The Party

                                    

                                          
Shubman after meeting the Indian cricket team as his friend was on cloud nine. He was too happy to be asking any more questions to his sister. His medications were going well too. Doctors had advised him to spend more time with people he had presumably forgotten. That would, according to them, help in bringing his memories back. Shubman was too happy to spend time with the cricketers. To the 15-year-old him, it was the opportunity of a lifetime.
"Shubi, ishan ka call tha. Virat Bhai is throwing a party at his place today. He has invited you." His sister had informed him one fine evening, making Shubman's heart do a flip. He was getting invited to Virat Kohli's private party after all. The fan in him couldn't help but be happy.
"Why didn't he call me?" Shubman asked when the rational part of his brain started working again. "Yeah, I asked him that, but he was saying something about you feeling uncomfortable." "Uncomfortable? About?" Shubman asked, confused. I have no idea. "You would need to ask him about it." And with that, his sister went away to do something stupid again.
Shubman had been thinking about Ishan for quite some time now. Technically, he had been thinking about the life that he was living before the accident, and Ishan was unarguably a part of it. Hence, he was thinking about Ishan too. This weighed approach of Ishan had always bothered Shubman somehow. He didn't like the fact that Ishan thought that he would feel uncomfortable if he called him.
He had made up his mind to confront Ishan at this party. Tell him that he had no issues whatsoever. With that thought, he started to get himself ready for the party. The news of the party had a positive impact on his day. He was happy until it was time to leave; now he was anxious. Shubman suddenly realized that he would be meeting so many renowned figures there, and all of them would know him, but he, on the other hand, would not be able to recognize any of them. This thought made him feel anxious.
He had this sudden urge to bang his head somewhere just so he could get his memories back. He felt like he was missing out on so much. He put his coat on cursing the accident when he suddenly realized—right, the accident. What was it about? The doctor told his family to not tell him about it, but he didn't think that they would comply. But they did.
The thoughts in his head were put on hold when Shahneel knocked on his door. "Shubman, are you ready? Ishan is waiting downstairs." Ishan? He didn't say he would be coming? He came to do what? Pick him up? This thought made Shubman's heart do a little flip, and he had no idea why. He gathered his scattered thoughts and went downstairs, where Ishan was sitting waiting for him.
When Shubman saw Ishan from where he was standing upstairs, he looked immersed in a conversation with his mother, and the scene looked so serene that Shubman froze. Ishan was wearing a white shirt and a pair of blue jeans, with a pearl necklace around his neck. Nothing too fancy, yet he looked ethereal. The jeans were just the right fit, and the shirt had a couple of buttons undone at the top, revealing the pearl necklace. The necklace against his tan skin looked too good, and Shubman had to physically slap himself to get back to reality.
'What the fuck is wrong with me?' With that thought, Shubman went downstairs. He noticed his mother turning her head to look at him when she heard him come. He noticed Ishan's smile when their eyes met, but what he didn't notice was his sister's eyes that had mischief in them when she looked at him. Shubman missed the smile that Shahneel had plastered across her face.
He reached down and bent to get his mother's blessings. He was still trying to gather his thoughts that were wandering all around Ishan when Ishan said, "You are looking good in that suit, Shubi." There was a sweet smile on his face when he said that, but suddenly the smile disappeared, followed by an apology. "oh.. shubman. Right, Shubman. Sorry." That sorry had made Shubman's blood boil for some reason.