Falling In Love
"Ro bhai, why did we bid for him. We could have got some good wicketkeeper na?", Jasprit Bumrah asked his MI captain.
"Kaun, Ishan? He is a brilliant player. You saw him play. I am sure he would be a great addition to our team", replied Rohit.
"Kya great addition? He would add value if he stops his chapar chapar na? He just knows to irritate, bhai," continued Bumrah.
"Arre you have only played against him. Don't form an opinion based on how he is as an opponent", replied Rohit.
Seems Jas had to put up with this talkative inconvenience a bit.
Ishan joined the camp the next day and Rohit understood what Jassi had meant when he said he was irritating. Ishan wouldn't shut his mouth even for a moment. Add to it, the pranks that he got up to with other youngsters in the team. He had to physically hold back Jas from hitting Ishan when one of his pranks was aimed at the serious bowler.
Ishan maintained his distance from Jasprit after that incident, but even his presence was triggering for Jaasi. "Dekho kaise khi khi kar raha hai. I don't know why Ro bhai rates him so high," he complained to Surya. Surya just gave him a knowing smile- he had seen this story before.
Ishan got a chance to don the wicket keeper gloves in the first match as QDK was joining late. He felt so proud to receive his MI cap from his idol, Rohit Sharma. They were bowling first and Ishan felt good after few balls thudded on safely into his gloves. It was in Bumrah's second over that he got the first chance of a wicket and Ishan grassed the ball. It was a very difficult opportunity and everyone around the pitch acknowledged his effort. But he saw Jasprit walking back shaking his head and Ishan was disappointed with himself.
"Dil pe mat le. Thoda sakth hai launda apna", Surya consoled him after the over.
Ishan finally grabbed his first catch in Jasprit's next over, hanging on to a skyer. While the rest of the team hugged him to congratulate him, all he got from the bowler was a thumbs up. "Kitta khadoos hai ye aadmi", he complained to Hardik.
"Chod na baccha. He will take time to warm up to new people", said Hardik.
MI won the match and Ishan contributed a good 35 runs in the effort. So the dressing room talk had a special mention to him. That was the first time Ishan saw Bumrah clapping for him. He could work with this, Ishan thought.
Owing to mutual connections, Ishan got on very well with Mayank Markande, the two of them hanging out together at all opportunities. Ishan was surprised to see that Jasprit had a problem with that too."Hamesha woh Mayank se bak bak karta rehta hai", he heard him complain to someone.
"Abe, hamesha boyfriend se chipke nahi rehna hai, Mayank. Kabhi kabhi baaki teammates se bhi baat kar lo", Jassi teased during one of the flights.
"Iss nikamme aadmi ko main aaj. He won't talk to me, he has a problem if I talk to anyone. Tu ja usse hi baat kar", said Ishan to Mayank.
"Calm down, sweetie. Kal ko uske sath Indian team mein khelna hoga tujhe. Aise hi jhagadta rahega kya? Ignore maar", Mayank advised.
There seemed to be a constant cold war going on between the pacer and the young wicket keeper. While Jas acknowledged and appreciated his efforts on field, he seemed very distant from Ishan off the field. Finally Rohit decided that it was time for an intervention.
He got both boys in a room and said,"I don't know what your issues are. Baat karke khatam karo. I don't want my team members acting so annoyed at each other".
"This guy irritated me during one of our matches and didn't even apologize", Jasprit complained.
"Arre wah, I was talking to my batting partner. If that irritated you, then it is none of my problem", replied Ishan.
"Ishu, tu umar mein chota hai aur junior bhi hai. Ek baar sorry bol de. Kuch nahi hota", Rohit advised.
"Sorry Bumrah bhai", Ishan said, with a pout.
Bumrah just nodded his head in acknowledgment and Rohit knew it won't end like this. "You two will be travel partners. Baat karo, gana suno, so jao, doesn't matter- but you will sit together on the bus and all flights from now on", he ordered.
"Arre nahi bhaiyya","But I said sorry","Not fair, Ro bhai","Baat kiye bina mar jaaunga","bakwas sunke pak jaaunga" are all the complaints that Rohit Sharma heard before walking out of the room.
They were traveling to Kolkata that day and the fight started in the bus. Ishan complained that he was forced to get up from the window seat. Jas complained that Ishan was taking up too much space. "Sudhar jao, warna dono ko costume punishment mein daal dunga. Stop acting like 5 yr old kids", Rohit warned both.
Ishan tried to keep his mouth shut and maintain distance from Jassi after that, leaning towards the aisle and sleeping. Jassi noticed that he was getting disturbed by people walking in the aisle. He tapped Ishan's shoulder and said,"Why are you blocking others' path?"
"You will complain if I come near you. The other option is curling up on the seat. Galti se pair laga toh you will shout at me. It's my first year here. I don't want to get into Ro bhai's bad books", Ishan replied and went back to sleep.
"Ishan, I won't say anything. You can lean towards this side. Bas shoulder pe mat sona- it is my bowling arm", said Jas, feeling bad for being so rude to the newbie.
Ishan slept a bit more comfortably after that. Once they boarded the flight, Jassi offered the window seat to him. "Nahi. You can take it. I am planning to play some game, anyway", said Ishan.
Ishan played for an hour or so, but got bored after that. He needed to talk. An hour without talking to anyone was the limit his mouth could withstand. Jas noticed him squirming in his seat and asked,"Kya hua? Why do you look so uncomfortable?"
"I can't stay quiet for so long. Can I go and sit with Mayu for some time? Main 10 minutes mein wapas aa jaunga. Dum ghut raha hai. Aap Ro bhai ko mat bolo please", Ishan asked, desperately.
"Haan ja. I won't tell bhaiyya. Waise you can talk to me as well", replied Jassi.
"No. I will keep talking and you will be upset again", Ishan said, getting up to go to Mayank.
Ishan created too much ruckus with his ten minute chat with Mayank that Rohit had to get up and tell him to go back to Jassi."I see you sitting away from your travel partner once more, I am making you his room partner as well", Rohit warned.
Ishan sat down with a pout near Jassi. He didn't know why, but Jasprit Bumrah found that pout very endearing. "He won't do it, Ro bhai daraa rahe hai aise hi", he consoled Ishan.
By the time they landed in Kolkata, Ishan was sleeping, leaning on Jasprit and Jassi was dozing off too. Surya clicked them in their cute pose for journalling purposes and then woke them up. "Uth jao, sleeping partners. Time to go", he teased. The shy smile that Jasprit gave Ishan told Surya that his journals were going to be a hit soon.
Things changed between Ishan and Jasprit after their first day as travel partners. They weren't fighting anymore. While Ishan wasn't at his talkative best near Jas, he always initiated small talk and tried to make Jas comfortable around. Jassi too, didn't get very irritated by Ishan's non sensical talks now. Their travels together were more peaceful. Sometimes Ishan would keep talking and Jassi would just listen, while some time Jassi would ask for space and Ishan would leave him alone and listen to music.
It was one of those team bonding events and Ishan and Jasprit were in the same group with Mayank and Hardik. Ishan seemed to get on well with both Mayank and Hardik and was making jokes all day. Hardik noticed Jasprit's annoyance peaking as the day went by. "Su che? Why are you glaring at that boy? He is able to talk freely with me and Mayank. Why are you getting pissed off?", he asked. Jassi wondered the same.
The next to notice was Sky."Jassi, have you told Ishan that you don't like it when he gets too close to the other boys?",he asked.
"Nahi. I mean what? Why would I have problem if he speaks to someone. Baat kare, hug kare, chumma de, jaan bulaye, isse mujhe kya?", Jassi asked Sky.
"Ok", said Surya. He had a cupid role to play here now. Both these idiots were too stupid to confess to each other. His only problem was that the IPL was getting over soon and he needed time to hatch a foolproof plan. Though Ishan had done enough to be retained for another season, he couldn't be sure. He enlisted Mayank's help in the endeavor.
"Tu just chipakna maximum usko. And address him as Ishu or sweetie. Main bhi toh dekhu iss khadoos ko kaise farak nahi padta", Surya said to Mayank.
The rest of the days, Surya just had to watch the thamasha unfold. Each time Mayank addressed Ishan as sweetie, he could see Jassi grind his teeth. 'Uski chachi ki beti hai kya, jo hamesha sweetie sweetie karke peeche bhagta hai", Jassi grumbled.
"Haan, toh usko pasand hoga Ishan. He is trying to impress him. Tujhe kya?",asked Sky. Jassi just walked away silently.
"If he bounces me and I end up getting injured in the nets, then I am blaming you entirely", said Mayank to Sky.
"Arre, nothing will happen- meri guarantee. My hatta katta sardar ji is breaking down now. Ek do din aur", advised Sky.
Nothing happened over the next few days. Jasprit started ignoring Ishan again and Ishan continued with his shenanigans with Mayank. "Did they fight or something? Why is Jas ignoring Ishan?", Surya asked.
"Kya maloom. Ishan just brushed it off when I asked him if he fought with Jassi bhai. We are on the last match Sky bhai. Aaj kuch nahi hua toh phir aap bhool hi jao", said Mayank.
The tournament didn't go well for MI and it reflected in the dressing room after the last match. While Ishan did his cheer leading work to his best, most people were just too upset."Stop being a joker for attention, Ishan. Read the room- nobody wants your fake cheering", Jassi shouted at him.
That seemed to break the mood in the dressing room. "Come on Jassi. The kid was doing his best to keep the spirits up. Appreciate nahi karna toh at least itna rudely react mat karo na", said Surya.
"Kya hua hai, Jassi? I thought you and Ishan were getting on well now, why would you shout at him in front of everyone?", asked Rohit.
Only Mayank noticed that Ishan slipped out of the dressing room during the chaos. He ran behind Ishan and held him while he cried.
"Mayank, I want to talk to Ishan alone. Can you please give us some time?", Jas asked when he caught up with the two friends.
"Kyu? So that you can hurt him more and this time you don't want witnesses?", asked Mayank.
"Mayu, jaa. I can handle", said Ishan.
"Ishan, I am sorry. Not only for this recent outburst but also for how I have treated you over the last two months. You have been nothing but nice to me and we were even getting on well. I am the one who ruined it all", Jas said.
"Kyu Jassi bhai? What did I do to face this sudden change of behavior?", Ishan asked. Faced with silence from Jas, he started walking away.
"Because I couldn't stand Mayank getting close to you. It hurt to see him call you sweetie and you calling him meri jaan. I wished you wouldn't kiss him on his cheek like he was your boyfriend and hug him all the while. I know you both like each other. I will get over this and maybe we could start over next year", confessed Jasprit.
"Jassi bhai, we are not together. He is dating someone else. We have been playing with each other since few years and that is just the way we are with each other. Not just Mayu, Abhi aur Maan ke sath bhi main aisa hi hu. Doesn't mean anything", Ishan responded.
"Oh? So, if I tell you to stop kissing him, would you stop?", Jassi asked.
"Depends. If you are telling me to stop kissing Mayank because you find it unnatural, then no. But if you are asking me to stop because you would want to be the person receiving the kisses, then yes", replied Ishan, with a shy smile.
Jasprit knew the answer was the second, but he wasn't ready to accept it yet.
"Sochke jawab dena agle saal, Jassi bhai", said Ishan, stressing on the bhai.
"Ish, I think I know the answer, but I want to think a bit and then give you a response. Would it be okay if I message you once in a while? And please, can you call me just Jassi and drop the bhai?", Jas asked, with a blush.
"You can message me, of course, but keep it a bit professional. My friends have no boundaries, they keep reading my messages. I will call you Jassi, but please don't call me Ish in front of others. It is a major turn on", Ishan responded and walked away.
"Come here. Ek hug toh deke ja, Ishu", Jas called him. Jas hugged Ishan and kissed him on his cheek, "I won't call you sweetie, but I understand why Mayank calls you that. I will message you later",letting Ishan go.
They parted ways along with the rest of the team, but the upcoming days promised much, for the prospective couple.
Meanwhile, Surya cribbed to his boyfriend about his failed efforts."I was this close, Harry. Uss Boom Boom ne sab satyanash kar diya. Now I have to start from scratch next year".
