Shobhana's POV: 

"Okay, listen up," I said, holding my hands up like I was about to announce something serious, but clearly, I wasn't. 

"This plan sounds fun, but I need to be at the stadium by 6. Got it?"

Everyone nodded enthusiastically, but as usual, Shubman just smiled like he was too chill for words.

"Don't worry," he said, leaning back in the seat like he owned the whole car. "We also need to be there."

Can he stop being so cute?

The dimples. Why do dimples even exist?

Calm down, Shobi. Focus.

"Okay then," Abhay piped up, breaking my internal monologue. "We can go in my car. Then Shubman and Shobi can come get her car later."

Did he just smirk at me?

Oh no you didn't, Abhay.

Everyone piled into his car, and of course, the seat next to Shubman was conveniently empty. But guess who decided that was too convenient?

Abhay, of course.

He shoved me right next to Shubman, and I just stared at him like Are you serious right now?

"Abhay!" I whispered-yelled, but he didn't even flinch.

"Sorry girl, I need to sit too. You're more than welcome to sit on your boyfriend's lap," he said, grinning like a mischievous child who just got caught stealing cookies.

I slapped his arm. Hard.

Shubman glanced over at me, genuinely concerned. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Just... uh... I don't even know how he can breathe," I muttered, but I tried to keep it cool.

A few minutes later, we arrived at this beautiful lake area that looked like no one ever visited it. I'm talking serene, mystical, abandoned warehouse vibes—except with water. 

Honestly, it could've been a scene from a rom-com if I squinted enough.

"You wanna go for a walk?" Shubman asked, his voice breaking the trance.

"Sure," I replied, pulling my camera out like I was about to capture some existential moment. "Hold on, let me just grab my camera for no reason. Not like this is a romantic walk or anything."

"So, where are you actually from?" he asked, clearly trying to break the silence, but I swear, the only thing I could hear was that smile.

"I'm from Chennai, but I mostly grew up in Bangalore," I answered, trying to act chill, even though my mind was screaming Dimples!

"Nice," he said, his tone casual, but I could tell he was genuinely curious. "What about your parents? What do they do?"

I froze. "Oh," I mumbled, biting my lip. "They passed away... about 4 years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Shobi. I didn't mean to—" Shubman stammered, clearly uncomfortable.

I shook my head quickly. "It's okay, really. They died together, actually, which is probably for the best. I would have hated for one of them to die and leave the other alone, you know?"

Shubman stopped walking, looking at me with the softest expression. Without saying a word, he pulled me into a hug.

For a second, I was totally taken aback. But then—wait for it—he smelled so good. Like, too good.

Shobi, you're literally hugging a cricketer.

But before I could contemplate the deep philosophical implications of this hug, I heard a bell. A bell?

I pulled away and blinked. "You want ice cream?" I asked, my voice a little too chipper, given the hug moment. But hey, nothing fixes feelings like sugar, right?

He smiled, shaking his head like I was asking him to solve world peace. "I guess one ice cream won't hurt," he said with a little smirk that made my insides turn into complete mush.

I dragged him toward the ice cream trolley, practically skipping. "Two chocolate ice creams, please, Anna," I told the man behind the counter.

"I could've paid," Shubman pouted as he handed over the money, but I rolled my eyes. "It's okay, you got me coffee yesterday. This is the Shobi tax."

The ice creams were handed to us, and we walked back to the lakeside to sit. I tried to act like I wasn't watching him eat, but I was.

A few minutes later, I looked at Shubman, and I couldn't help it. I started laughing.

"What?" he asked, looking confused.

"Wait, let me," I said, grinning. I leaned in and wiped the chocolate off his lip, only for the chocolate to smear even more on his nose. It was like a poorly timed slapstick comedy, but I couldn't stop laughing.

He looked so flustered. "Oh..." he said, nervously laughing. "This is... embarrassing."

Right then, we heard a shout.

"Yo, lovebirds! Come on, let's go!" Ishan shouted from a distance, and I couldn't help it—Shubman and I both rolled our eyes, laughing hysterically.

I stood up, trying to calm myself down, wiping away tears from laughing too much. "Come on, Shubman," I teased. "Let's go before they start making heart-eye emojis at us."

Shubman just grinned, shaking his head. "I swear, they won't let us live this down, will they?"

"Nah," I said, grinning ear-to-ear. "But I'm okay with that."

And as we walked back to the car, I realized that sometimes, chaos makes the best memories. Especially when it's with someone who's got dimples that could literally kill.