꧁・┆✦ʚ 𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚋𝚖𝚊𝚗'𝚜 ♡ 𝙿𝚘𝚟 ɞ✦ ┆・꧂

I had just returned home from cricket practice, exhausted but satisfied. As I walked into the living room, I saw Mumma and Papa sitting on the couch. The moment they spotted me, Papa spoke up, his tone firm.

"Shub... get me your phone."

I froze. Phone? No, no, no. If they went through it, they'd find my chats with Sara, and if they found out about us... oh god, I couldn't even imagine what would happen.

Trying to stay calm, I swallowed hard and said, "Papa, it's in my room."

"Go and get it. Now," Mumma ordered.

I nodded quickly and dashed upstairs, my heart racing. Without wasting a second, I opened my phone and changed Sara's contact name to Sara Arjun Sister. I also hid our chats, just in case. Phew. Safe.

Taking a deep breath, I walked back downstairs and handed my phone over. My fingers twitched nervously as they scrolled through it. Had I ever talked about Sara in front of them? Had I ever texted anything suspicious in Arjun's presence?

I stood there, hands clasped together, silently praying.

Mumma finally looked up at me and said, "There is nothing here except cricket!"

I sighed in relief. But before I could fully relax, she gave me an odd look. Suddenly, both Mumma and Papa burst into laughter.

I frowned, confused. "What's so funny?"

Mumma stood up and hugged me tightly, her voice filled with pride. "Shubie... you're selected for the Indian Team for the Under-19 World Cup!"

I blinked. "What?"

Papa grinned. "You heard her right! The selection committee called to confirm it today. You did it, beta!"

For a moment, I just stood there, stunned. Then the reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I was officially in the Under-19 World Cup squad!

A huge smile broke out on my face. "OH MY GOD!" I exclaimed, almost jumping in excitement. Mumma and Papa pulled me into a tight hug, their happiness radiating through me.

"We are so proud of you, Shub," Papa said, ruffling my hair.

"You worked so hard for this, and now it's paying off," Mumma added, her eyes teary.

I couldn't believe it. All the years of training, the endless hours in the nets, the sacrifices—it was all worth it.

Then, one thought crossed my mind. Sara.

I needed to tell her.

The moment I got to my room, I shut the door behind me, still buzzing with excitement. My hands were shaking—not from nervousness, but from the sheer thrill of it. I grabbed my phone and dialed Sara's number.

She picked up almost instantly. "Hello, Boyfriend," she said, her voice soft and playful.

I grinned. "Hello, Girlfriend. Guess what?"

"What?" she asked curiously.

I took a deep breath, barely able to contain my excitement. "I GOT SELECTED FOR THE UNDER-19 WORLD CUP!"

There was silence for a second, and then—

"WHAT?!" she practically screamed. "Shub! Are you serious?"

I laughed. "Yes, yes! It's official. I just found out!"

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Sara squealed, and I could practically imagine her jumping up and down. "I am so proud of you, Shub! This is huge!"

Her excitement made my heart swell. I flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling, still grinning like an idiot. "I still can't believe it, Sara. I actually made it."

"Of course, you did," she said warmly. "You deserve this, Shub. All your hard work, all those early morning practices, late-night training sessions—everything has paid off. I knew you'd do it!"

Hearing her say that made it all feel even more real. "Thank you, Sara," I murmured.

"For what?" she asked.

"For always believing in me," I said softly.

There was a pause on the other end, then she whispered, "I always will, Shub."

I closed my eyes, her words settling deep in my heart.

"So, Mr. Future Star Cricketer," she teased, "When are we celebrating?"

I chuckled. "Very soon, Girlfriend. Very soon."

Just as I was about to reply to Sara, I heard a soft knock on my door, followed by it creaking open. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

"Shubman?" Mumma's voice rang through the room.

Oh no.

I panicked and quickly said, "Talk later," before hanging up the call. My phone screen went black just as Mumma stepped inside, her sharp eyes scanning the room.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked, folding her arms.

I swallowed hard, forcing a casual expression. "Uh... just Arjun. We were talking about cricket."

Mumma narrowed her eyes slightly, stepping closer. "Cricket? At this hour?"

I nodded quickly. "Yeah, you know how he is. He was just asking me about my selection."

She looked at me for a moment, clearly not fully convinced. My heartbeat was hammering in my chest. If she checked my call logs, I was doomed.

Then, she sighed and smiled. "I know you're excited, but get some rest, Shubie. You have training tomorrow."

I let out an internal sigh of relief and nodded. "I will, Mumma."

She ruffled my hair before turning to leave. But just as she reached the door, she paused and glanced over her shoulder. "By the way... why are you blushing?"

Crap.

I quickly turned away, pretending to adjust my pillow. "Am I? Must be the excitement of getting selected!"

Mumma chuckled but didn't push further. "Alright, goodnight, beta."

"Goodnight, Mumma," I said, watching her leave and shutting the door behind her.

The second she was gone, I flopped onto my bed, grabbing my phone to text Sara.

Me: Mumma almost caught me. I think I barely survived. 😭

Sara's reply came almost instantly.

Sara❤️: Haha! Careful, Mr. Star Cricketer. We don't want your career ending before it even begins! 😉

I chuckled, shaking my head. This girl.

The next morning, I was just about to leave for practice when Papa called out, "Shubman, come here for a second."

I paused, adjusting my kit bag, and walked into the living room, where Mumma and Papa were sitting.

"Yes, Papa?" I asked, trying to keep my face neutral.

Mumma looked at me with narrowed eyes. "Who do you talk to every night?"

My breath hitched. Crap.

I forced a casual laugh. "Arjun, Mumma. Who else?"

Papa raised an eyebrow. "Every night? So much cricket talk? Even after you've been practicing the whole day?"

I shrugged, pretending to check my watch. "We're just discussing matches, selections... you know, normal stuff."

Mumma exchanged a glance with Papa before looking back at me. "Shubman, listen carefully. You're in 12th grade. This is a crucial year for you. We don't want any distractions. No girlfriend, no time-wasting, nothing. Understood?"

I felt my heart drop for a second. No girlfriend? Well... too late for that.

I nodded quickly. "Of course, Mumma! I'm only focusing on cricket and studies."

Papa looked at me with a serious expression. "Good. Because if we find out you're getting distracted, we won't tolerate it. Your future is more important than anything right now."

I gulped and nodded again. "Yes, Papa. I understand."

Mumma sighed in relief and smiled. "That's our good boy. Now go, you'll be late for practice."

I grabbed my bag and rushed out of the house, my heart pounding. The moment I was outside, I took out my phone and texted Sara.

Me: My parents just gave me a full lecture about not having a girlfriend. What do we do if they find out? 😨

Sara's reply came almost instantly.

Sara❤️: Simple. Just don't let them find out. 😎

I chuckled at her confidence, shaking my head as I walked toward the ground. If only it was that easy.

Sara and I were sitting at our usual café, tucked into a cozy corner booth. She was stirring her iced coffee absentmindedly while I scrolled through the cricket news on my phone.

"Shub, you're always on that phone," she huffed, tapping my hand. "Pay attention to your very pretty girlfriend."

I smirked, locking my phone and leaning closer. "Oh? So now you admit that you're pretty?"

She rolled her eyes. "I've always known, idiot."

I chuckled, reaching for a fry from her plate when suddenly—

"This cafe is nice."

My blood ran cold. That was Mumma's voice.

I turned to Sara, who looked equally horrified.

"Is that—" she whispered, eyes wide.

"Yes. That's my parents!" I hissed, peeking over the booth. Sure enough, Mumma and Papa were walking in, scanning the café.

"Oh god, what do we do?!" Sara whisper-yelled, gripping my arm.

I frantically looked around. "We need to hide!"

Sara pointed to the menu. "Hold it up!"

I grabbed the huge laminated menu and held it between us, hiding our faces. But the problem? The menu had a giant hole in the middle, probably from years of being folded.

I peeked through it and locked eyes with Papa.

I ducked immediately. "Crap. He saw me."

"What?! What do we do?" Sara panicked.

"Act natural!"

We both sat stiff as boards, holding our drinks, pretending to be random strangers. But then—

"Sara, why are you holding your straw upside down?"

I looked at her. She had the straw in her mouth but upside down.

"Oh my god," I groaned, snatching it and fixing it before Papa and Mumma could look our way again.

"Should we crawl under the table?" Sara suggested.

"That's ridiculous."

But when I peeked over the menu again and saw Mumma walking directly toward us, I grabbed Sara's hand and yanked us both under the table.

BANG.

Sara banged her head.

"Ow!" she whispered, rubbing her forehead.

"Shhh!" I pressed my hand over her mouth just as I heard Mumma's voice.

"This café is nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Papa replied. "Didn't Shubman say he likes this place?"

My heart stopped.

"We should take something for him," Mumma added.

Under the table, Sara and I stared at each other in pure horror.

"What if they sit here?!" Sara whisper-screamed.

"Then we're dead," I whispered back.

Just as we were contemplating making a run for it, the waiter came by and bumped into our heads under the table.

"Sir, Ma'am... why are you under there?" he asked, confused.

Mumma and Papa turned toward our booth.

We were so busted.

The waiter looked down at us, blinking in confusion. Sara and I froze.

"Sir, Ma'am... why are you under there?"

I panicked. I grabbed Sara's wrist and yanked her out from under the table, quickly pulling her toward another empty booth near the back of the café.

We dived into the seat just in time before Mumma and Papa could notice.

"Shub, what the hell?!" Sara whisper-yelled, trying to fix her hair.

"I saved us!" I defended, peeking over the booth. Mumma and Papa were still standing near our old table, looking around suspiciously.

"Oh no," Sara muttered, gripping my arm. "What if they saw us running?"

"They didn't," I reassured her, but then—

"Excuse me," a voice came from beside us.

I turned and saw a couple standing there, looking annoyed.

"This is our table."

Crap.

Sara and I exchanged looks. "Umm... no, it's not?" I tried.

"Yes, it is," the guy insisted, pointing at their bags on the seat.

Before I could say anything else, Mumma's voice rang out again.

"Someone was there, right?"

Sara grabbed my face and shoved me down. "Don't move!"

I barely had time to register what was happening before the angry couple called the waiter over.

"Excuse me! Someone took our table!"

I whipped my head toward Sara. "We need to run."

She nodded.

Without thinking, we grabbed our drinks and bolted.

We dashed toward the back of the café and slipped behind a large plant near the restroom.

I peeked out and saw Mumma and Papa sitting down at a table—our original table.

"We made it," I whispered.

"Barely," Sara exhaled, laughing. "Oh my god, Shub, that was close."

I grinned. "Admit it, this was fun."

She playfully smacked my arm. "You idiot, I thought I was going to have a heart attack!"

I chuckled, wrapping an arm around her. "At least now I know you'd survive a spy mission with me."

She rolled her eyes but leaned against me. "Next time, let's just pick a café where your parents aren't."

"Agreed."

⛧°。 ⋆༺ ＳＡＲＡ'Ｓ ＰＯＶ ༻⋆。 °⛧

I was still catching my breath from all the running when Shubman suddenly chuckled beside me.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You look like a mess," he teased, leaning in a little too close.

I scowled. "Excuse me? Whose fault is that, Mr. 'Let's Hide Behind a Plant'?"

But before he could answer, I felt him swipe his thumb across my lower lip.

I froze.

"You had ice cream on your lips," he murmured, his voice lower than before.

Oh.

OH.

My face instantly heated up.

I didn't even remember eating ice cream! When did that happen? But none of that mattered because he was still too close.

I swallowed, looking anywhere but his face.

"Umm... thanks?" My voice betrayed me by coming out way too soft.

He smirked. Smirked.

"You're blushing."

"No, I'm not!" I quickly denied, even though I absolutely was.

He leaned in slightly, tilting his head. "You totally are."

"Shut up, Shub!" I shoved his arm, making him laugh.

Before he could tease me more, we heard a familiar voice from the café.

"Did you see Shubman somewhere?"

My eyes widened.

Shubman and I looked at each other.

"RUN."

We grabbed our drinks and bolted out of the café again.