•SHUBMAN GILL•

It's been two days since I pulled that stunt with Ishan in front of Mom and Sheen. And since that day, it's been so peaceful in my life. Mom stopped lecturing me about dating. Whenever I go out, they think that I am meeting Ishan. Whenever I am on my phone, they think that I am talking pr chatting with Ishan. LOL I don't even have his number.

But the reality is, I am enjoying all this because I've been playing games, going out, and just chilling, and no one has said anything to me. Especially Mom, she is a little bit too happy nowadays.

Yeah, I have to take away that happiness from her sooner by telling her that Ishan and I broke up. But that's not my problem, that's future Shubman's problem. So let me be in peace for now.

We still don't have any matches for another two weeks. I practice in the morning and hang out with my friends in the evening. Life seems a little bit too blissful now, plus I don't have any relationship commitments, so it's a win-win situation for now.

As I am lost in these thoughts, my phone buzzes, and Shreyas's name flashes on the screen.

"Shubman, are you free tomorrow?" Shreyas said directly, coming to the point.

"Yeah, I am."

"Me and Surya are going on a road trip, wanna come?"

Going on a road trip with them doesn't sound bad. I have been friends with Shreyas and Surya Bhai even outside the field. We get along together really well.

"I am in," I answered.

"Great, I will pick you up tomorrow."

---

I don't know when I dozed off playing Survivalcraft on my phone. When a hint of consciousness drew upon me and I opened my eyes, I wondered if it's morning or evening.

One thing I realized is that my phone has been buzzing continuously for the past five minutes. I tap on the green icon without seeing who it is.

"SHUBMAN, WHAT THE FUC-........." I immediately distance the phone from my ear otherwise, it would have deafened me for sure.

I realize two things: first, the person on the other end is my manager, and second, he seems mad, like really mad.

But when isn't he mad? Even at the smallest inconvenience, he goes berserk.

I again bring the phone closer to my ear, still maintaining some distance. "What happened, Darshan?" I ask him calmly, knowing fully that the reply is not going to be calm.

"ARE YOU SLEEPING AT THIS TIME? IT'S SIX IN THE EVENING," he says, frustration visible in his voice.

I check the time, and he is correct! It's evening, and I have been sleeping senselessly for the past three hours.

Does he mad at me because I was sleeping? Huh?

"Is that the reason you are bursting my eardrums?" I ask him with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

Darshan, my manager, is hardly a year or two older than me, but he still bosses me around. He is grumpy as hell, he even gets mad when I don't pick up his call in one go. And sometimes I do that intentionally to get on his nerves.

Sometimes he literally makes me feel like I am his manager, not the vice versa.

He knows his business, and he is very efficient with it. I never doubted his capabilities. But damn, he needs to behave sometimes.

"SHUBMAN. YOU. KNOW. WHAT. HAVE. YOU. DONE?" he asks with as much calmness as he can gather, which is none.

"No, I don't. Please enlighten me."

He sighs on the other end and speaks. "I have sent you something. Please read that and call me back, I don't have the energy and time to narrate everything." He then ends the call, leaving me more confused than before.

As I open my inbox, there is a link sent by him.

It must be some collaboration deal that he wants me to read, but isn't this his job? To read stuff and get the deal done? So why is he asking me to do so now?

And also, why was he overreacting like that over a deal?

I shrug off the questions and head towards the bathroom to wash my face. I will read the deal later.

It can wait.

Now it's been half an hour since that call, and I haven't opened that link yet. And my phone is buzzing again, with Darshan's name flashing on it.

"I am reading that," I say this in one breath and cut the call before he can start shouting at me for not calling him back.

Now, this feels ominous. What is in the link that Darshan is so eager to make me read? It can't be a simple deal document.

And now, I am feeling a little anxious to open that link. But what could have possibly gone wrong?

As I open the message again, my thumb hovers over that link, my heartbeat speeding up a little.

It can't be my MMS? I never got involved in those activities? A video of me naked? Nah, no way. I mean, who could have possibly put a camera in my bathroom?

Then what is it? I finally click on the link, and it opens into an article.

I scroll it down and start reading it. With each line, my heartbeat goes up and up, my eyes widening. I never imagined that I would read something like this ever in an article.

It's worse than my worst-case scenarios, and now I know why Darshan was that furious.

What have I done?

~~~