chapter 16 / bomb

The morning sunlight streamed through the curtains of Verena's cozy flat, casting a warm glow over the couple tangled in the sheets. Shubman stretched lazily, a satisfied smirk tugging at his lips as he glanced down at Verena, who was still snuggled against his chest. Her soft breathing was the only sound in the room, but his mind was already spinning with ideas.

He had been thinking about it for weeks—dropping a tiny hint about their relationship, a cryptic post that would let the world know he wasn't as single as everyone thought. But he wasn't ready to give away too much. Just enough to drive people mad.

Sliding carefully out of bed, Shubman grabbed his phone from the nightstand and scrolled through his camera roll. He paused at a picture they'd taken just last night.

"Perfect," he muttered to himself, his lips quirking into a grin.

"What's perfect?" Verena's sleepy voice broke through his thoughts. She stretched like a cat, her eyes fluttering open as she propped herself up on one elbow to look at him.

"Morning, baby," he murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "Just looking at something. Go back to sleep."

Her brows furrowed as she reached for his phone. "Let me see."

Shubman laughed, holding it just out of her reach. "Nuh-uh. It's a surprise."

"Gill," she warned, her voice playful but edged with curiosity. "What are you up to?"

He shrugged innocently, climbing back into bed and pulling her onto his lap. "Nothing you wouldn't approve of. Just thinking it's time to give people a little something to talk about."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You're not... posting about us, are you?"

"Not exactly," he replied, his tone mischievous. "Just this." He turned the phone to show her the picture.

She stared at it for a moment before breaking into a smile. "You're evil."

"And you love it," he teased, nipping at her earlobe. "Besides, they can't see your face. Just enough to drive the internet insane."

"You're such a menace, Shubman," she said, laughing as she tugged his hair lightly. "Fine, post it. But if people figure it out, you're explaining to my parents."

He snorted. "Deal."

The Instagram Post

An hour later, Shubman casually uploaded the photo to his Instagram stories with a simple caption:
"Nothing like starting the day with my lucky charm ❤️🫶"

shubmangill has posted

Nothing like starting the day with my lucky charm ❤️🫶

Within seconds, his DMs exploded. His teammates were the first to react.

Hardik Pandya: BROOOO. WTF IS THIS?!

Virat Kohli: This the girl you've been hyping up to us? Damn, Gill. Respect.

Rishabh Pant: My man finally dropped a bomb on the timeline. Bold.

Yashasvi Jaiswal: Bet your fans are crying right now.

KL Rahul: Bold move, lover boy. You ready for the chaos?

Meanwhile, the internet was losing its collective mind. Fans were screeching in the comments section of his latest posts, trying to piece together clues. 

Speculations ranged from "Shubman's new mystery girlfriend" to wild theories about him dating a Bollywood actress.

Back in the flat, Verena sat cross-legged on the couch, scrolling through Twitter with a look of amusement. 

"You've unleashed hell, Shubi."

He flopped down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Let them talk. They'll never know it's you."

"Still," she said, turning to face him. "You're going to deal with your friends blowing up your phone all day."

He kissed her temple, grinning. "Worth it. Besides, they'll love you when they meet you."

Verena rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"Yeah," he said, pulling her closer. "But I'm your impossible."

Her laughter echoed through the room as Shubman's phone buzzed again, the chaos in his DMs proving that his cryptic post had done exactly what he'd hoped.

SOUP RANTS!

the sixteenth chapter is here!
did we like it?
do comment your favorite part
what do you think will happen in the next chapter?

until then
yours lovingly,
soup <3