rematch | ishman

CH: 6

For the rest of his time there, Shubman seemed dead set on getting under Ishan's skin, constantly poking and prodding until it seemed like Ishan was about to snap.

“If you so much as breathe the same air as me, I will kill you.” Ishan’s voice sounded gravelly.

Shubman’s cheeks hollowed slightly with each pull, the lollipop making an audible pop everytime.

“Can you please stop that?”

Shubman smirked. “You’d rather see me sucking something else?”

Ishan scrunched his nose in disgust. “You’ve grown so vile.”

Shubman’s smile faltered a little when Ishan muttered about him being innocent in the past. He stared at the glaring boy in front of him. “I wasn’t innocent, just naive.”

Ishan brushed off the seriousness in his tone and went back to work.

Again. “Whatcha doing?”

Ishan shut his laptop with a groan and stood up, pushing his chair back. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

Shubman looked up at him with a sickening smile. “What could be better than bonding with a dear old friend?”

Ishan clenched his jaw, gathering his things. “We’re not friends,” he said quietly before leaving.

Shubman snorted as he got up, trailing behind Ishan. “And I wasn’t being sarcastic, totally.”

“Where’s Abhi?”

“You’re all about Abhi, aren’t you?” Shubman remarked snidely. “Just because he’s here now doesn’t mean you can push me out of his life.”

Ishan scoffed in disbelief but retorted, “Afraid I’ll do the same that you did to me?”

Shubman let out a wry smile. “Do you need a reminder that he chose me over you?”

Ishan stopped abruptly, shooting him a glare. “You made him choose, Shubman. Friends don’t make friends choose.” He stepped closer to Shubman and poked his chest, his voice low. “I wish I never met you.”

Shubman felt a lot of emotions at those words but he masked them with a faint smirk. “The story still ends the same, doesn’t it?” He whispered. “No one chooses you.”

Ishan inhaled sharply as he turned and walked away. His mind rationalized that arguing with Shubman wasn’t worth it but his heart. All his heart wanted was Shubman to take back those words and whisper sweet nothings in his ear like he used to when Ishan would cry to him about his insecurities. The boy told him once, “You deserve the moon, Ishan. It’s just that I’m not worthy of bringing it to you.”

Ishan hated himself for always remembering useless details of the past. He was grateful when Aditi waved at him, shaking him out of his thoughts.

“Is it Sunday already?” He asked with a grin.

She smiled with a slight blush, shaking her head. “You have your practice match this Saturday, right? Give me the list of players by the end of the day.”

Ishan’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, I was supposed to meet with the other guys. Uh, I’ll get back to you, Adi. Thanks!”

He dashed back to the dorms and knocked down his neighbor’s door, who was supposedly back from playing domestic.

“Rohit!”

“It took you two days to notice,” the guy responded with a yawn, reclining on his bed. “Aur bolta hai mujhe bhoolne ki bimari hai.”