PIHA'S POV:
[The next day ]
25th March

I place my head on mom's lap and she massages it for me.

"What ya Pihu? You look so excited today— I mean, of course, it's Malaysia against us today but you aren't so delighted every matchday. Anything different today?" Di says wriggling her eyebrows and I glare at her.

At this rate— I'm sure she'll expose me someday.

I continue ignoring Di and Mom as they giggle and I frown- "Will you two stop, it's just that— it's been almost a month since our team last played and as usual, I'm super pumped up to see Kaushal play."

I lie and mom shakes her head in dissatisfaction.

"Pihu, what time is your shift tomorrow?" She asks as she taps her fingers on my forehead.

"Six-thirty in the morning, Mummy (Mom), though the surgery is scheduled for eight a.m."

She huffs- "Pihu. You know right your schedule will tight from now onwards given that you're working as a surgeon and after your post-graduation too. It won't necessarily be a nine-to-five job, there will be days— when you won't even get sleep for a few hours, when you'll have to operate on a patient for hours empty stomach that too without breaks. Are you ready for it Piha? You give yourself to this field?"

I smile at her and her tensed body relaxes- "Yes Mom, I don't mind not sleeping for days, not eating for days, working on a stranger for hours. I'm ready to do every single thing which helps me complete Roman's dream, which gives him peace. He's always made me happy, then isn't this what I should be doing?"

"I'll do everything it takes to make him joyous, to bring a smile on his face. So that he actually rests in peace." I say as a lone tear escapes my eye and I straighten myself from the sleeping position.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying my doll." Dad hurries up to where we're sitting.

He cups my face and I bury my face in his chest as I begin to weep- "I-I shouldn't have let him go. Wh..why did I have to graduate that day, why didn't h..he have any surgery lined up that day? I wi-wish everything was just a nightmare."

I feel him stroke my hair as he says- "Pihu, we would bring him back if we could, right? But we can't, we can't decide everything happening around us— maybe life had something else planned out for him."

"D..dad what plan? For giving him the suffering he's never deserved. How much ever I pray, how much ever I beg– h..he just won't come back. People say right — 'you go to God when you die and only there you can meet your loved ones', then I want to go to God too."

"I want to die."

___________________

Grabbing the bowl of popcorn from the dining table, I make myself comfortable on the divan (a bed consisting of a base and mattress but no footboard or headboard) and watch both the teams on TV screen get ready for raid one which will be Malaysias' as they won the toss and decided to raid first.

The umpire blows the whistle and Najib Yassin, Malaysia's raider, crosses the mid-line causing the crowd to roar in enthusiasm and my attention involuntarily drifts to Ansh, formerly known as Raghvansh Sir.

I giggle and continue to watch Ansh— who's holding Rizwan Siddiqui's hand forming the centre chain.

Good. Now I can watch him all I want without feeling like a creep as he won't be able to sense my stare.

He looks hot, Piha. What nonsense? Why would I call him hot? Narrowing my gaze, I look at him as he asserts something to Rizwan beside him, his jersey sticking to his torso— giving a rough outline of his physique and sweat dripping down his forehead.

I can't help but agree with my internals.

Ignoring my stupid thoughts, I continue listening to the commentary-

"Here we go. Najib Yassin has never scored a Super 10 against the Indian side and well, he'll hope to change that tonight."

"Yes, Ajay he will hope so. If he does one— it's going to be difficult for the Indian side but then again, if you want win against this Indian team— then you require the entire squad to perform, they can't just depend on Najib or the skipper."

"Yes Sunil. and with that— he finishes the first raid which happens to be an empty one. Is Malaysia looking for a chill start?"

"That's a typical Malaysia opening, isn't it? But we'll talk about them later as here comes someone who's overshadowed every player's performance. One-seventy raid points this years with the average of twelve, what can we say about him? He has got thirteen super tens within these three months out which eleven are consecutive— and he doesn't seem to stop."

I'm sure you know who they're talking about, but let me state anyway,

Raghvansh Birla, Ansh.

He enters the opposition's half, his aura enough to change the atmosphere in the stadium and the Malaysian audience goes silent all of sudden.

With his swift footwork he grabs a bonus and touches jersey number 6's arm, who plays as the right-corner.

"Bonus plus one point- India." The umpire standing next to the midline holds out his thumb and index finger as Ansh crosses the line and high-fives' the other players on his side.

I grin ear to ear, munching on my popcorn. How does he manage to do that so easily?!

The commentary continues- "And he does it again! Listen to roar, no one else can make you feel it. None other that the Ice man, Raghvansh Birla. His game just seems to get better everyday. He grabs the point effortlessly as ever and crosses the lines with smile on his face. Maybe that's the psychological advantage Raghvansh has— even after the touch, no one dared to give in. Did you see that? The right corners didn't even try to hold his ankle."

"Not that it would make a difference, Ajay. Once Raghvansh touches you, he'll be gone if you don't react that very second. All these years— we've always been fans of his reflexes, but what about his speed? If he wasn't playing Kabaddi, he would probably being killing it on the running tracks."

"Isn't than obvious, Sunil. Am trying to not be selfish here, but we're thankful he didn't chose anything else or we would've lost a gem like him."

Both the commentators share a laugh and the match continues as Abdul Reehad from the opposition comes for the next raid.

___________________

I unlock my phone and tap on Whatsapp, opening his chat window

He still hasn't replied. How will he, Piha? Didn't the match just get over.

The match got over...like one and half hour ago. Maybe he doesn't want to talk to me.

I sigh and re-read the text I sent him the minute match got over.

You : Ansh ya, how do you manage to play so good every single time?! Congratulations to you and your team. I told you right— you would do a super 10 today. See you did, but what's more important is that you gave your best, for your country, for your fans and as a result, you won the match— that too by a big margin. And your Roll-kick hitting directly the left corner's shoulder— dad and mom are still talking about it, but I can't blame them, right? It was so exciting to see you playing after long (though it was just one month). Anyway, once again- congratulations to you Ansh. Enjoy!

Shaping my head in disappointment, I walk into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. I chuck down the entire glass hastily and wipe my mouth with the back of my palm.

Is he tired of me? I like talking to him but what if he doesn't? Maybe he really doesn't.

My phone beeps. Keeping the empty glass on the island of the kitchen, I pick up my phone only to grin.

Why?

Because he texted me. Haha. Shrugging of my excitement, I read his text with a smile on my face-

Raghvansh Sir : Piha, do you know how happy I am? Let me tell you, I'm grining like an idiot right now and it's not just because we won the match, you want to know why?

I gape out of curosity as my fingers glide over the keyboard-

You : Why is that so Ansh??

I quickly tap on edit and change his name to Ansh and feel the temperature on my cheeks rise.

Walking out if the kitchen, I plonk myself on the sofa in the living where I'm sitting alone as Mom, Dad and Di had some office work and they're in the bedroom upstairs, which belongs to mom and dad.

Summarising, India won the match by 60-40, which you can see was a very exciting and high scoring match. 60 points of which Ansh scored 15 raid points, not to forget the bonuns he stole (not in literal sense, of course).

9 raid points by Tejas, who is also a raider, 6 by Kaushal, who plays as the right corner. Rest were scored in bits and pieces by the all-rounders and anti-raiders.

The game was over by 10:15 PM MYT (Malaysian Time) which is 7:45 PM in India.

I come out of my parallel universe as my phone lights up with his text.

Ansh : Because...this was the first time I opened my phone and found a congratulations text you know. It feels good to have a text lined up when I unlock my phone after a match, that too saying I played good. Thank you Piha. It means a lot to me, more that you think it means.

I bite my lower lip as I type-

You : You're flattering me now, Ansh. I'm happy that you're happy.

I squeeze my eyes shut as I realise how wrong it sounds. It sounds like as if you're a goner in love, Piha, 'I'm happy that you're happy'.

I curse myself and read his text as soon as my phone beeps.

Ansh : You know how much I love that nickname right, Piha? Anyway, I'm sorry for the late reply, we were caught up with the post match celebration. Tell me— did you enjoy the match?

I blink twice figuring out why he would ask me that and type-

You : Of course I did...why wouldn't anyone? You know right, how exciting the second half was? I'll watch it again after a while, as in the highlights. Am I disturbing you?

Ansh : No Piha, you're not. We're still in the team bus, maybe we'll get down after a few minutes given to the traffic here. But then, no you're not disturbing me.

I grin and type-

You : That's good then. You have anything else lined up after this? As in signing event or something?

Ansh : No no, there won't be any as it's quite late now, almost 12 AM here. Everyone will just retire to their rooms.

I  frown as it hits me that it is pretty late there and I shouldn't be disturbing him now-

You : Ansh, I'll let you rest now, you must be tired now as it's late and also that you might be quite exhausted after the match. Take care!

Sighing, I keep my phone.

Dumb me was so excited to talk me tonight, but yes I did forget about time difference and also that he would be tired after a long game.

As I'm about to walk into my room, my phone beeps and I unlock it within a fraction of seconds-

Ansh : You're funny Piha. We're getting on call once I reach my room- K?

"Chill Piha he's joking. Why would he give up on his precious sleep for you?" I tell myself and let out a nervous chuckle.

You : It's 12, right? You'll sleep now, wouldn't you?

Biting my fingernails, I wait patiently.

Ansh : No Piha. I won't sleep till 1:30 or 2, which I usually don't during match days, then if at all I feel drowsy— maybe I'll sleep. Do you not want to talk to me?

I shake my head in disagreement, and type-

You : Of course I want to.

You : I mean, I would like to talk to you.

"Piha, you gotta keep your excitement in limit when you talk to him." I warn myself. I'm sure I won't be able to, but I don't want to look like an Idiot in Ansh's eyes, so I'll try.

Ansh : Okay, we're getting down the bus now, I'll call you in ten. If that's okay with you?

I type instantly-

You : Yes Ansh, that's okay with me.

I press the lock button and walk into my room only to here Di say- "Hey Pihu, why are you grinning so often nowadays? The Raghvansh effect, is it?"

Glaring at her, I say in a warning tone- "Di! Stop teasing me, go away."

She gets up from the bed and pulls my cheek- "You aren't even scary— majhi baheen (my sister)!"

I push her hand away gently and say- "Okay, go now! Go talk to your Utkarsh."

Widening her eyes, she says- "I don't even know wh-what you're talking about."

I see her cheeks redden and let out a laugh- "Clearly."

"I'm going, okay? I'll sleep in the room beside Mom Dads' as you need privacy nowadays," She says trying to cover up her blush.

"Oh really? Is it just me who requires privacy?" I narrow my eyes at her. "If you need anything, call me, okay?"

She nods and ruffling my hair, she walks out of the room, but not before yelling a 'bye'. I close the door and walk up to my bed .

I unlock my phone as I drop myself on the bed and continue to waiting for his call. Tapping my fingers on the pillow kept on my lap, I grin as my phone rings.

I don't take a second to pick up the call.

"Hello." his deep voice falls onto my ear— enough for me to shiver.

"Hi," I say, and my voice comes out softer than usual. Are you even audible, Piha?

Should I say 'hi' once again? No no, it'll be annoying—if he heard it the first time.

As I'm about to say it once again, I hear him say- "Do you even know how goddamn warm and cosy your voice sounds?"

I gape and reply on reflex, at the speed of light- "It's ugly."

"Say that again and I'll make sure you regret it." I gulp hearing his scary voice.

Taking a few second to compose myself, I reply- "Wh-why? What did I say?"

"About your voice, Piha. How could say that? Your voice is the most peaceful sound— I've heard in my entire life," He says, causing my breath to hitch. 

In my entire life? 

It's surely the ugliest voice I've ever heard in my entire life. Peaceful? 

"Sir, I'm sure you mean to say something else, because you make no sense," I say, and curl up like a fur ball.

"Is it me who doesn't make sense? Or is it you who doesn't make sense, Piha?" 

"Huh?" I say, as confusion takes over me.

"Piha. If you keep telling yourself— your voice is ugly, you're not beautiful, you're not a good person, then you would never understand why others say that, right? No one would make sense to you." 

I reply instantly- "But no one else says that-"

"People in this world are selfish, Piha. All they care about is themselves, I don't mind being labelled as a hypocrite here. Even I'm selfish, and it's good to be selfish upto a limit, you're just making yourself a priority, and if you don't ever do that— you won't be happy."

He takes a deep breath and says in a tone as if annoyed- "Be confident Piha. Learn your worth. Look at yourself in the mirror— you'll understand why I call you pretty all the time. Ask your patients for feedback, you'll understand how intelligent and capable you are."

"And look at your past deeds and behavior, Piha. I'm suprised you don't know how amazing you are as a person. You'll celebrate with your family when you're happy, when you've achieved something, but will you cry and tell your family what you really think? About how lonely you are from within? Tell me?" 

Would I? No, I would never. They would think— as if they failed as a family. 

"No, I can't tell them, they-they'll feel disappointed. They don't need to need to know," I say bitterly.

"Really, is that so?" He laughs, mocking me. "Why don't you join the dots, Piha?"

"What dots?" It comes out rude. I squeeze my eyes shut realizing how much I'll regret speaking to him this way.

"You say you feel lonely, why do you feel so? Have you ever tried to figure it out? No Piha, you haven't."

"You won't feel lonely if you talk to your family, right? Talk to them Piha, let them know how you feel. It has a reason to it, doesn't it? I'm sure they know it. I don't know about it, I can't make you feel better, but just know that I'm always here to listen to you, I'm here to give you a shoulder for crying, not in literal sense as we can't see each other right now. But you're understanding what I mean, right?"

I nod as tears threaten to escape my eye. I'm stupid, I'm so stupid. I didn't just hurt them, I hurt myself too.

Talking a deep breath, I say as my voice comes out heavy- "Thank you, Sir. I got what you said."

"Stop holding back your tears, not in front of me, please. There's nothing to be embarrased about, you've seen me cry, haven't you? I don't feel bad about it-" He stops and I hear him say something to himself.

"Dammit. Piha, I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable. I didn't mean to, I swear to-" He begins only for me to intrupt.

"No, not at all Ansh. In fact, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act so rude, I don't know what got into me. I'm sorry," I say and bury my face in pillow. 

"Didn't I tell you— I don't mind anything you say?" He nervously chuckles. "I didn't mean to scold you this way or meddle in your life, I just want you to understand and consider my suggession, okay?"

I trace my fingernails and say- "I know, Ansh. You wouldn't have a bad intension, you're a good person."

I sense him smile on the other side and we maintain a silence for couple of minutes.

How can he have that power? The power to make me smile, cry and laugh— all at the same time.

It makes me realise how much he knows me— about me. It feels as if I don't want to stop. I want to tell him everything, I want to know everything about him.

"Let's not make you sadder, tell me, how was your day? What did you do?" He says and I shift my pillow flat on the mattress— placing my head on it.

Smiling at the ceiling, I reply- "Nothing special. Given that I had the entire day free— I didn't do anything productive. I got up by nine, studied for a while, spent rest of the lottering around and after that, as you know— I watched the game," I say and fiddle with the end of the quilt. 

Something's not in place. Something feels incomplete. I squeeze my eyes shut, figuring out what's wrong. The warmth of his hand, isn't it, Piha?

My eyes open on it's accord. I lift my palm and stare at it as if it's proven guilty for something. These stupid hands, how dare they miss his large ones?!

Stop blaming poor hands, Piha. Not their fault. Don't you feel warm and comfortable with him?

I do. Talking to him makes me happy. He's so freaking sorted and has the answer to all the problems in world. Little did I think he would be like this off-field. 

Everything feels so comfortble with him. I could go talking to him for hours and hours and still wouldn't get bored.

It's the same way, beloved Piha. Your hands feel comfortable and warm with his. They fell protected and safe. 

Protected and Safe, how is that?

You're silly, Piha. When you're with him, have you ever felt unsafe or has thought of you running away from him because it felt like he was behaving weird and shady— ever crossed your mind. Do you feel like you're safe, does it feel like nothing bad can happen when he's around?

I cover my mouth to not let my gasp reach Ansh's ears.

Does that mean I feel protected around him? Do I miss that feel? Do I...?

Yes, you do! Took you too long to understand, Piha. I miss him being around me.

I miss him.

~√~√

Author's note*

Hope you liked the chapter and do let me know about it <3
Also, do not forget to read the 'new story' part :-)