𝕮𝖆𝖗𝖉𝖎𝖌𝖆𝖓: 𝐒𝐡𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐥 × 𝐊𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢.
:) Bonus Chapters are written after the book got completed.
Bonus Chapters are marked by: ֎ Title
Shubman Gill, a rising star in Indian cricket, finds himself drawn to Sriya Shett...
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Chapter Forty: Bonds Beyond Cricket.
Exhaustion clung to every muscle as Sriya stepped into her cousin KL's empty house. Her phone remained on flight mode since she boarded the flight back home, a habit she'd developed to disconnect from the world during her travels.
Finding herself alone in the quiet house, Sriya's shoulders slumped with weariness. The fatigue from the journey seeped into her bones, urging her towards the solace of sleep.
She settled into a familiar guest room, the soft mattress a welcoming embrace. The pull of rest was irresistible, and without a second thought, Sriya succumbed to sleep's seduction.
Meanwhile, her phone lay dormant on the bedside table, unaware of the unread message that awaited her. Kartik's carefully constructed words remained unseen, the potential storm brewing in the digital ether, unnoticed by its intended recipient.
Outside, the world moved on, oblivious to the intricate manipulative threads being spun within Sriya's digital realm.
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The morning light filtered through the curtains, stirring Sriya from her slumber. Her hand instinctively reached for her phone on the bedside table, fingers fumbling to disable flight mode.
As the notifications flooded in, she groggily blinked, scrolling through the mundane alerts until her gaze froze on a message from Kartik.
Hey Sriya! Remember that day at the university canteen? Your smile was contagious! Missing those fun times.
Confusion knitted her brow as Sriya read and reread Kartik's message. Memories of their shared past flickered in her mind, warmth tinged with nostalgia.
She muttered to herself, "Why is he bringing this up now?"
With a lingering uncertainty, Sriya's thumb hovered over the keyboard, contemplating her response. Before she could type anything, her phone buzzed again, this time a call from Athiya.
"Hey, Sriya! Sorry, we'll be late. KL and I got stuck in traffic. Are you settled in?" Athiya's voice sounded concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just woke up," Sriya replied, her attention divided between the phone call and Kartik's message.
"Great! We'll be there soon. Take your time. Love you," Athiya said before ending the call.
Sriya stared at Kartik's message once more, a disconcerting feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. She quickly typed a response to Kartik, "Yeah, those were good times. Busy now, catch up later?"
Her heart raced as she sent the message, uncertainty clawing at her thoughts. The warmth of her cousin's home provided no solace against the sudden storm brewing within her.
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Sriya's phone buzzed once more, this time with a message from an official at the BCCI. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the notification.
