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The morning sun crept gently through the hotel suite curtains, wrapping Akanksha in its soft, golden embrace. She blinked awake slowly, her body still aching from the previous night’s panic. She hadn’t remembered falling asleep but she remembered his voice.
Shubman’s voice. Calming her. Holding her.
She turned her head slightly and found him on the couch, still awake, legs stretched out, arms folded, phone in hand. He was scrolling through emails, his brows furrowed, but the moment he saw her stir, his entire face softened.
“Hey,” he said, setting his phone down immediately.
“Hi…” Her voice was hoarse.
“Did you sleep okay?”
She nodded slowly, then hesitated. “Thank you. For staying.”
“Always,” he said gently, sitting up. “I wasn’t going to leave you alone after that.”
She bit her lip. “You… told anyone?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. I only spoke to Hardik,kept it vague. He helped me contact someone in cybercrime.”
Akanksha sat up slowly, tucking her legs beneath her. “And… Virat bhaiya? Rohit bhaiya?”
He exhaled. “Not yet. We decided…” he paused, choosing his words carefully, “to handle this quietly. At least until the IPL ends.”
Akanksha nodded. She knew what he meant.
If Virat or Rohit found out someone had been stalking her, they’d both turn into overprotective brothers on steroids and possibly get banned for punching someone on live TV.
“We tell them after the final,” she whispered.
Shubman nodded. “We will. But until then, you're staying here. I don’t care if I have to bribe hotel security or pretend you’re the team nutritionist.”
She gave him a tired smile. “You’d bribe hotel security for me?”
“Agar baat tumhare upar aa jaye to pure BCCI ko bribe kr du,” he grinned.
Later That Day Gujarat Titans Team Lounge
Akanksha had managed to pull herself together. She wore a long pastel kurta with leggings and kept her hair open to frame her tired face. She was quieter than usual, but she wanted to pretend things were fine just for a while.
Shubman had told the team that Akanksha was “taking a break from media stuff” and staying with friends during the team’s home leg of matches.
Only a few of the guys knew the truth or parts of it.
Abhinav Manohar gave her a quiet nod when she entered the lounge. Rahul Tewatia, who had always joked around with her during pre-season shoots, offered her a chilled juice wordlessly. Sai Sudharsan and Wriddhiman Saha glanced at her, clearly sensing something was off but didn’t ask.
