ICT ONE-SHOTS (FRIENDSHIP)

What if I never consider you retired? (MahiRat)

Consider me retired.

Virat read it just once more time to make sure...

It still spelled out the same words.

Consider me retired.

His phone rang. It flashed 'Harry'.

Virat was really not in a mood to deal with this today. He rejected the call with an impatient swipe. Why the hell was Harry calling him, anyway? It was not as if he could do anything about it. It was not as if Mahi bhai had even told him of his decision beforehand...

Virat flipped his laptop open with a touch more violence than he would have under normal circumstances, and opened his mailbox.

"Dear Mahi bhai..." he began, and deleting it.

Mahi bhai. As if. Bhai. Just imagine!

Don't elder brothers tell their younger brother of huge, mind-boggling life decisions that would ruin their younger brother's life before annoucing it to the world?

But what else could he call him??

"Dear Mahi bhai, I hate you. This was not fair. Yes, you always do unfair things, but this was so beyond anything you've ever done. Why did you do it? You told Sachin sir once earlier, remember, that 'India will never stop needing you' when he was 38? Few days after the 2011 WC I think. And yeah, he did NOT retire when his younger brother told him India still needed him. But you're different aren't you? You go ahead and do anything you want to, never thinking of us.

It hurts Mahi bhai. I don't know why but it hurts like hell. You know I'm still wishing I read that post wrong. Wait, let me check..."

Virat consulted his phone for the 58th time.

Consider me retired.

"...I guess I read it correct after all. Mahi bhai why are you never here when I need you?

I guess I can't need you any longer. So yeah. Goodbye.

Cheeku."

Virat stopped typing and read the mail through. He cringed.

It sounded so childish. Like, so childish. How could he have written this?

He opened another draft and clenched his jaw and typed:

"MS,

You really should have informed me a day or two ago. I suppose you forgot.

Virat."

Yeah, this was better, much, much better. He pressed send.

His phone was ringing again. It was Yuzi this time. Virat scowled and received it.

"Dammit Yuzi, I don't have time for this!" he snapped, and cut the call before Yuzi could so much as say a word.

He threw his phone away and watched it bouncing up and down once on the bed before coming to a stop.

God.

Virat buried his head in his hands.

Right on cue it started ringing. Jassi.

DAMN IT, WHAT WAS HE SUPPOSED TO DO?

He let it ring out. He supposed he could've walked to the bed and put it on silent but honestly, he did not feel up to even that bit of movement.

It rang again.

Rohit.

Ah, here was a good opportunity to vent some of his rage.