Climb Every Mountain, With You (Shubman Gill x Ishan Kishan)

Wait

It took Shubman three days for it to sink in.

Not that they were breaking up. He didn't let that sink in...why would he? There was no way they were breaking up.

It took him three days to sink into him that Ishan had even used that word for them.

Those three days also clashed with a wedding of a relative in the neighbourhood for which he and his sister were kept busy constantly. The little time he got to text Ishan, he got back curt, unfriendly, discouraging replies. His calls were mostly answered and rewarded with an excuse straightaway-I'm busy, I'm sleeping, I'm outside. His attempts to even bring up the B of the break up were met with a wall of ice instantly.

Shubman couldn't figure out what Ishan was trying to do.

Some of it must have shown on his face, because even very distant relatives at the weddings occasionally asked him, "Are you alright, beta? Not feeling well?" and Shahneel gazed at him warily for the most part of two days before finally asking, "Is Ishan's side not going well there?"

"No," said Shubman. "Not really."

"Aw, come here." She pulled him into a hug and pinched his cheek, as always harder than needed just to annoy him. "I'm so mad at this whole parents business right now for making you two go through this. But Ishan's parents have to accept it eventually, like ours did."

"Di," said Shubman. "Ish...Ishan was saying....he thinks....he's, he's sure his parents are never going to accept it."

Shahneel let him go to look at him.

Shubman closed his eyes. "But that's not possible, is it?"

"No!" said Shahneel. "That's not, that shouldn't be possible."

Shubman was glad for her support. But maybe if she was convinced, she would have spoken a little less forcedly.

"Di?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think there are people who love each other, I mean, when the love isn't the problem at all, who actually don't end up together because of....of parents, society... all that? Like. Like religion. Like caste. Like gender..."

"Well," said Shahneel. "I-I hate to say this, but I think very few people who love each other actually end up together."

"That shouldn't be how it is," Shubman said, pleadingly. "Love can't be such a....fragile, futile...thing."

"Love isn't the problem, Shubi. The world is."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When it had sunk in fully and the stupid, tiresome wedding was over, Shubman collected all his arguments in a systematic manner inside his head. Only then did he dare to book a flight. He wasn't going to go unprepared.

He ran them over in his head over the cab journeys and the flight. Persistence. Secrecy. Adults. Love. Happiness.

Yeah, he could remember all that. It wouldn't be very hard to.

The day was nearing noon when he was within a block of Ishan's house. He called Ishan.

"What?" Ishan asked sleepily.

"Morning," said Shubman. "Actually, afternoon. How late are you sleeping in?"

Ishan groaned.

"Get up quickly," commanded Shubman. "And come out. I can't come too close to your house."

"What? You're here?" Ishan seemed to have woken up in a hurry. "Why the hell are you here without telling me, Shubman?"

"I have a lot of points to discuss," said Shubman. "And you were not cooperating on text or call."