Emperor Of Cricket

Back in the RCB locker room, the players were still buzzing from the incredible batting performance. Laughter and chatter filled the room as everyone cooled down and changed.

Chahal, still in his training gear, dropped onto the bench next to Advay and shook his head dramatically. "Bhai, why were you playing like a madman today?"

Umesh chimed in, smirking. "Yeah, we knew you were gonna destroy them, but this? This was personal."

Advay grinned but said nothing, just continued wiping the sweat off his face with a towel.

Virat, who was lacing up his shoes, smirked and glanced at Advay. "You guys really don't know?"

Chahal raised an eyebrow. "We know about the bet… but you never told us what kind of bet it was."

The locker room immediately perked up, the players leaning in closer. Umesh crossed his arms. "Yeah, spill it. What did you bet on?"

Virat chuckled, stretching his arms. "If he scored a hundred, Ananya would give him her number."

The entire locker room froze for a second, before it erupted in absolute chaos.

"WHAT?!"

Moeen Ali's jaw dropped. "Wait, wait, wait… That was the bet?!"

Chahal pointed at Advay in disbelief. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU WERE OUT THERE BREAKING RECORDS FOR A NUMBER?!"

Marcus Stoinis leaned back, laughing. "Oh man, this is actually hilarious."

Navdeep Saini shook his head, grinning. "Dude really said 'Let me just break the fastest IPL century record real quick for a date.'"

Advay held up a hand, suppressing a smirk. "Actually… I added another clause."

The locker room immediately shut up, all eyes locked on him.

Virat, shaking his head, chuckled. "Oh yeah. This part is even better."

Advay leaned back, arms crossed. "If I broke the record for the fastest IPL century… I'd get a dinner too."

The team was dead silent for two seconds, as if processing what they just heard.

Then, complete mayhem.

Chahal literally fell off the bench, howling. "BHAI. YOU MADE A ROM-COM BET?!"

Moeen Ali threw a towel at Advay, shaking his head. "This is actually insane!"

Umesh was laughing uncontrollably. "Broke a record just for a date. That's next-level commitment."

Even Dale Steyn, usually the calmest, let out a laugh. "Gotta respect the confidence."

Virat clapped his hands together, grinning. "Alright boys, next match, same plan? Another hundred?"

The whole team burst into laughter again, while Advay just shook his head, smirking. This wasn't going away anytime soon.

As the roar of Chinnaswamy Stadium filled the night, Advay stood under the floodlights, holding the Man of the Match trophy, as Harsha Bhogle smiled beside him, microphone in hand.

"Advay, another monstrous innings today! A century in just 29 balls, breaking the IPL record, and then a wicket as well. What was going through your mind when you walked out to bat?"

Advay took a deep breath, adjusting the trophy in his hands before speaking. "Honestly, I was just focused on playing my game. The wicket was great for batting, and once I got a few shots away, I just kept going with the momentum."

Harsha chuckled. "Kept going? You didn't just 'keep going,' you completely dismantled SRH's bowling attack! Tell me, were you aware that you were about to break the record for the fastest hundred?"

Advay gave a small smirk. "Not really. I wasn't counting balls. I was just reacting to deliveries and trying to make the most of the powerplay."

The crowd cheered loudly, clearly thrilled by his performance. Harsha waited for the noise to settle before leaning in with a curious look.

"Now, when you reached your hundred, you bowed down toward the crowd before celebrating. That's not something we usually see from you. Was there a special meaning behind it?"

Advay paused for a second, the smirk on his face softening slightly. He glanced at the stands for the briefest moment before answering. "The crowd here at Chinnaswamy has been amazing. The energy, the support—it's unreal. It felt right to acknowledge them. That moment wasn't just about me, it was about all of us. So, that was my way of showing gratitude."

The stadium erupted into cheers, fans chanting his name once again.

Harsha smiled, nodding. "Beautifully said. Congratulations, young man, you were absolutely sensational tonight!"

Advay shook his hand, gave one final glance toward the stands, and walked off, his name still echoing through Chinnaswamy.

As soon as the post-match ceremony ended, Advay wasted no time. The moment he walked off the presentation stage, he quickly handed his trophy to the staff and made his way toward the VIP stands. His heartbeat wasn't racing out of nerves, but anticipation—he knew exactly who he was looking for.

Security barely hesitated before letting him through, recognizing him immediately. As he moved through the luxurious lounge area, he spotted her instantly. Ananya stood with her friends, casually chatting, completely unaware of his approach.

The atmosphere in the VIP lounge was relaxed, filled with celebrities, business executives, and other high-profile guests, all discussing the thrilling match. But the moment Advay stepped in, the energy shifted.

It was Riya who noticed him first. She had been laughing at something Ananya said, but as she looked past her friend's shoulder, her expression froze completely. Her eyes widened, and she quickly nudged Megha, who followed her gaze and immediately looked just as shocked.

Megha, struggling to process what she was seeing, whispered, "Riya… tell me I'm not hallucinating."

Riya, still blinking in disbelief, grabbed Ananya's arm and whispered urgently. "Ananya… turn around."

Ananya, confused at their sudden shift in behavior, raised an eyebrow. "What? Why are you guys—"

She turned her head—and stopped.

There he was. Advay Rai, standing right in front of them, calm as ever, his piercing green eyes locked onto her.

For a second, she forgot to react, and if her friends hadn't been staring between the two of them in pure confusion, she might have actually let her expression slip.

The silence was immediately broken by Riya, who suddenly gasped and grabbed Megha's arm, her voice slightly higher than usual. "Oh my god… it's actually you!"

Megha blinked furiously, still processing the sight before her. "What… what the hell?! Advay Rai is standing right in front of us?!"

The realization hit them like a truck, and suddenly, both of them practically jumped forward, their shock immediately turning into excitement.

"OH MY GOD, WE ARE HUGE FANS!" Riya gushed, nearly bouncing on her feet. "You were INSANE today! That innings?! Unbelievable! We were just talking about it!"

Megha quickly nodded, her hands clasped together as she spoke rapidly. "Literally, I was saying 'how does this man even exist?' and now you're just… here? In front of us?!"

Advay, clearly amused by their reaction, chuckled lightly. "Glad you enjoyed the match."

Riya, still giddy from excitement, suddenly gasped. "WAIT. Can we—can we get a picture?! PLEASE?"

Advay, keeping his usual cool demeanor, nodded casually. "Of course."

The moment he said that, both girls practically squealed before quickly pulling out their phones. They scrambled to take pictures, snapping multiple angles, selfies, and group photos as they excitedly told him how much they loved his game, how they had been following his IPL journey, and how incredible his form was this season.

As the endless gushing continued, Ananya stood quietly, arms crossed, watching everything unfold. She didn't say a word, but there was a small smirk on her lips as she observed her friends completely losing their composure.

Finally, after taking more than enough photos, Riya paused, still breathless from excitement, before suddenly realizing something.

"Wait…" she muttered, furrowing her brows as if something finally clicked.

Megha, still looking at the pictures, glanced up. "What?"

Riya's eyes darted back to Advay, then back to Ananya, then back to Advay again. "Why are you here?"

The question made everyone stop talking. The two girls turned their heads back toward Advay, waiting for an answer.

Advay, without breaking his cool expression for even a second, simply tilted his head slightly and gestured toward Ananya with a small smirk.

"I came to meet your friend."

Silence.

Riya and Megha's eyes widened comically, their jaws slightly dropping. They slowly turned their heads toward Ananya, who was still calmly standing there, arms crossed, watching everything unfold.

Their expressions screamed absolute shock.

Megha, after several seconds of silence, finally found her voice. "WHAT?!"

Their eyes flicked back to Ananya, then to Advay, then back to Ananya again—and suddenly, the energy shifted.

Riya, ever the quick thinker, grabbed Megha's arm, her voice slightly forced but full of fake enthusiasm. "Uhh… Megha! Didn't we… uh, need to check on—on that thing?"

Megha, catching on immediately, nodded rapidly. "YES. That thing. Super important. We should… go. Right now."

Without waiting for a response, the two spun around and practically fled, leaving Ananya standing there, arms still crossed, and Advay watching them leave with mild amusement.

Once her friends were out of earshot, Ananya finally spoke. "You really just said that in front of them?"

Advay shrugged, his smirk never fading. "I didn't say anything untrue."

Ananya sighed, shaking her head, but there was a slight twitch in her lips, as if she were holding back a smile. "Now they're going to bombard me with questions for the rest of the night."

Advay leaned slightly against the nearby lounge table, completely relaxed. "Well, you'll have a fun story to tell then."

Ananya tilted her head slightly, studying him for a moment. "You really didn't hesitate to come here, huh?"

Advay met her gaze, his green eyes sharp yet unreadable. "Why would I?"

Advay smirked. "You already knew I wasn't like most people."

Ananya huffed, rolling her eyes. "Right. How could I forget? Mr. 'No Stunt Double.'"

He chuckled. "You're still stuck on that?"

She shrugged. "It's hard to forget."

For a few seconds, there was a comfortable silence between them, the noise of the VIP lounge fading into the background.

Then, Advay tilted his head slightly. "So… did you enjoy the match?"

Ananya raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be asking if I noticed you?"

He smirked. "No need to ask. I already know you did."

Ananya scoffed, crossing her arms again. "Wow. Confident, aren't we?"

Advay's smirk widened slightly. "Was I wrong?"

She didn't answer immediately, holding his gaze for a moment before finally exhaling dramatically. "Fine. You played well. Happy?"

He chuckled, nodding. "I'll take that."

Advay, still leaning against the lounge table, crossed his arms and smirked slightly. "So… about our bet."

Ananya blinked, tilting her head slightly. "What bet?"

He narrowed his eyes. "The one where you promised me your number if I scored a hundred."

Ananya let out a dramatic hum, tapping her chin as if she were trying to recall something buried deep in her memory. "Hmm… I don't really remember making such a bet."

Advay raised an eyebrow, giving her a look of pure disbelief. "You can't be serious."

Ananya's lips twitched, barely holding back her grin as she shrugged casually. "I mean… are you sure I said that? Maybe you misunderstood."

Advay exhaled, shaking his head slowly. "Unbelievable. You're actually going to pretend you don't remember?"

She sighed dramatically, glancing up at the ceiling as if deep in thought. "Well, maybe if I had some proof… I could reconsider?"

Advay chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, I don't need proof. You know exactly what you said."

Ananya let out a small laugh, finally dropping the act. "Fine, fine. You win, record-breaker."

She pulled out her phone, tapped a few times, and then tilted the screen slightly toward him. "Here. Save it."

Advay glanced at the screen. Her name, her number, all right there.

Instead of grabbing the phone immediately, he looked at her. "You're not going to make me work for it a little more?"

Ananya rolled her eyes. "Don't push your luck."

With a small smirk, Advay took the phone, quickly entered his name, and saved the contact before handing it back to her.

Ananya locked her phone and slipped it into her pocket, crossing her arms again. "There. Now let's see if you actually use it."

Advay's smirk widened. "Oh, I will. You just gave me a reason to."

As Advay handed back her phone, he took a small step back, tilting his head slightly, his expression unreadable but the teasing glint in his eyes unmistakable. "So… are you free tomorrow?"

Ananya raised an eyebrow, her arms still casually crossed. "Why?"

His smirk widened just a bit. "I was thinking we could go out for dinner."

She blinked at him, studying his face for a moment as if trying to gauge whether he was being serious or just messing with her. Then, after a brief pause, she gave a small nod, her tone casual. "Yeah, I'm free."

Advay didn't miss a beat. He nodded, stepping back slightly. "Great. It's a date then."

Ananya's expression shifted. "Wait—why is it a date?"

Advay, still relaxed, leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh? You don't want it to be?"

She hesitated, not immediately answering, which only made Advay's smirk grow wider. Then, before she could respond, he took another small step back and shrugged, his tone nonchalant. "Alright then, let's cancel it."

Ananya's eyes widened slightly, and for a split second, she looked genuinely caught off guard. It was so quick that most people wouldn't have noticed—but Advay did.

Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his wrist mid-turn, stopping him in his tracks. "Okay, fine! It's a date."

The second those words left her mouth, she seemed to realize what she had just said, and an unmistakable blush crept onto her face. Her fingers, still lightly gripping his wrist, tensed for a second before she quickly let go, clearing her throat.

Advay, still standing there with a smirk, watched as she quickly turned away, acting as if nothing had just happened. But the way she hurried back to her friends, her movements slightly rushed, told him everything he needed to know.

Riya and Megha, who had been waiting nearby, immediately noticed her flustered expression, their eyes darting between her and Advay.

"Wait, what just happened?" Riya asked, squinting at Ananya. "Why do you look like you just got caught doing something suspicious?"

Ananya shook her head quickly, waving them off. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Let's go."

Megha's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but before she could question further, Ananya grabbed her wrist and dragged her away, leaving a very amused Advay standing there, watching her disappear into the crowd.

He let out a small chuckle, shaking his head as he turned toward the exit. "Knew it," he muttered under his breath before walking away, his smirk never fading.