rematch | ishman

CH: 23

As the summer heat gently seeped through the cracks of the old sheds and cicadas rose to their full glory, Ishan learned to get a hold of his feelings which trickled down his chest, settling warmly in the pit of his stomach, like the clouds in the clear blue skies.

Summer dissolved in his mouth, and he, in love.

Staying away from Shubman wasn't as hard as Ishan had imagined. He was still getting used to the idea of loving his best friend in a way he had missed out on for so many years. So, if he caught himself daydreaming about Shubman once in a while, well, no one had to know.

With graduation edging closer, he was busy recruiting new players for the cricket club and trying to decide on a new captain to recommend to the coach. He kept himself busy, but at night, he couldn't resist the pull of the moon that would draw his thoughts to a certain dimpled boy.

He missed Shubman, that was undeniable. But he also felt a twinge of bashfulness at the thought of facing him. What would he even say? It wasn't like anything had happened, yet at the same time, it felt like everything had. He couldn't expect Shubman to understand; after all, he was the dumbest one in their trio. But talking to Abhishek felt equally embarrassing.

So, he turned to Mayank instead, gently peeling off the bandaid. “Do you think it's possible to fall in love with your best friend after years of just being friends?”

Mayank licked his popsicle thoughtfully before sighing. “I’m flattered, Ish. But I like someone else.”

Ishan shot him a flat look before the words sank in. “Wait, you like someone?” he exclaimed, catching Mayank in a headlock. “How dare you not tell me this before?”

Mayank grunted, trying to push Ishan away. “What a hypocrite! Why didn't you tell me about Shubman–”

“Who said anything about Shubman?” Ishan let him go with a huff. “Pehle tu bata, who's the unlucky girl?”

"Who's unlucky? What are you two talking about?" Abhishek asked, flopping on the grass next to them.

Mayank quietly returned to eating his popsicle as Ishan scoffed. “The girl he likes,” he said, pointing at the other.

Abhishek looked at Mayank (who promptly avoided his gaze) before absentmindedly plucking a few strands of dandelions from the grass, twirling them between his fingers. “Oh,” he muttered. “Unlucky indeed.”

Ishan frowned at the silence that followed. “Anyways, I have a problem,” he spoke first. “Shubman dipped on me. Kind of.”

Abhishek groaned, “What is it with you two? Give me a break!”

“It's not my fault,” Ishan defended himself. “You know how he ran away that day, and he hasn't called or texted since.”

Abhishek sighed. “It is odd. He can't live a day without your attention.”

Ishan’s cheeks flushed a little. “Apparently, he can. It's been three weeks now.”

“Good for you that we’re going to see them next weekend,” Mayank said.

“What's good about that?” Ishan scoffed as he got up, avoiding any further questions.

Ishan was about ready to knock some sense into that pole. He had his reasons for not reaching out, but why was Shubman avoiding him? Ishan thought it was just another one of Shubman's distant phases, something he got into sometimes. They were random and shouldn't be taken personally. But now, Shubman was blatantly ignoring his existence. Scowling to himself, Ishan pulled out his phone and stared at the unanswered texts he had sent over the past few weeks.