Driksha woke up, feeling extremely happy about something. She needed a while to recollect the reason-oh, yeah, KKR had won yesterday and she'd watched it live from the VIP box of Eden Gardens.

It was an experience she'd like to repeat soon.

She also remembered she'd been thinking about something very deeply before she fell asleep last night-something unrelated to the match...

Ahh...yes, she'd found a nice article on how people's perception of themselves told a lot about them, and she wanted to share it to Shubman, hence she needed his number. They hadn't spoken a lot yesterday because the team had had practice most of the morning and then the match in the evening (where Shubman hadn't played). But they'd grinned at each other whenever they happened to catch each other's eyes in the hotel or the field. The most illumination discussion about "what would you like to be known as" had created a kinship between them, she wanted to share the article soon.

Now she was aware, of course, that since they were in the same hotel, and would likely be going down to breakfast nearabout the same time, she could just show it to him.

But what about after she'd flown back to Chennai and the team had travelled to their next city-HANG ON! KKR's next match WAS IN CHENNAI.

She immediately made up her mind to get bhaiya ask permission of her mother to let her stay at their hotel in Chennai. It was too awesome for words staying in a hotel where she bumped into Robbie bhai and Narine at random.

Still, what about after that match?

If she didn't get Shubman's number, she would not be able to share future articles with him.

With that conclusion, Driksha set about finding a foolproof way of procuring Shubman Gill's number.

................................

She started with sneaking into her brother's room.

The first time she entered (DK's room was never locked), he was present.

"Woke up quite early, didn't you?" DK asked, smiling.

Since her normal waking time was 10:30, eight am was extremely early.

"So?" said DK expectantly.

"What?" she asked.

"Did you come here to say anything or are you just going to stand there?"

Driksha had caught sight of his phone lying on the lamp table, but she wouldn't dare to sneak it now.

"Oh, no, I just came," she said. "Can't I come into your room without the intention of saying anything specific, bhaiya?"

"You certainly can," said DK, smiling again. "But I've to go out a bit, brief meeting with the CEO. Could you wait till then?"

Driksha would certainly want to wait till then.

"Sure!"

Don't take your phone, don't take your phone, don't take your phone... she chanted in her head.

However, to her disappointment, he casually grabbed his phone from the table and left after giving her a pat on the head.

Never mind, thought Driksha. Failure is the key to success.

.........................

The second time she sneaked into his room in the afternoon, it was packed fit to bursting with DK's teammates.

"Hello, Driksha," said Shubman, brightening. "Want to play Brawl Stars?"

"Is it a fight game?" asked Driksha doubtfully (she was bad at all video games, but fight games in particular).

"A bit, yeah. But not horrible, violent, gory stuff. It's cartoonish. Come on, you can be in my team," said Shubman.

"It's my team," said Nitish. "I'm the captain, I hope you remember, Shubi. So it's supposed to be my discretion."

"You'll soon be kicked out from being captain," said Robbie, who had wanted to be captain, but not allowed to be, "if you're so Hitlerish."

Nitish took that omen to heart and pulled Driksha in where his team were lounging around. "She's in my team, then."

"Wait just a second," said DK, the opposition captain. "Did you want something, Driksh? Your flight's in the evening, isn't it? Have you discovered something is missing while packing?"

Driksha went red.

"No, I just dropped in to say hi, bhaiya..."

"You came just in time for the new game," said Shubman, eyes lit up. "Look, the rules are simple..."

The afternoon flew by playing Brawl Stars.

......................

The third time she sneaked into DK's room, she had her fingers crossed. She'd have to leave for her flight in half an hour, so it was now or never. She would not go back without Shubman's number.

Of course, she could ask him for it directly, or ask anyone else, or just ask her brother, but once she'd got caught up in a mission, Driksha Karthik did not back off.

She would get his number by sneaking, and sneaking alone.

This time she was lucky-the room was empty-

And the phone was lying innocently on the bed!

She looked over her shoulder to see if the corridor was empty and tiptoed over.

The phone asked for the pin.

Heavens. Since when did her brother start password-protecting his stuff? Surely he never used to earlier, when she used to hog his phone to use the internet when she didn't have a phone of his own.

Think, think...what would he give his pin as? His birthday?

1-6-86

Incorrect pin.

Driksha looked around again to check no one was there and then sat down on the bed, racking her brains.

1-1-1-1.

2-2-2-2.

3-3-3-3.

4-4-4-4.

5-5-5-5.

You have entered the incorrect pin 6 times. Please wait 30 seconds before the next attempt.

Driksha was in despair now. She glanced at her watch anxiously-she had to leave latest within 25 minutes, or she'd miss the flight.

After the 30 seconds counter ended, she started trying again.

6-6-6-6.

9-9-9-9.

Well. Sweet and innocent as her brother was, clearly he wasn't innocent enough to set a pin as stupid as that.

What else could she try now?

A vague idea came to her, and she typed: 7-1-0-0.

The phone unlocked with a click.

"Yes!" she gasped, hardly able to believe she'd cracked it.

"Driksha?" a voice above her head made her jump out of her skin.

Her heartbeat slowed down again when she saw who it was.

"Oh goodness-Washi-what on earth do you mean by sneaking in like that?" she demanded.

"I came to talk to DK bhai," he said. "What are you doing with his phone?"

"I managed to unlock it," said Driksha breathlessly. "It's after my birthday, 7th Jan 2000. I tried his birthday the very first attempt, and then tried hundreds of stupid pins-and then it turns out it's simply my birthday."

Washi grinned and sat down beside her.

"Well. Congrats for cracking his pin. Now why do you want the phone in the first place?"

"I-um, I wanted a contact number," stammered Driksha, with another anxious glance at her watch, which said she must leave within 15 minutes.

"Really?" asked Washi, astonished. "You couldn't have just asked him straight?"

Driksha went to contacts and searched Shubman's name and tossed her own phone to Washi, unlocked. "Here, note down the number, will you?"

"You want Shubman's number?" Washi sounded severely disgruntled now. "What do you want his number for?"

"I wanted to send him an article, that's all. Will you note it down?"

"No," said Washi, scowling. "And you shouldn't sneak into your brother's phone like that. It's immoral."

Driksha looked up, gaping. The two of them had carried out plenty of immoral pranks on people over the past ten years. Plenty.

"And what article do you want to send him anyway? You didn't send me any article."

"Um-" Driksha had taken back her phone and copying the number herself, seeing how short on time she was. "I'll send you as soon as I'm on the cab. I have to rush now, you see."

Washi's scowl deepened as they stood up.

"I don't want to see any article of yours. I have a good mind to tell DK bhai what you were doing, too."

"Heavens, Washi! You wouldn't!" She dragged him out of the room and shut it behind him. "Now I haven't done any last-minute packing-"

Washi was good at last-minute packing, because he had a very observant eye. Though he still seemed in a very bad mood indeed, he accompanied her to her room and went to check the drawers and overturned the bedsheet to see if she'd missed anything. After a point, Driksha sat cross-legged on the floor and watched.

"Here," said Washi severely, producing her phone's charger from a corner. "You're always missing something or the other."

"Well, I have you, don't I? Oh shit-I must leave right-"

"Driksha!" DK called and burst into the room, started to see her. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere, I checked your room around six times-"

Driksha looked at Washi beseechingly.

"We were out in the lawn, DK bhai," Washi obliged.

"Of all the things," muttered DK. "Come on, are you packed? The cab's waiting...bye, Washi, I'll be back in an hour after dropping her."

"Bye Washi," said Driksha, winking at him behind her brother's back and giving him an enormous thumbs-up.

She'd know he wouldn't give her away, of course-but she couldn't deny she'd been a little worried.

.........................

In the cab she surveyed her new contact proudly before hunting down a link to the article.

Hi, Shubman, it's me, Driksha

Read this

<link attached>

A reply came almost instantly.

Hi Driksh!

Wait, reading...

Are you at the airport?

No, cab.

Make sure you come to our hotel in Chennai!

Okay, let me read this thing first...

"What is it?" DK's voice made her look up. "What are you grinning away at the phone for?"

"Oh!" said Driksha, a little horrified that she had been grinning without realizing. "Just got a new idea, that's all, bhaiya."

DK ruffled her hair. "What is it about?"

Driksha put away her phone and launched into the first thing that came to her mind. "It's about a group of four college friends, starting on their graduation day..."