"Hello again, it's been awhile
My friend
Unleash your pain
And let me drown inside your
Every breath"

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Anushka

"Hello, again." Two words. Four syllables. Seven years. One broken promise.

It cannot be him. It cannot be Virat Kohli. For heaven's sake.

I walk across the rehearsal room, and take a quick exit to my make-up room. I don't care that the door has not been closed. I'm going to throttle Ritika. Yes, that's what I'm going to do.

How dare she not tell me that it was him, I had to shoot with, for this advertisement? She knew-she bloody knew about my tussle with Virat. An advertisement which requires chemistry nonetheless. We're supposed to waltz while we look into each others' eyes.

His eyes. I remember they were his most distinguishing features, brown like coffee beans. Bright like dew on a leaf perspiring under a morning sun. His presence always brought out a poem out of me. Oh, how I used to love him.

I hear a rap on the door. "Come in." I speak aloud, and I look at my reflection on the mirror gingerly. At least, there are no tears.

Then I see his face. The nerve of this man. I cover my face immediately. "I had promised you that I won't show you my face."

"Well, I can see your face." His voice is still so raspy and deep.

"I cannot see your face, and therefore, you cannot see my face."

"Very logical," I can hear the smugness in his voice. "Anushka, it has been seven years. You don't have to keep your bargain anymore." It's a statement, spoken with finality.

I let go off my hands, and get up to face him. "Very bloody convenient for you to decide when to hold the bargain and when to let it go. You don't get to play and be the umpire too."

He grins. "Just for that pun, I give you my heart." He makes a gesture with his hands like a bow has crossed his heart.

I roll my eyes at his theatrics. Here, I was an actress and he was the one doing all the drama. "Let's just go and finish this business, Mr. Kohli. I don't like being called unprofessional." I speak in a no nonsense tone.

"Very well," he speaks, then outstretches his arm, expecting that I will take it. I give him a direct cut, as I stride out of the room-chin held up high and back straight as a rod. Showing him weakness-any kind of weakness-will not do.

I nod at the director and pass a smile at the crew, as if to say, everything's okay. Because that's how it was: okay. Virat stands beside me, but I deliberately avert his gaze.

We both look at the director expectantly who then gives us instructions about the shoot. We are supposed to dance romantically while we speak the dialogues. I contemplate stamping on his foot deliberately to punish him, but decide against it.

That's how it all began seven years ago: his bloody leg.

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-7

Anushka Sharma had loved Virat Kohli for seven years now. Yet she had never seen his naked torso.

Perhaps, it was because he was her brother's best friend. Or because she had always been a sucker for his eyes. Too brown eyes. And his smile-that beguiling smile which would reach his eyes. Or was it his nose? Definitely his muscled arms which he often used to save her from terrible mishaps.

Anushka Sharma was in love with every anatomical feature of Virat Kohli which she had the opportunity to see.

And now she had seen his naked torso. It wasn't too muscled like those of men in magazines who looked like Greek Gods but neither was it too lean.

It was perfect. Just like him.

She hid behind the bushes, and continued to drink the scene. Sun gleamed the sweat on his body as he drank water after a two hour practice. He had taken cricket seriously as a career since he was a kid, and he was doing really well.

"Virat, you should come to Saxenas for the party tomorrow!" His friend, Rohan squawked at him while he rubbed off the sweat from his body.

A small smile curled his lips. "Next time, Ro."

"But you will be gone for six months from Delhi."

Anushka straightened her spine after hearing what Rohan had spoken, coming out of her vantage point. Six months? And he didn't even bother to tell her?

"Anushka?" He looked at her direction, and she immediately turned around so that he didn't have to witness her humiliating tears. She hated to cry, and she hated him because he held the power to make her cry. She never should have given him such power, she realized, as she wiped her cheeks furiously and trudged outside the field.

She glanced down, her heart pounding furiously and she strode on the road. She could hear him shouting his name.

"Anushka!" The roar was hoarse and closer and panting.

She ignored him and shoved her feet, blindly running on the road. It was too early in the morning, and this part of the city had always been relatively empty. Then an arm seized her shoulder forcefully.

"I have been running my ass off, Anu." He was dressed properly for a walk in the park, and for that, she was thankful. His naked anything would have been a huge distraction.

"You did not tell me that you were leaving! How could you?"

"I was unsure how you would take it."

"Well, I feel like slapping you right now. But I will save myself the trouble." Her nose flared, and her chin came up, as she turned on her heels, starting to walk away briskly once again.

The next couple of minutes passed away in a frenzy when Anushka took a sharp turn at the road, a "bloody hell" swear and getting pushed away by someone from behind. She screamed loud enough to quake the trees, she was sure.

Virat had smashed himself into a speeding bike. A bike which would have collided into her if he had not pushed her away. His leg was bleeding too badly. She shoved her body toward him, ground her knees on the pavement and reached for him.

The biker muttered a curse and asked about his family. A car which was oncoming stopped and helped them to bring him to the hospital. Anushka had called her family to inform them about the accident, who in turn must have called Virat's family.

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-7

Virat's head pounded and he felt a myriad of gradations of pain in his leg. Nothing had ever hurt as badly as this.

"The doctors said your leg would take time to heal." His elder brother, Vikas spoke in a solemn voice.

Sorrowfulness washed over him in tides. "So I'm no longer going for the tournament."

Vikas hummed in agreement. "You will be better, Cheeku. I know this is a massive setback, but you will recover quickly."

Virat let the silence thicken. Perhaps, Vikas didn't realize how much this meant to him. It was his one chance to prove to the world, and make a name for himself. He remembered his father's words: Kohlis always fight to get what they want. It's what we do because we have resolve as hard as steel.

He was not sure anymore. He asked about her. She had a few scrapes on her knees and palms but she had survived. He always used to rescue Anushka since they were kids, and were practically attached at the hips.

But this time, rescuing Anushka had cost too much.

Vikas strummed his jaw several times with his knuckles before speaking again. "Anushka wants to see you. She's standing outside the door."

"No." He bit out.

"She wants to apologize for-"

"-crippling me? I don't want her apologies, Vikas." Virat snapped at him angrily.

"That is mean, Cheeku, even for you. You know she will not go anywhere, eat anything until you let her speak to you."

"Okay," he vociferated. "Let her in."

A minute later, Anushka walked inside the room. Her lips quivered, as she lowered her arm on his. "Say what you want to speak, Anushka." He ordered softly. Fire erupted and burned deep inside his bones.

"I'm so very sorry, Vi." A faint sob shook her chest. "I wish you had not rescued me, Virat. It should have been me." Her words detonated something inside him.

"But as always I had to rescue you because of your carelessness." He replied, scarcely able to whisper, because he was going to do the hardest thing he had ever done.

"Please forgive me," she sobbed. "I beg your for-"

"Don't, Anushka. I shall not grant it."

"I promise, I'll make it up to you. I'll do anything, Vi. Anything." She wiped her tears daintily, then she spoke "Let's see what we can do? I'll help you with your physiotherapy. I will ask papa to get the best one aboard and we can-"

"Stop." His guts felt like molten lead. "You'll do anything, Anushka?"

Anushka gave him a quick, frantic nod. "Anything."

He summoned all the strength he had because this was the hardest thing he ever had to do. "Here is what I want the most, Anushka. I do not wish to set my eyes upon you again."

Anushka's eyes widened in incredulity. "You cannot be serious."

"Oh, but I am. If you truly want me to forgive you, you will do me a favor and remove yourself from my eyesight. I can't bear to look at you, Anushka. Not just today but forever."

She pressed her lips together, as she stared at him, mouth agape disbelievingly.

"I'm serious, Anushka. Leave me now."

Anushka snatched her hands, lifted her chin and walked out of the room. And he never saw her again. Until seven years.

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Virat

My imagination never ran this wild. My heart leaps when I sweep her across her feet in the perfect waltz, and our feet work in flawless rhythm.

She looks the same. Her dark brown hair is let open, so a few tendrils fall and softly brush her face. When her eyes meet mine, she smiles. It's not a genuine smile and I know it but the soft cushion of her lips look delectable nonetheless.

We speak our dialogues, and the director bellows a "cut!" afterwards. We scurry towards the artists' room, and this time I follow her stealthily and lock the room from inside.

"I've been waiting for a day like this." I make the admission, and her eyes widen. And I am a fool, I want to add.

"You did say forever," her eyes are dark and brooding. I still remember the meanness I showed her that day: I can't bear to look at you, Anushka. Not just today but forever.

Of course, I had my reasons then. Not that she would have understood it because our friendship ran too deep. I, myself, wouldn't have understood if our roles had been reversed.

"I'm sorry." Her face tightens after she hears me say those words.

"I was sorry too. You didn't see me fit enough to forgive." She fumes. I know that I deserve her anger.

"Then give me an order to hide my face. I'll oblige."

"You know that's not possible. Your bloody face is plastered everywhere across the city." She says in a clipped tone. "I hate you."

"I know," I murmur.

"I also hate that I'm proud of you," she almost grunts. "You fought back really hard after the accident. I am proud of you, Virat."

I flash her a warm smile. "And you're making an illustrious career too. I'm proud of you too, Anu."

A brief silence is followed by her deep chuckle. I take her hand in mine, and I feel her stiffen. But I need to say those words aloud so I ignore her discomfort. "I never blamed you for the accident, Anu."

She blinks at him, her dark eyes brooding like a desert storm. But she doesn't say anything.

"Did you hear me? I did not blame you for that accident." I speak again, this time clearer and louder.

"Is this some sort of false assurance?" She asks, incredulous. "Of course, I was there-you were trying to save me."

My expression remains somber. "I never blamed you. Not then. Not now. Not ever."

She jerks back. "Then why?"

"Because you were planning our lives ahead. We will do this. We will do that. I wasn't even sure if I would recover enough to play. You were already shaping your life around my injury. And you had gotten into Xavier's for God's sake. How could I let you let go off your dreams just because mine were screwed?" I sigh.

Anushka narrows her eyes at me. "You cannot be serious."

"I'm serious." I take her hands in mine.

She swats my hand away. "So you manipulated me into self-preservation?"

"We were too selfless as friends. You would have done that." I assent.

"You arrogant, manipulative, high-handed, conceited ass-"

I want to kiss her to cut her speech, but instead I place my hand over my mouth. "I'm sorry. But I loved you too much then so I had to let you go. I think I still may be in love with you. Just a little." Then I let my hands drop and press my lips on her temple.

She raises her eyebrows at the tender action, and shakes her head. "Well, I don't. I still hate you." Then shrugs coldly. "But I give you a chance to subdue my anger. After all, I did give you seven long years."

"I will give you forever." Then I wrap my arms around her in an affectionate embrace.

She too wraps her arms around me. "Just tell me, did you know that I was going to be your co-star today?" She questions.

"No. My manager told me it was some debutante."

"Then bloody hell. I would like to throttle Ritika," she curses, jerking back. "But only after I first kiss you." And then her lips softly press against mine.

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Author's note: This was a short story idea but I made it a one shot. I hope you liked it :) Wrote about them after such a longgg time!

Also, some shameless self-promo: Please do check out my current book: "Come Back, Noelle". I have finished the draft version so it has regular updates and will definitely NOT be discontinued