The sun was already blazing over the cricket ground as Shubman stepped into the team’s practice facility, duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He adjusted his cap, trying to shake off the events of last night and prepare for the grueling practice session ahead. But the moment he opened the door to the locker room, he was met with a deafening roar.

“Oye, lover boy!” Rohit Sharma’s voice boomed, followed by a chorus of laughter and cheers.

Before Shubman could even process what was happening, he found himself swarmed by his teammates. Virat Kohli slung an arm around his shoulder, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Hardik Pandya ruffled his hair, while Ishan Kishan clapped him on the back so hard he almost stumbled forward.

“What the hell—” Shubman started, trying to extricate himself, but they weren’t letting him go that easily.

“Don’t ‘what the hell’ us, Shubman,” Abhishek said, smirking as he held up his phone. “With my girl 💖? Really? That’s what you went with?”

The room erupted into laughter again as Abhishek passed the phone around, showing Shubman’s Instagram post from last night. Every single one of them had seen it—and they weren’t going to let him live it down.

“Why didn’t you tell us, man?” Hardik demanded, leaning against the lockers with a mock-pained expression. “We’re your brothers, your teammates! And you were secretly dating ACP Kinjal? ACP Kinjal, of all people?”

“She hates him half the time!” Ishan added, barely containing his laughter. “How did that happen?”

Shubman’s lips twitched, fighting to maintain a neutral expression as his teammates bombarded him with questions, jokes, and teasing remarks. He wanted to tell them the truth—that it was all fake, a setup to squash rumors about him and Sara Tendulkar. But his gut told him that would only make things worse.

Instead, he shrugged, forcing a sheepish smile. “What can I say? Things… happened.”

“Things happened?” Virat echoed, his voice dripping with disbelief. “That’s all you’ve got for us?”

“Come on, man,” Yashasvi Jaiswal said, leaning in with a conspiratorial grin. “Spill the details. How long has this been going on? How did you even get her to agree?”

“And why the hell didn’t you tell us earlier?” Riyan Parag chimed in, arms crossed as he stared Shubman down.

Shubman sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Look, it’s not like I was keeping it a secret on purpose,” he said, trying to sound convincing. “It just… wasn’t the right time to tell everyone.”

Rohit snorted, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the lockers. “Not the right time? You’re dating someone who roasts you every chance she gets, and now you’re posting romantic captions on Instagram. You don’t think we deserve an explanation?”

“Yeah, explain,” Virat said, smirking. “Because I, for one, need to know how you managed to win over ACP Kinjal Mathur. The woman who could probably arrest you for being annoying.”

The locker room erupted into laughter again, and Shubman felt his ears burning. He knew they weren’t going to let this go anytime soon, but he decided to lean into the lie.

“What can I say?” he said, flashing them a confident grin. “I have a way with words.”

“Words?” Hardik scoffed, shaking his head. “She probably said yes just to shut you up.”

“Or maybe because she finally realized I’m irresistible,” Shubman shot back, folding his arms.

The room filled with hoots and whistles as the teasing intensified. Shubman’s mind was spinning, but he kept his cool, knowing he had to stick to the story.

“Alright, alright,” Rohit said, raising his hands to quiet the chaos. “But you owe us drinks, Gill. You’ve been hiding this from us for God knows how long, and we need to celebrate this groundbreaking development.”

Shubman groaned inwardly but forced a laugh. “Fine, drinks on me. But don’t expect any more details.”

Virat smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously. “We’ll see about that.”

As the team finally began to disperse, gearing up for practice, Shubman let out a quiet sigh of relief. He had managed to keep the truth hidden for now, but he knew this was only the beginning.

“Kinjal’s going to kill me for this,” he muttered under his breath, grabbing his gear.

Still, as much as he dreaded the inevitable fallout, a small part of him couldn’t help but feel amused. Maybe this fake relationship wouldn’t be so bad after all.

------

Kinjal woke up with a start, her alarm blaring obnoxiously loud, reminding her that she was already running late. The sun was well into the sky, and she cursed under her breath. Skipping breakfast, she threw on her uniform in record time, grabbed her badge, and bolted out the door. Her heart raced as she drove to the KC Headquarters, her mind still foggy from the chaotic morning.

By the time she arrived, she barely had a moment to catch her breath before stepping inside. But what greeted her was far from the usual quiet hum of activity she expected. Instead, the corridor was buzzing with excitement, and all eyes turned to her the moment she walked in.

Her juniors—those who always idolized her—were gathered in clusters, whispering and sneaking glances at her. The moment they saw her, they erupted into cheers and teasing remarks.

“ACP Kinjal Mathur with a boyfriend? Never thought I’d see the day!” one of them exclaimed, grinning ear to ear.

Another chimed in, “Ma’am, we thought you didn’t have time for romance with all your high standards and busy schedule!”

Kinjal froze mid-step, her eyes narrowing. “What the hell are you all talking about?” she snapped, her tone sharp as she tried to deflect their remarks.

But they weren’t deterred. “Come on, ma’am, don’t act like you don’t know! That Instagram post—holding hands with Shubman Gill! We saw it!”

The mention of the post made Kinjal’s stomach twist. She clenched her jaw, trying to maintain her composure, but the knowing smirks and teasing grins of her juniors weren’t making it easy.

“She’s blushing!” one of them teased, which only made her glare harder.

“Enough!” Kinjal barked, her voice slicing through the air. The group immediately fell silent, but the mischievous glints in their eyes told her they weren’t done teasing her yet.

Just as she was about to storm off to her cabin, her gaze landed on Vayra, standing at the far end of the corridor. Her best friend’s expression was unreadable, but the gun she was holding casually in her hand sent a clear message.

Kinjal’s eyes widened. She knew that look. She didn’t wait for Vayra to say anything; instead, she bolted in the opposite direction.

“Kinjal Mathur, you better stop right there!” Vayra shouted, but Kinjal didn’t dare slow down.

The chase didn’t last long. Kinjal had barely made it past the second hallway when Vayra’s hand grabbed her arm, yanking her to a stop. Kinjal winced, turning to face her furious best friend.

“What the hell, Kinjal?” Vayra hissed, her eyes blazing with anger. “You’re dating Shubman Gill? Shubman Gill? And you didn’t tell me?”

Kinjal groaned, trying to think of a way out of this mess. “Vayra, I can explain—”

“Explain? Explain what?” Vayra interrupted, crossing her arms. “That you’re my best friend and you didn’t think it was important to tell me you’re dating Abhishek’s teammate? You know, the guy who you’re always fighting with?”

Kinjal rubbed her temples, feeling the headache building. “It’s not what you think.”

“Oh, it better not be what I think,” Vayra said, her voice dangerously low. “Because if you really started dating him out of nowhere and didn’t tell me, I’m going to strangle you.”

Kinjal sighed, realizing she had no way out of this. “Fine,” she said, raising her hands in surrender. “You want the truth? Here it is: it’s fake. The whole thing is fake.”

Vayra blinked, her anger momentarily replaced with confusion. “Fake? What are you talking about?”

“It’s not real,” Kinjal said, leaning against the wall. “Shubman asked me to be his fake girlfriend to shut down some stupid rumors about him and Sara Tendulkar. That’s it. It’s just a temporary thing.”

Vayra stared at her, processing the information. “Wait… so you’re telling me you’re pretending to date Shubman Gill?”

“Yes,” Kinjal said, her voice exasperated. “And before you start lecturing me, I only agreed because he’s paying me for it.”

Vayra raised an eyebrow. “Paying you?”

“A lot,” Kinjal added quickly. “Enough to make it worth my time.”

Vayra’s shoulders relaxed slightly, but her expression was still skeptical. “And you didn’t think to tell me this earlier because…?”

“Because I knew you’d react like this,” Kinjal said, gesturing at her. “And besides, it’s not like it’s a big deal. It’s just for a while, and then it’ll be over.”

Vayra sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Kinjal, you’re unbelievable. Do you have any idea how suspicious this looks? People already think you’re together, and now you’re just going along with it?”

Kinjal shrugged. “It’s not like I had a choice. He was desperate, and honestly, it’s kind of funny watching him squirm.”

Vayra shook her head, muttering something under her breath. “You’re impossible.”

“Look, can we just move past this?” Kinjal asked, giving her best puppy-dog eyes. “It’s not like I’m actually dating him.”

Vayra gave her a long, hard look before finally sighing. “Fine. But if this blows up in your face, don’t come crying to me.”

Kinjal grinned, relieved. “Thanks, Vayra. You’re the best.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Vayra said, waving her off. “Just don’t do anything stupid. And for the love of God, don’t let Abhishek find out. He’ll never stop teasing me about it.”

Kinjal nodded, making a mental note to tread carefully. But as she watched Vayra walk away, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. She knew this fake relationship was bound to cause more trouble, but for now, she could only hope it wouldn’t spiral out of control.