||Shubman||

I was sleeping peacefully on my bed when I heard my phone ring. It was Abhay. I picked up and said, "hello"

"Good morning bhai" Abhay beamed.

"Good morning bhai" I yawned getting up from my bed.

"Tu abhi tak so raha hai? 7 baj rahe hai aur 8 baje practice hai" he said.

"KYA?!" I exclaimed. "Shit yaar I forgot to put the alarm, mai ja raha ready hone" I said hanging up. I heard Abhay say something but before he could complete I ended the call.

I rushed to the bathroom to do my everyday routine. I brushed my teeth, took bath and came out. I wore my practice jersey, fetched my phone from the bed and went downstairs. Mom and Dad were having breakfast.

"Good morning Mom, good morning Dad" I wished them and went to wear my shoes.

"Won't you have breakfast Shubman?" She asked surprised.

"No mom I'm getting late, I'll have it in the stadium" I replied tying the lace of my shoe.

"Don't forget, okay?" Dad said, "don't worry Dad I'll" I assure him and he nods. I took my car's keys and left.

It usually takes me twenty minutes to reach the stadium but fortunately there wasn't much traffic today so I reached the stadium in ten minutes. I parked my car in lot and rushed inside. I checked the time once I was inside the stadium, it was 7:50am which means I'm on time. Thank God.

"Yaar Shub tune call cut kar diya" Abhay said coming from behind.

"Sorry yaar voh late ho gaya tha isiliye, kuch kaam tha?" I ask him.

"Haan vaisa tha toh" he said blushing a bit.

"Ohho blush kar raha hai akhir baat kya hai" I smirked nudging him and he started blushing even more.

"Chup kar yaar" he laughed pushing my hand lightly. "Ground par chal batata hu" he added.

We started walking to the ground together with our kit bags and Abhay started speaking, "Yaar Shub tu to jaanta hi hai next week se Australia series start ho rahi hai and we have to travel for one month"

"Haan I know" I said.

"Which means mai Riya se one month tak nhi mil paunga" he said making a sad face.

"Dude ye toh har baar hota hai, tune ye batane ke liye call kiya tha?" I ask him.

"Nhi yaar, actually kuch special baat hai. I've a surprise planned for her but use implement karne ke liye I need your help" he says.

"Surprise haan" I smirked at him. "Tease baad me karna pehle plan sunn" he laughs.

"Acha thik hai bata" I say. He started explaining me everything he has planned for her and I was listening to him carefully.

"Kya plan banaya hai bhai, I'm impressed" I praise him after he finished.

"Thanks bro" he smiles.

"But itna sab mai akele kaise karunga? I need help" I say.

"Chill Manjot and Myra will help, I'll talk to them" he tells me.

"Cool then. Ye sab karna kab hai?" I asked.

"Today" he replied and I widened my eyes.

"Today?! Itna sab ek din me kaise hoga? At least kal tak ka toh time de" I say.

"Kal tak late ho jayega and she's having a meeting tomorrow" he says.

"Phir toh we need more help" I say.

"Ek kaam kar Anya ko bhi bula le, Manjot aur Myra se bhi mil legi us bahane" he said.

"But aaj toh uska office hoga, still I'll ask her" I say.

"Done then. Practice khatam hote hi kaam par lag jaana tum log. I've brought the keys with me, jaate waqt le jaana" he says and goes for his net session.

I went to the corner to call Anya to ask if she is free today. I called her and surprisingly she picked up in two rings.

"Hello" she said.

"Hey Anya" I say.

"Who's this?" She asks.

"It's me Shubman"

"Oh hey Shubman, what happened?"

"Just wanted to know if you're free today?"

"Kuch kaam tha tumhe?" She asks.

"Haan actually Abhay ka kaam tha so he needed help from us. Where are you by the way?" I ask her.

"Home. Dad has an appointment with Dr Batra so I've taken a leave for today" she tells me.

"Oh, so are you free?"

"I'm free after 11"

"Great then. I'll pick you from your home at 11:15, is that fine?" I ask her.

"Yeah totally fine. What's the matter?" She asks.

"I'll tell you then. I'm at practice now so I'll call you after practice"

"Sure. Bye" she said. "Bye" I said and hung up the call. After this I went to practice.
__________________

After completing my training I picked up my kit bag and went to the parking lot with Abhay.

"See you in the evening" Abhay said handing me the keys.

"Bye" I said after which he went to his car.

I got inside the car and immediately called Anya.

"Hey Shubman" she said picking up.

"Hey, I just called to tell that I'm done with practice and will pick you up in 15 minutes, you ready?" I ask her.

"Yeah I'm, I'll be waiting downstairs" she replied.

"Okay sure, bye" I said hanging up.

I started the engine of my car and drove out of the stadium. In fifteen minutes I was outside Anya's house and as expected she was near the gate waiting for me. I stopped the car and stepped outside.

"Hey" I smiled approaching her.

"Hey Shubman" I smiled back.

"Shall we?" I ask. "Sure" she replied.

I opened the car door for her like I always do and went to the driver's seat and started driving.

"So where are we going?" She asks.

"Shopping" I reply.

"Shopping yani kapdon ki?" She asks again.

"Tum ladkiyon ko kapdon ke alava aur kuch nhi sujhta kya" I laugh and she gives me a look.

"Batao na please" she requests.

"Pehle chalo phir batata hoon" I say. "Acha thik hai" she replies. I drove us to a nearby supermarket. We reached there in ten minutes.

"Zara mera hoodie pass karna piche se" I tell her since I was parking the car. She turned and fetched my black hoodie from the backseat and passed it me my hoodie. I wore it and put on my black sunglasses and cap.

"Yaar please change this look. You literally look like a thief" she comments laughing.

"Ye nhi pehnunga toh sab pehchaan jayenge" I say.

"Ye pehnoge toh log zyada ghoorenge phir toh pata chalna hi hai" she says.

"Next time kuch aur try kar lenge, okay madam?" I laugh.

"Okay​ but hood ke upar cap pehenne ki kya zarurat hai?" She asks.

"Yaar tum toh mere dad se bhi zyada sawal puchti ho" I facepalm myself.

"Acha acha sorry, ab chalo" she laughs.

"Shukriya madam" I bow to her joining my hands which made her laugh.

We stepped out of the car and went inside the supermarket. We took a lift to the second floor since the things I needed were there. I carried a basket and started searching for the stuff I needed. Anya looked confused all the time which was quite obvious because I haven't told her anything about Abhay's surprise yet. She didn't ask anything either, she just followed me everywhere I went.

After I was done we went to the billing counter. I had bought soft drinks, balloons, party poopers, snow spray and some decoration materials.

"Take this and pay the bill" I push her to the front handing some cash.

"But why?" She asks.

"Meri awaaz sunkr kahin pehchaan na le. Let's not take risk" I explain. As instructed she paid the bill and we exited the supermarket and went to our car. I checked the time and it was 2pm. I didn't have any​ breakfast in the morning so my stomach was literally growling.

"Are you hungry?" Anya asks me.

"How do you know?" I ask surprised.

"Cause I'm, can we have lunch please?" She requests.

"Sure, my stomach is growling" I groan holding my stomach making her laugh. "Chalo let's go" I say starting the car's engine.

I hardly visit restaurants in this area so I had no idea which were the good ones. I randomly stopped the car in front of a restaurant and we went inside. We took the corner most table for obvious reason. A waiter came and asked for our order. We ordered butter chicken for ourselves.

"Ab toh batao aakhir baat kya hai" Anya says.

"Oh haan I'm sorry. Vo actually next week Australia series start ho rahi hai in Bangalore, which means we need to join the team after five days" I say.

"Okay so aage?" She asks.

"So before we leave, Abhay wants to propose Riya for marriage because they won't be able to meet for one month. He's planning to do this today so he wants our help in decorations and other stuff" I finish.

"Wow that's so cool" she says grinning.

"He's the master of surprises" I laugh. "I can see that" she replies.

Soon the waiter arrived with our order. We completed our lunch in no time since both of us were very hungry. I paid the bill and we left after this. I drove us to Abhay's farmhouse as he decided to propose Riya there. He already gave me the keys of his farmhouse in the morning. We reached the farmhouse in fifteen minutes. I parked the car outside and we stepped outside.

||Anya||

Shubman stopped the car outside a huge bunglow. I was awestruck. It looked so beautiful from the outside and I badly want to go inside now.

"What's this place Shubman?" I ask him.

"It's Abhay's farmhouse aka humara adda" he laughs. We walked to the main door and Shubman unlocked the house with the keys he had. My mouth literally formed a big O when we stepped inside. It's​ the most beautiful house I've ever seen but then suddenly something strikes me.

"Shubman" I call out.

"Hmm" he responds, busy unpacking the stuff we bought this afternoon.

"Are we going to decorate this entire hall?" I ask him.

"Obviously" he says, "adha hall kaun decorate karta hai?" He laughs.

"How'll we do this alone? We won't be able to finish this today" I say.

"Kisne kaha we're doing this alone? Help aa rahi hai" he replies.

"Kaisi help?" I ask confused.

"Hum" I heard someone from behind. I turn to find someone I didn't expect to see, Manjot Kalra. He wasn't​ alone, he came with a girl who's, I suppose his girlfriend.

"Manjot bhai tu aa gya" Shubman goes and hugs him. "Hey Myra" he hugs the girl.

"Hey Shub" the girl hugs him back. "Are you Anya?" She asks me after they pulled back.

"Yeah I'm Anya" I say bit hesitantly. She comes to me smiling and hugs me. "I'm Myra, Manjot's girlfriend" he introduced herself after we pulled apart.

"I'm Manjot" Manjot introduces himself and we shook hands. "I know you, I've seen you playing in TV" I say.

"Introduction wagera khatam ho gaya toh kaam par lag jayen?" Shubman says giggling.

"Haan chal" Manjot says.

"Tu cake aur flowers le aaya?" Shubman asks him. Manjot nods.

"So let's divide the work, mai aur Manjot hall decorate karna start kar dete hai aur tum dono pehle bedroom ka decoration complete karo, then help us decorating the hall" Myra says.

"Okay" we say in unison.

Shubman carried some of the decoration materials and both of us went upstairs. Shubman​ entered a room and I followed him.

"Hume ye room decorate karna hai" He tells me.

"Kyun? Suhagraat thodi mana rahe hai" I say.

"Kitni unromantic ho yaar tum" he rolls his eyes. "Suhagraat nhi mana rahe but romantic mahol toh banana padega na" he adds.

"Got it. So what should I do?" I ask him.

"Shelf ke upar candles rakhe hai vo le aao and tabtak I'll change the sheets" he says and I nod.

As instructed I went towards the shelf to fetch the candles. The shelf was really big and the candles were at the top. I stretched my arms to get them but failed. I'm not really a short girl but I was still struggling to get them. I searched for a stool nearby but unfortunately couldn't find any. I stood on my toes and tried again but received yet another failure.

I didn't give up even after this. I thought of making one last attempt so I stood on my toes and stretched my arms again. Suddenly I felt a pair of hands snake my waist which sent chills down my spine. The grip became stronger the next second and I felt someone lift me. I looked down to find Shubman.

"C'mon your hands will reach now" he said. I instantly fetched the candles from the shelf and he puts me down. I could feel my cheeks go red the moment he removed his hands from my waist. His touch gives me a different feeling, a part of my heart wished he didn't remove his hands and my eyes wanted to get lost in his. It was a strange feeling but a good one. I don't know what it is.

"Maine tumhe help maangne se mana nhi kiya tha" he said still standing behind me. I could feel his breath on my neck.

"Mujhe laga mai kar lungi" I explain.

"Tum blush kar rahi ho?" He smirks.

"NHIII" I almost yell and then felt like slapping myself the next moment. My reaction will make it so obvious that I was blushing.

"Woah calm down, I was just kidding" he said. "Continue karein?" He asked.

"Haan let's go" I reply. We first cleaned the entire room as it was really messed up and then arranged the candles in the entire room. We did some more decorations and then went downstairs to help Manjot and Myra.

Manjot and Myra had almost finished the decorations. The only work left was to fix the balloons in the wall. Shubman and Manjot said they'll do it and Myra and I can rest. Both of us went to the couch.

"What a déjà vu" she said sitting on the couch.

"Matlab?" I ask.

"Six months pehle I remember Manjot aur mere liye bhi Abhay, Riya, Shubman aur Siya ne bhi same decoration kiya tha isi hall me" she tells.

"Tumlog yahan pehle bhi aaye ho?" I ask.

"Bohat baar! Ye toh humara adda hai, pehle toh har weekend aaya karte the but ab sab itne busy ho gaye hai ki time hi nhi milta. We used to have so much fun" she says sadly.

"Har baar Abhay ke farmhouse par hi kyun?"

"Actually three years pehle tak ek dusre ke ghar par hi parties karte the but then humari families ko problem hone lagi kyunki hum mostly late night parties karte the and shor ki wajah se kafi disturbance hota tha isiliye Abhay ke Dad ne hume yaha party karne ke liye kaha. Raat ko yahan party karte the phir subah uthkar back to work" she replies.

"Late night parties? That sounds cool" I exclaim.

"Tum kabhi late night parties par nhi gayi ho?" She asks me.

"Kabhi mauka hi nhi mila" I say.

"Don't worry ab you're a part of our squad so bohat late night parties karogi and Shub ki girlfriend ho tum toh, he's the king of parties" she laughs at the last line.

"Mai Shubman ki girlfriend nhi hu" I tell her.

"Nhi ho toh ban jaogi, hum bana denge" she giggles. Shubman​ is definitely blessed with a great bunch of friends. First I met Riya, then Abhay and now Myra, all of them are such amazing souls. I wish I had friends like them.

"Mai thak gaya yaar" Manjot says jumping on the couch beside Myra.

"Couch todega kya?" Shubman laughs sitting beside me.

"Abhay and Riya kab aa rahe?" Myra asks Shubman. "7pm. Abhi 2 hours hai" he tells her.

"Mai so raha phir" Manjot says resting his head on Myra's lap.

"Utho mujhe ready hona hai" Myra says pushing his head from her lap.

"Kya baby? Abhi hai toh 2 hours" Manjot frowns.

"Mujhe toh ready hone me time lagega na" she tells.

"Ready? But mai toh kuch lekar hi nhi aayi" I say.

"Don't worry meri kafi dresses room me rakhe hai toh tum unme se kuch pehen lena" Myra says.

"Thank God" I sigh, "thanks Myra" I say. "Anytime girl" she winks.

Myra got up from the couch and I followed her to a room upstairs which was beside the room Shubman and I decorated. She chose a dress for me and wore it. Myra also helped me with the make up and in return I did her make up. After getting ready I checked myself for one last time in the mirror before heading downstairs.

The only thing left was for Abhay and Riya to arrive. I actually can't wait to see how he's gonna propose her, I'm so excited and especially because we have done the decoration and really want to see their reactions, specially Riya's.