Did You Know Me? (Shubman Gill x Ishan Kishan)

Shubman weighs his options

For a few minutes, Shubman could not think beyond the buzzing in his head.

Then he said in his head, just as trial, I'm in love with Ishan.

Was it true? Did it ring true?

He definitely cared for Ishan more than anyone, and he could definitely imagine spending every minute of life with him...

...though even best friends could do that, which was what he'd thought they'd been...

...but that kiss...

He could definitely do with more of that.

Okay, just thinking of him made his heart race.

And he had never noticed.

I'm in love with Ishan.

Oh my god.

I'm in love with Ishan.

I'm in love with Ishan and I never realised.

Once he came to terms with it, he was hit by confusion.

But what was he to do about it?

If he told Ishan he loved him, Ishan would think it was a joke.

If he kissed him, Ishan would still think it was a joke.

Why. Did. He. Have. To. Be. So. Stupid?

What....what was he going to do?

Tell Ishan, definitely. Ishan had to the first one to know, well, after Hardik bhai and Surya bhai, but how? How? How?

"I think we sent him into shock," Hardik told Surya.

"Shubi? Shubi!" Surya shook him roughly. "Are you going to keep standing here or actually do something?"

Shubman jerked out of his trance.

"Wh-wh-what? What?"

"Yep, definitely in shock," said Hardik.

"Shut up, Harry!" scolded Surya. "Ishan would be reaching the airport and flying away. Do you have no intention at all of stopping him, Shubi?"

"Stop-stop him?"

"He can't even speak," said Hardik. "Do you expect him to drive to the airport and catch Ishan in time?"

"Well, that's what they do in the movies," said Surya defensively.

"And F.R.I.E.N.D.S.," said Hardik. "That's my favourite scene, I got off the plane!"

"What?" was all Shubman could repeat at the moment, clearly.

"Goodness, Shubi," groaned Surya. "Come, let's get you a car."

"A-a car, yes..."

A car sounded good.

After all, whatever way he said whatever he did say, there was no option but getting to the airport and getting Ishan to himself right then.

That realization shook Shubman out of his daze.

"I need a car, Surya bhai," he said.

"Oh, and here I was thinking of a carriage," said Surya with extreme sarcasm as he caught Shubman's arm and pulled him towards the reception of the hotel.

Getting the car took up a frustrating amount of time, during which Shubman couldn't do much but keep consulting his phone, which was running out of charge, and Hardik bhai and Surya bhai did the talking for him.

Finally, finally Shubman was driving out, his heart thumping uncomfortably hard.

It was too much pressure, really....

"Call him and tell him you're coming," shouted Hardik. "His flight might take off before you reach!"

"Okay!"

"DON'T DRIVE RASHLY!" yelled Surya. "SHUBMAN, DO NOT DRIVE RASHLY!"

Shubman took a wild turn into the main street, but slowed down immediately. After Rishabh's accident, driving rash didn't seem funny anymore.

He'd just taken his phone to call Ishan, but Surya bhai's call came first.

"Shubman," he said, sounding furious. "What was that turn? Drive carefully."

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Surya bhai."

"Good luck," Hardik wished from the background.

Shubman sighed with relief when Ishan picked up the call. 

"Yeah, I've reached, and  I'm really bored," began Ishan. "But I barely got here in time, my boarding is in-"

"Don't board the flight!" cut in Shubman.

"Whoa, what?"

"Don't, um, board this flight..." Shubman racked his brain to find something clever that wouldn't give away what he was planning to do. "Rachel boarded the flight and it did not end well."

"I thought it ended pretty well," said Ishan.

"Well, she had to fight with the air hostess, can you fight with an air hostess?"

"No, I can't," said Ishan, laughing. "But I think the phalange would function quite rightly."

"Ishan," said Shubman, seeing no way out but to give away part of his plan. "I'm coming to the airport, there's something important I need to tell you."

"Right," said Ishan. "And you can't tell me right now because...? You need a demonstration for that, do you? An accompanying dance? Or a monkey show?"

"Okay, who's taking everything as a joke now?" demanded Shubman.

Ishan abruptly fell silent.

"Uh, Shubi, they'll calling my flight for boarding soon," he said in a small voice.

"Well, don't get on, I'm coming-"

Click.

Shubman braked and glared at his phone.

It had turned itself off. He'd, naturally, forgotten to put it on charge since the flight.

No amount of groaning or cursing would get his phone to switch on. Shubman swallowed his frustration and focused on getting to the airport.

Of course, that was not very easy without Google Maps. And with the traffic.

Both combined meant he had to go very, very slowly, glancing at his watch every time the signal went red...Ishan's flight would have started boarding...and stopping to ask for directions to people on the streets, glad for his sunglasses.

In the stretches there was no traffic, he was forced to drive like a maniac, but every time he speeded up, he remembered Rishabh, and his conscience forced him to slow down again. The constant acceleration and deceleration was probably only slowing him down.

And then, of course, the one disaster left to happen did happen. There was a pop, a thump and a vibration and his front wheels pulled to the left.

The car had to get a flat trye now. Of course it did.

This time, Shubman cursed at the top of his voice.

Ishan would have boarded the flight.

Ishan would be flying away from him...

Shubman flung his phone to the floor of the car and hit his head against the wheel.

But after all....there was the tiniest of chances that Ishan would have trusted him, and would stay, wait for him at the airport...

Shubman pulled himself together and got off the car.

A flat tyre could definitely be fixed...