend with his beast back turned to them, went ahead doing his little sin play with her. 

She eyed him to behave and he winked at her before turning his attention towards the guy in need of a room. 

"Uh, Rish, meet Ra-" as Alia began to introduce, 

"I'm Alia's boyfriend, Ranbir. Nice to meet ya." 

With a single line he had won the game. 

Alia and Kanch awed at his sudden possessiveness, a rare scene for them. Whereas Rishabh and a few players from behind, had their mouth slightly parted at his bold claiming. 

Ranbir shrugged at his girl like it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't though. He claimed what was his. What's there to ogle about ?! 

"Hey man, good to see you" came the reply, in an awkward tone. Without giving him much of his precious attention, Ranbir glanced back at the one who deserved his gaze. 

"Love, my game's about to begin. You both settle somewhere in the middle to be able to see us better. You've got the cheering flags there, so have fun. In case your clueless about what's happening, just ask some of our volunteers. They'll guide you. Need anything, let them know or just ping my manager. Okay ? Wish me luck." 

He spoke to her like a dad right before he leaves the home. Her face turned crimson at his tender instructions as if she wasn't aware about them herself. She kinda understood why he was behaving too non - Ranbir- ly today. It had to do something with the appearance of her old batch mate. She wasn't a great fan of his smug attitude but she got where Ranbir came from. It was natural of him to react this way, in fact he was quite decent throughout except maybe the 'boyfriend' part said with a tone of finality. 

Which she found both hot and irritating. But definitely desirable. 

Like a flash, his lips seared her skin on her forehead. With a gentle kiss above her head and a warm pat on her hair, he jogged to the field not before sending her a flying kiss that made the entire gallery swoon and whistle. 

"What the eff has gotten into him ? Is he Ranbir's doppelganger ?" Kanch had her eyes gauged out while Alia tried to control the onset of a wide as f*k pearly teeth smile, ready to take over her. "I think we should settle in" adviced Rishabh, slightly feeling out of place. Not at once liking the fact that Ranbir got to date Alia, the one he always had a crush upon. 

"What the hell has gotten into you ? Knock knock, is Ranbir there ?" mocked Armaan, his cousin, while their friends laughed at a blushing Bir, joining them on the field. 

"Bhai game pe focus kar lega na ?" asked Bunty ahluwalia, a mutual soccer friend from the industry, also a player. "Bhaiyya has got the best focus skills in the team" broke in Aadar, defending his brother's pride, earning him a grateful look from Ranbir. "Bhaiyya ka chamcha! saar din bhaiya rap karega" Varun who was practicing with the ball, casually  joked and passed by them leaving behind a burst of laughter. 

"Are we ready ?" Abhishek took the center stage and held both his fists in the air. "Yes Captain" yelled the boys in unison. "Then let's roar" he screamed back, sending a wave of energy across the stadium, erupting in cheers and thunderous claps. 

Match had begun and Alia, Kanch, Ira, Neeta ji, Akash and Rishabh had taken their seat respectively in a single row, in the gallery. Akash passed on cheer leading props to the group as they sat back comfortably in their seat, eyes trained on the ground. 

After few minutes into the game, Ranbir scored his first goal, making him erupt into the sky, air fisting with his friends while Alia clapped and whistled for him grinning. "Go Bir Goooo" she screamed, sitting alert on her seat, her eyes not leaving Ranbir even for a a second. "We should have chosen the back seat" joked Akash, chuckling at her plight. 

"Alia, calm down sweetie" teased Kanch, munching on her popcorn, offering few to her friend, who looked least interested in them, her eyes focused on the field below. Varun slipped on the field while aiming for a goal, making her scream in despair. 

"Offo, be careful na idiot" her voice being too loud caught his attention as he rubbed his bum, wincing in pain but smiling at his friend's concern. "I'm fine" he mouthed and sent her a flying kiss which didn't went unnoticed by Ranbir who eyed their muted conversation. "Focus VD ! Eyes on the game" yelled Ranbir as he jogged past him to pat Armaan's back for his splendid shot. 

Abhishek and the rest muffled their giggles unless they wanted to bear his wrath. Ranbir was on a jello mode today, that much was clear. "Bhai sab dekhke khelo, aaj toofan ka mausam hai" Varun commented wryly, the rest smiled knowingly. 

After an hour of game, the match reached it's aggressive, passionate phase. 

Ranbir who had his complete focus on the game, kept stealing glances at Alia in the gallery, to see if she's enjoying, watching him and the game or had dozed off to sleep. She wasn't an expert in soccer, in fact she barely knew the rules but still he wanted her to be a part of his life entirely - which means she got access to his passion which includes cinema and soccer. He wanted her to spark up her interest in the game for his sake at least. 

And she did. 

He had never prayed this hard for any of his partner to fall for the game he loved with every breath. This was all different and magical for them. They were being open, honest and super real with each other. They wanted to surf more into each other's territory and be a part of almost every aspect of their individual lives. Which in itself was a ground breaking development, in both of their relationship quota, respectively. 

"Tu kya dekh raha hai uper ? Abey usse goal hi nahi ho raha" groaned Arjun, pulling back Ranbir to the field. Ranbir understood the situation and he had to do something massive in order to end the game with some weighing pride. They were doing pretty well but not that great. He had to butt in. "Show time" he whispered to no one in particular and closed his eyes for a nano second, inhaling a fresh breath of air. 

With a heavy exhale, he bend a little and looked up to meet with Alia's worried face. She gave a weak smile to boost him up. He nodded his head gently at her and they mouthed 'i love you's' to each other. Turning his head back to the field, Ranbir held his breath. 

He caught the ball right in time and then rose high up in the air. With all the energy mustered, he kicked the ball so hard, that it almost teared the net. 

Game over ! 

They raised a generous amount and some fancy scores for the record.  

The gallery stood up to clap while Alia leapt up first to do a victory dance with her friend. They raised and swirled the flags in air, chanting Ranbir's name. The boys held him up in the air, carrying him over their shoulders while he laughed silently at their joy. 

His eyes met again with hers. 

And before he knew, she ran down stairs to the field, shocking him at first. 

Like a movie scene, it all happened. 

Alia ran with all her might, pulled a stupefied Ranbir down from their shoulders, right into her arms as she jumped upon him, catching him of guard. 

She knocked his breath like a gush of wind, storming over a field of flowers, rocking them. 

He smiled into her hair as she clunged on to him for her dear life. They nestled their heads in each other's arm, whispering love. "So proud of you" she kissed his shoulder. "I love you baby and thank you for coming or else this wouldn't have happened." He thanked with all his heart.

She became the force beneath his wings and he hoped to have her support and presence beside him, all throughout his life. 

****************************

NOTE : I'm a soccer dumb human so forgive me for being incorrect/not delving into much detail of the game/rules. I tried my best lol. 

This was an idea worth two chapter at least but since we follow OS format, had to minimize into one full chapter. I hope you love this as much as I tried to get back into my wattpad writing regime ... it was hard but worth :) 

I'll come up with another football chap in the future and it'll be more special so wait for that ;) This idea had been roaming in my head since forever and I think I gave my best shot. How's jello Bir ? Hot af right ?

Want more jello Bir/Alia scenes ? 

The book's going at full speed and I'm soooooper humbled and proud of our shippers and fellow readers. We'll soon cross 11k !! 

If possible, do gimme my other books, the same love if not more. Will mean so much. 

My college life is done and I've taken a gap year to figure out what to do next. Hopefully you'll get better and quicker updates therefore. 

Can't wait for Rk's bday and for some Ranlia content xoxo 

Much love and light,

Jemi :)