"Shubman "

"Shubman"

Shubman, disoriented, woke up to find himself surrounded by concerned faces.

"What happened?" he asked Rashid, his teammate.

"You fell, bro. When you were introduced to our new owner, Mr. Ishan... You suddenly got unconscious. He was really worried about you."

"Is he still here?" Shubman inquired.

"Umm... no, he had to go for some personal work. But he will come back within an hour."

"He is real then?"

"Why wouldn't he be?"

"No, nothing!"

"Come on, eat something, you are weak," urged Ashish Nehra.

Shubman was in the middle of enjoying his favorite mutton biryani when someone sat down behind him. He turned around and froze, the spoon hanging from his mouth, eyes wide, as he realized it was Ishan, their new owner, looking at him concerned.

"Shubman, for god's sake, chew the damn bite and reply to him," Ashish whispered, leaning in.

Shubman hurriedly swallowed a gulp of water.

As Shubman tried to compose himself, Ishan spoke up, his voice gentle yet curious,"Are you alright,Mr. Shubman? You seemed quite startled when you saw me."

Shubman managed a nervous chuckle,Is he acting like a lunatic in front of their new owner.

Ishan smiled warmly, "Well, I hope you guys didn’t find me too intimidatng. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone here"

Rashid, ever the peacemaker, jumped in, "Don't worry, Mr. Ishan, We're all thrilled to have you as our owner."

Shubman nodded in agreement, grateful for Rashid's intervention. "Yeah, sorry about that,Mr. Ishan. It's just..."

Ishan's smile widened, "No need to apologize. Let's just enjoy our meal and get to know each other better, shall we?"

Shubman couldn't help but steal glances at Ishan as he engaged in lively conversation with everyone, his laughter echoing through the room at one of Ashish bhai's jokes.

"This Ishan is so different from my Ishan," Shubman mused silently to himself. "My Ishan wouldn’t even talk to his teammates."

A pang of realization hit Shubman as he acknowledged the truth: "Well, that's because your Ishan doesn't exist," his brain supplied.

"Excuse me,I have to take a call,hello,yes Aditi, have you reached? "-Ishan drifted off to take his call.

Oh,This Ishan has a fiancee,Shubman's brained tortured him again.

Ashish bhai, ever observant, didn't waste any time probing, "What's with you fainting and all while seeing him?"

Taking a deep breath, Shubman decided to come clean. "Well, do you guys remember what my therapist told me?"

"About your imaginary boyfriend?" Rashid recalled.

"Yes, yes," Shubman affirmed, reaching beneath his t-shirt to retrieve a pendant. He displayed Ishan's picture from the pendant for everyone to see.

"Oh god, it's Mr. Ishan," Rashid exclaimed

"Yes, well, I imagined him. Not him actually, just his face," Shubman confessed.

Ashish Nehra offered a reassuring pat on Shubman's head. "Don't worry, we will help you. Just promise me, you will not try to find your Ishan in this Ishan and you will not fall for him"

"What's wrong with falling for him?" David questioned innocently.

"He is engaged, remember?" Ashish reminded.

"We're all here for you, Shubman. Just focus on your game and leave the rest to us."-Rashid said.

Feeling reassured by his teammates' support, Shubman mustered a determined grin. "Thanks, guys.Don't worry. I won't let this affect our team's performance."

Just then, Ishan returned to the table, his conversation over. Sensing a shift in the atmosphere, he glanced around at the serious faces before him. "Did I miss something?"

"Umm...no..we.."-Shubman stammered.

" Just talking about team strategy"-Ashish helped.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Shubman sat with both hands resting on his lap, swinging his legs like a child, while his therapist sat across from him, looking more flustered than ever.

"Take deep breaths," Shubman suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't you tell me what to do!" his therapist snapped back, her frustration evident.

Shubman quickly zipped his lips in a playful attempt to imitate her. After a moment of tense silence, the therapist spoke again, her voice tinged with disbelief. "How... how is this even possible? Talk about the odds!"

"I know, but hey, I handled it really well. I just fainted once. I didn’t ugly cry, sob, or flirt," Shubman replied

"You would have been kicked out of the franchise if you did," his therapist remarked sternly.

Shubman chuckled nervously. "Oh god, who would they make captain then? I'll have to ask Ashish bhai. If I ever get kicked out, who would be the captain?"

"How are you handling the fact that he has a fiancée?" his therapist inquired.

"I'm not handling it at all. Well, I just saw her for five seconds before fainting. Plus, I won't compare both Ishans. Chill," Shubman replied, trying to reassure himself as much as his therapist.

"Sounds like a pretty tough job for someone as much of a simp as you,"

"Hey, I'm not that much of a simp. I've got layers, you know.Like an onion"

"Like an onion?"

"Exactly! Except I hope I won't make people cry this season"Shubman joked, earning a laugh from the therapist.

"Fair point," she replied. "So, what are these layers of yours prioritizing?"

Shubman leaned in conspiratorially. "Well, cricket is the top layer, obviously. Can't disappoint the fans!"

The therapist nodded knowingly. "And what about the next layer?"

"You know,staying single forever."

With an hour of talking Shubman left the therapy session feeling ready to face Real Life Ishan.

*+*+*+*+

Shubman wiped the sweat from his brow after a long practice session. It was his first day as captain, and he was determined to set the tone for the season. Despite his inner turmoil, he knew he couldn't let it affect his franchise.

Just then, he spotted Ishan approaching him. "Was he here the whole time?" Shubman wondered

"Hey, I think you've heard it a lot, but your batting is really a treat to watch," Ishan complimented him.

"Thanks," Shubman replied awkwardly, his inner self screaming, "Again, not my Ishan, not mine."

"So, how does it feel? Being captain at such a young age? Must be surreal, huh?" Ishan asked as they walked side by side on the stadium field.

"Says the one who's almost my age and owns an IPL franchise?" Shubman quipped back.

"Well, mine is mostly generational wealth. I'm just trying to expand it," Ishan chuckled.

"Are you going to be here in India from now on?"

"Oh, no! I'm here for my marriage, actually. It's in three months, and we're having it here in India,"

As they strolled around the field, Shubman found himself captivated by Ishan's easy charm. There was something about the way Ishan's eyes sparkled with every word he spoke, drawing Shubman in like a moth to a flame. Memories of his old Ishan flooded his mind, momentarily blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.

"I should get back to practice," Shubman blurted out abruptly, breaking the spell that Ishan seemed to cast over him. Hastily, he turned and walked away, trying to shake off the lingering thoughts of his imaginary boyfriend.

Later that night, as Shubman scrolled through his Instagram feed, he stumbled upon a candid picture uploaded by the franchise's official page. It captured the moment he and Ishan had been talking earlier in the stadium, with the caption "Mr. Kishan and Captain Gill," tagging them both.

+*+*+*+*+

Ishan found himself impressed by his new franchise and its welcoming atmosphere. He couldn't deny the magnetic pull he felt towards Shubman, the young and successful captain who had already made a mark in the cricket world.

Ishan noticed GT page uploading there picture tagging Both.Out of curiosity Ishan Clicked on Shubman's Instagram handle.

"Wow, he has a huge fanbase," Ishan thought to himself as he scrolled through Shubman's Instagram profile, admiring the countless followers and engagement on each post.

But then, his eyes nearly popped out of his head as he stumbled upon a particular picture of Shubman bare-chested, wearing a familiar locket around his neck. Ishan's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the design—it was his lost locket, unmistakably engraved with his namclip.
"No way, it can't be," Ishan muttered to himself, disbelief coursing through him. He quickly checked the date of the picture and was shocked to find that it was taken two years ago.

Confusion and a hint of unease settled in Ishan's mind as he tried to make sense of the situation.

What was Shubman's connection to his lost locket, and why was he wearing it in a picture from years ago?

[This locket Shubman wearing was the locket someone dumped in that love rituals of Island in part-1.

This is the locket that was stuck with Shubman's shirt's hem and Shubman's imagination started from this locket and a video clip.

Ishan had no idea his locket was dumped, he thought he lost it almost 4/5 years ago.]