Emperor Of Cricket

The morning sun filtered through the hotel windows as April 11, 2019, rolled in. It was already 11 AM, but Advay had just finished his morning workout, feeling refreshed after the previous night's match. As he relaxed on the couch, he pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts before tapping on a name.

The call barely rang twice before it was answered.

"Hello?" Ananya's voice came through, crisp and clear.

Advay grinned immediately, leaning back into the cushions. "You picked up pretty fast."

There was a brief pause before she responded, her tone casual but laced with amusement. "And?"

He smirked. "Were you waiting for my call?"

Ananya scoffed, but Advay could hear the slight smile in her voice. "You wish."

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Alright, I'll let you have that one. But listen, about tonight—I'll pick you up at 6."

There was a short pause on the other end before she responded, "6? Not 7 or later?"

Advay smirked, stretching his legs out as he leaned back. "You got a problem with that?"

Ananya let out a dramatic sigh. "No, no. Just making sure you're not the kind of guy who shows up late and makes me wait."

He raised an eyebrow, amused. "You think I'd do that?"

She hummed, pretending to think. "Hmm, we'll see. But just so you know, if this place sucks, I'm blaming you."

Advay chuckled, his voice confident. "That's not gonna happen. You'll love it."

Ananya let out a small laugh. "Fine. 6 PM. Just don't get lost on the way."

Advay smirked. "Funny. I was about to say the same to you."

After ending the call with Ananya, Advay exhaled lightly, still smirking as he stared at his phone for a second. Then, without wasting time, he scrolled through his contacts and dialed another number.

The call rang for a few seconds before Aditi picked up. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my extremely busy brother. What's up?"

Advay chuckled. "Can't I just call you without a reason?"

She scoffed. "Please. The last time you called me this early, it was to ask where you left your car keys. So, what is it?"

He leaned back against the couch, smirking. "I've got a dinner plan tonight."

There was a slight pause. "Okay… and? Why are you telling me this? You want fashion advice?"

Advay laughed. "No, I think I can handle dressing myself, thank you."

Aditi hummed, still suspicious. "Then why exactly are you calling me about a dinner plan?"

He let a few seconds pass before casually dropping, "Because it's with Ananya Pandey."

The silence on the other end was immediate. Then—

"WHAT?!"

Advay held the phone slightly away from his ear, laughing. "You heard me."

Aditi took a second to process before speaking again, her voice a mix of shock and excitement. "Wait, hold on. Ananya Pandey? As in the actress? As in the same girl you told me about before?!"

"Yep."

"And you're just… casually telling me this like it's normal?!"

Advay smirked. "Should I have made a dramatic announcement instead?"

She groaned. "You absolute idiot. Tell me everything right now."

Advay chuckled, adjusting his position on the couch as he prepared himself for the inevitable flood of questions. "Alright, alright, calm down. I'll tell you."

Aditi wasn't having it. "Calm down?! My brother, who usually avoids unnecessary attention, is suddenly going on a dinner with ANANYA PANDEY, and you want me to calm down? Start talking."

Advay smirked, already expecting this reaction. "Remember the girl I told you about? The one I met during the Karnataka team outing?"

Aditi's voice immediately sharpened with interest. "Yeah, the one you never got the name of? Oh my god—WAIT. NO WAY. You're telling me Ananya Pandey was that girl?!"

Advay laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah. Turns out, I wasn't the only one who left that night. She thought I disappeared, I thought she did. Just a classic case of bad timing."

Aditi let out a dramatic gasp. "This is literally a movie plot! So what happened? How did you find out?"

Advay leaned back, running a hand through his hair. "We met again at my MRF commercial shoot. She was the co-actor."

Aditi let out a loud groan of disbelief. "You're telling me that after ALL this time, the universe just conveniently threw her into your life again?!"

Advay smirked. "Seems like it."

Aditi took a deep breath before demanding. "And then what? You obviously talked to her, right?"

Advay grinned. "Yeah. I brought up that night, and she hit me with the classic 'you left first' argument. Turns out, she went to the washroom while I was gone, and by the time she came back, I was already out of there."

Aditi clicked her tongue. "See? This is why communication is important."

Advay ignored her lecture and continued. "Anyway, we talked a bit, the shoot went fine… and then I made a bet."

Aditi froze. "You did WHAT?"

He chuckled. "Relax. I just told her if I scored a hundred, she'd have to give me her number."

The silence on the other end lasted three full seconds before Aditi absolutely lost it.

"YOU MADE A BET FOR HER NUMBER?! BRO, ARE YOU A CRICKETER OR A MAIN CHARACTER IN A ROMANTIC COMEDY?!"

Advay grinned, clearly enjoying her reaction. "What can I say? It worked."

Aditi groaned, probably shaking her head on the other end. "Unbelievable. And she agreed to this?!"

"She did."

"And then you actually went ahead and SMASHED the fastest IPL hundred?!"

"Of course. I told you—I don't make bets I can't win."

Aditi couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're actually insane."

Advay laughed, but then casually added. "Oh, and I might've added another clause."

Aditi let out an exasperated sigh. "Why am I not even surprised at this point? Alright, tell me. What else did you bargain for?"

He smirked. "If I broke the record for the fastest IPL hundred… I'd get a dinner too."

Another long silence.

"…Bro."

Advay chuckled. "What?"

Aditi sighed so deeply it sounded like she was reconsidering being related to him. "You—You literally played cricket to secure a date."

"And?"

"AND?! THAT'S INSANE! WHO EVEN DOES THAT?!"

Advay laughed. "Apparently, me."

Aditi groaned. "I can't believe I'm related to you. This is next-level rom-com behavior."

He smirked. "At least I'm making things interesting."

She huffed, but he could hear the amusement creeping into her voice. "Fine. I'll admit it—this is kinda legendary. But you better not screw it up, because I need to be able to tell people my brother is dating a Bollywood actress."

Advay chuckled, shaking his head. "Slow down, Aditi. It's just dinner."

She scoffed. "Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say before it turns into something more."

He smirked but didn't respond, letting her words hang in the air.

Aditi, still buzzing with excitement, suddenly paused before narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Wait a second… you didn't just call to tell me all this, did you?"

Advay frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

She smirked, catching on quickly. "You called me to ask what to wear, didn't you?"

For the first time in the conversation, Advay hesitated. "…No."

The silence stretched for a moment.

Aditi let out a small gasp before bursting into laughter. "OH MY GOD. YOU DID! YOU TOTALLY DID!"

Advay, still holding his phone, sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, fine. Yes. Happy?"

Aditi was practically cackling at this point. "My cool, record-breaking, big-shot brother has no idea what to wear on a date. This is GOLD!"

Advay shook his head, but he couldn't stop the small smirk on his face. "Are you done?"

She took a deep breath, still giggling. "Not even close. This is going in the family group chat."

His eyes widened slightly. "Aditi. Don't you dare."

She laughed harder. "Alright, alright. I won't. But only because I feel bad for you."

Advay rolled his eyes. "So, are you actually gonna help me, or are you just gonna keep roasting me?"

Aditi hummed dramatically. "I don't know… I'm kinda enjoying this."

"Aditi."

She snickered. "Fine, fine. Let me think…"

Aditi finally stopped laughing, though there was still amusement in her voice. "Alright, alright. Since you're clearly helpless, here's what we're going to do."

Advay raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what's that?"

She smirked. "You're going to come pick me up, and we're going to the mall."

Advay frowned. "The mall? You expect me to go shopping now?"

Aditi scoffed. "Yes, because left to your own devices, you'll probably just wear one of your training jerseys and call it a day."

Advay huffed. "I was not going to wear a jersey."

She wasn't buying it. "Uh-huh, sure. Anyway, I'm not letting my brother show up underdressed for his first dinner with a Bollywood actress. So, pick me up in thirty minutes."

Advay sighed but smirked slightly. "You just want an excuse to go shopping, don't you?"

Aditi gasped dramatically. "How dare you accuse me of such things?!"

He chuckled. "Fine. Be ready in thirty minutes."

She grinned. "Good boy. See you soon!"

As the call ended, Advay shook his head, grabbing his keys. "Guess I'm going to the mall."

Advay pulled up outside Aditi's place, barely having time to honk before she hopped into the car, looking way too excited for a simple shopping trip.

"Alright, let's get this over with," he muttered as he pulled out onto the road.

Aditi snorted. "Oh, come on, you act like I'm dragging you to a torture chamber. This is for your own good."

Advay rolled his eyes but said nothing, knowing there was no arguing with her.

When they reached the mall, Aditi wasted no time, immediately pulling him toward a high-end designer store. Advay, who usually didn't care much about fashion, found himself standing in front of a rack of expensive outfits, while Aditi meticulously picked out options and tossed them at him to try on.

After what felt like an eternity of trying clothes and rejecting things that were "too formal" or "not the right vibe," they finally settled on the perfect outfit.

After dragging Advay through multiple stores, Aditi finally stopped in front of a display, her eyes lighting up as she pulled out an outfit.

"This. This is the one," she declared, holding up a black cashmere sweater.

Advay glanced at it, raising an eyebrow. "A sweater? For dinner?"

Aditi sighed dramatically, shoving it into his hands. "Not just any sweater. A cashmere sweater. It's sleek, minimal, and matches your entire personality—calm, composed, slightly mysterious."

He rolled his eyes but took it into the changing room. A few minutes later, he stepped out, now wearing the fitted black sweater, the soft fabric resting effortlessly against his frame.

Aditi nodded in approval. "Perfect. Now, pair it with these." She handed him a pair of black denim jeans, slim but not too tight, keeping it effortlessly stylish.

After changing into the full outfit, Advay turned to the mirror, adjusting the sweater's sleeves slightly.

Aditi grinned, already moving on to accessories. "Wait, you need something extra." She dug through a small display and pulled out a thin silver chain with a small RCB logo on it. "This. You've gotta wear this. It's subtle but adds personality."

Advay took the chain, eyeing it for a second before putting it on. It rested just under the sweater's collar, barely visible but still noticeable enough to mean something.

Aditi wasn't done yet. "And finally, the watch."

She picked up a sleek black watch with dark green straps, handing it to him with a proud smile. "This is what ties the whole look together. Simple, but stunning."

Advay clipped the watch on, glancing at his wrist. The dark green straps added just the right touch of contrast against his otherwise all-black ensemble.

Aditi stepped back, arms crossed, admiring her work. "Alright. Now you look like someone who casually breaks cricket records and takes actresses out to dinner without trying too hard."

Advay chuckled, slipping his hands into his pockets. "That was a long way of saying I look good."

She rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and pay for the stuff."

After checking out, they grabbed a quick coffee before he dropped Aditi off and returned to the hotel at exactly 4 PM.

As he walked into his room, he laid the outfit neatly on the chair, his sharp green eyes flicking toward the clock. Just two hours to go.

As Advay stepped out of his hotel room at 4:40 PM, now fully dressed in his black cashmere sweater, black denim, and polished Chelsea boots, he adjusted the cuff of his watch and took a deep breath. He had plenty of time before heading out, but first, he needed to get to his car.

Walking into the hotel lobby, he immediately spotted a few of his RCB teammates lounging in the common area, eyes glued to the TV, watching an IPL match. They were clearly enjoying their rest day, stretched out comfortably on the couches, drinks in hand, casually commenting on the game.

The moment Advay saw them, he internally groaned. He already knew—if they spotted him, he was dead.

He subtly tried to swerve toward a different exit, keeping his pace casual, hoping to slip past unnoticed. But, of course, fate wasn't that kind.

Just as he reached a safe distance—

"Oh-ho, look who we have here!"

Advay froze for half a second before sighing and turning his head slightly. Chahal was grinning like he had just found gold.

"Boys, boys," Chahal called out, nudging Umesh and Stoinis. "We've got a situation."

Umesh looked up from the screen, his eyes scanning Advay for a moment before he smirked. "Damn, my man is looking sharp today. What's the occasion?"

Stoinis leaned forward, a knowing look in his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Why are you dressed like you're about to give a TED Talk on 'How to Win Over Bollywood Actresses'?"

The entire group snickered, some of them already setting their drinks down, fully invested in the unfolding scene.

Advay kept his expression calm, slipping his hands into his pockets. "No occasion. Just heading out."

Chahal squinted. "Heading out? Looking like that? On a rest day?"

Navdeep Saini leaned in, pretending to be deep in thought. "Hmmm… let's put the pieces together. The mysterious phone call in the morning, the sudden disappearance after the match yesterday, and now… this."

Umesh grinned. "Wait, wait, I got it. You're meeting Ananya, aren't you?"

At this, the entire group burst into laughter, clapping their hands, shaking their heads, already preparing to start the endless teasing.

Advay sighed, shaking his head slightly. He should've taken the back exit.

Advay sighed, knowing there was no escape now. He turned slightly, giving them a calm, unreadable look.

"You guys have way too much free time," he said, his voice even.

Chahal grinned, leaning back on the couch. "Oh, we do. And that's why we're going to use it to analyze your love life."

Umesh smirked. "So? Are we right or not?"

Advay shook his head, exhaling sharply. "Believe whatever you want."

Stoinis chuckled, stretching his arms. "That's not a no."

Navdeep leaned forward, grinning. "Man's not denying it. That's confirmation enough."

Advay huffed in amusement, glancing at the TV screen where the match was still going on. "Instead of focusing on me, maybe focus on the game. We might have to play them soon."

Chahal waved him off. "Oh, don't worry, we'll destroy them when the time comes. Right now, we have a much more important topic—your date."

Advay checked his watch, not wanting to waste any more time. "Alright, enjoy the game. I'll see you guys later."

Before they could fire more teasing remarks, he turned and walked toward the exit. He could still hear their laughter and dramatic commentary behind him, but he ignored it, pushing through the hotel doors.

Finally, some peace.