Paradise ~ A Devdutt Padikkal Story

2.

Twisted Hate laid on the couch, until someone picked it up. Out of pure curiosity, he turned to the first page that had a cute dedication written in sparkly red ink.
'To my desi Jules, may you find a Josh.'

Initially he had planned to keep the book back where it was incase the girl comes searching for it but his mind forced him to place it safely in his bag. Maybe he could do with some reading.

Considering that their next game was in his hometown, Devdutt Padikkal waited for his sister to come pick him up.
Checking Instagram to kill time, Devdutt stood up as soon as he received a message from his sister. Successfully exiting the airport, he made his way to his car.
"Chanda re Chanda re itna late kyu kiya re?" Devdutt said to his sister.
"That was a bad attempt at ruining such a lovely song but what can I expect from you?" Chandni drove them out of the airport complex.
"Some new interns are joining our firm day after tomorrow thus Vivek and I were making a presentation for their introductory meeting." Chandni added.
"How was your stay at Dharamshala?" She asked.
"Aesthetic is the only word for it. Every atom, everything that comes across your eyes screams aesthetic." Devdutt elaborated.

That night, unable to curtail the curiosity, Devdutt finally went back to the book in his bag.
It had a bookmark which was evidently customized from the look of it.
Following the bookmark, Devdutt opened the page only to be astonished.
'You need someone to bend you over and fuck that attitude right out of you'

Snapping the book shut, Devdutt rolled his eyes. Is this what people read now? Word porn?
Devdutt didn't see any potential storyline after reading only a sentence. Assuming it as a waste of time and after checking the price of the book, Devdutt laughed ignorantly.
Do girls read such sick content and then raise their standards? Even he could say such flamboyant, hot dialogues and pull a girl but he wasn't Josh. Did he just admit that it was hot?
Placing the book at the back of his cupboard, Devdutt put on his very expensive Skull Candy headphones and sat on the balcony chair.

Thinking of everything happening in his life, Devdutt got lost. He was still processing the bad performances in the past matches. For Devdutt, cricket was oxygen. Every breath he took was for his dream. His dream to play Test cricket. His dream to excel like Rahul Dravid.
Devdutt knew he was excellent at what he did. If cricket was a subject, he was a topper. If cricket was a race, he was the champion.

Being an introvert all his life, Devdutt never really had time for girls. He did notice them, he obviously did. But he never pursued them because nothing seemed important to him than cricket. The girls at Saint Joseph's College of Commerce were great friends to him, but Devdutt hardly attended college to ever give it a serious thought.
He'd lie if he said he didn't have a crush. Emma Raducanu was his celebrity crush.
But what about his heart? What about the wound that made him close the way to his heart?
He had fallen in love but couldn't get out from the deep ditch.

Only the thought of her made Devdutt restless. Unexpressed affection hurt equally.
Disha Rajan walked into his life, taking his breath away. He had seen her for the first time on the first day of college. Beautiful would be an understatement for Disha was an embodiment of Aphrodite herself.
Luscious black hair that looked good everyday, be it a bun or a braid or a clip. Eyes as pure as the Gita herself, dripping with kindness. A smile that reached her eyes making them crinkle was what Devdutt admired the most. Her staple outfit was a kurta and a jeans with jhumkas.

Though he couldn't go to college everyday, Devdutt wished he could.
And then one day, Disha disappeared from the face of the earth quite literally. She moved to London was what Devdutt learned from his friends and with that the waves of love left the shore to never return again. He vowed to stay away from the opposite gender if it meant unexpressed affection. He was okay with watching Emma Raducanu play.

Devdutt was startled when he heard a loud gasp and a feminine voice cursing.
He looked towards the source to find a silhouette rushing past the balcony. His eyes waited for a moment  before they spotted a feminine figure searching for something on the ground with a flashlight. She found what she wanted and looked up at the balcony above and shouted loud enough for him to hear.

"Thankgod only a few scratches, nothing major!! Also by the time I reach upstairs, please switch off the washing machine."
She scurried away in the darkness and Devdutt was left wondering.