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The above song is 'Sanu Ek Pal Chain' from the movie 'Raid'

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So this story is based on one of the requests that I received so I hope you guys like it

PS: There are a lot of Hindi dialogues in this one. I just wanted to try and capture the correct feelings and it was just flowing out in Hindi words so that's how I wrote it down.

PPS: This is a much longer story compared a few of the others so I really hope that you guys enjoy it.

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Mahi and Sakshi had just gotten into a relationship officially and only his older brothers were aware of their entire story.

Dada, Sachin Paaji and Jammy Bhai had been helping him figure out his feelings while also guiding him on how to manage his relationship.

Mahi hadn't yet been able to gather the courage to tell his friends about Sakshi, except Sonu for obvious reasons.

Yuvi and the others would tease him relentlessly, while the others were mostly his juniors that he wasn't very close to yet.

Another thing was that Mahi hadn't quite gotten around to telling his family about being in a relationship because he wanted to do that in person, but his hectic cricket schedule was making it a little difficult for him to go visit them.

Now a lot of people had noticed that Mahi seemed to spend more time on his phone which was a little unusual for them to see, but they just assumed it had something to do with the board being their usual annoying self.

Yuvi however also noticed that his best friend used to smile while using his phone when he thought no one was looking.

The man was convinced that Mahi was hiding something from him, but he also knew that he couldn't confront his friend about it because then he would become more cautious about the way he acts.

If Yuvi wanted to figure out whatever was going on with Mahi, he needed so be extremely stealthy and take extra precautions to not alarm the man.

~~~~~~~

Yuvi still hadn't been able to figure out his best friend's secret and it was now beginning to annoy him.

Mahi had always been good at keeping things to himself, but it was also one of his most annoying traits.

Just then he noticed that Sonu had entered his room and quietly sat in one corner to read the newspaper.

Yuvi asks, "Idhar kya kar raha hai? Mahi kamre me nahi hai kya?"

Sonu shakes his head and replies, "Mahi phone pe baat kar raha hai toh main idhar aa gaya. Disturb nahi karna tha usko."

Yuvi looks confused and asks, "Board?"

Sonu again shakes his head and replies, "Nahi, personal."

Yuvi looks even more confused now and asks, "Ghar walo se baat kar raha hai toh kya problem hai?"

Sonu unknowingly replies, "Ghar pe baat nahi kar raha hai woh."

A moment later Sonu realises what he said and bites his tongue.

Meanwhile Yuvi understood that the kid knew something that he didn't and says, "Mujhe pata tha ki Mahi kuch chhupa raha hai. Usne tujhe bataya hai na."

Sonu shakes his head and replies, "I'm not saying no, but please mujhe force mat karo aapko batane ke liye. Jo bhi baat hai Mahi aapko bata dega eventually."

Just then they hear a loud thud from a nearby room and Yuvi says, "I think Mahi ke room se yeh awaaz aayi hai."

The boys share a concerned look before running to their friend's room who luckily had his door open like he normally did.

Upon entering the room Sonu noticed that his best friend was sitting on the floor near his bed, completely unaware of his surroundings.

The boys quickly help their friend up and make him sit on the bed when Sonu notices the abandoned phone on the floor.

He picks it up and walks to the balcony when he sees that a call was still going on.

Yuvi looks between his two friends with confusion before he decides to get his annoying best friend to talk.

Without missing a beat Sonu re-enters the room with tears flowing down his face as he sits beside Mahi and pulls him in for a hug.

Yuvi turns to Sonu and asks, "Ki hoya? Tu kyu ro raha hai?"

Sonu replies, "Sakshi ka accident hua hai. She's being taken to the hospital right now."

This statement from Sonu seems to bring Mahi back to his senses as he starts shaking his head, mumbling something incoherent.

Yuvi asks, "Pehle toh yeh bata ki Sakshi kaun hai aur Mahi aise kyu react kar raha hai yeh sunke?"

Sonu tries to console his frantic friend as he replies, "Mahi aapko batane hi wala tha lekin sahi time nahi mila usko. They are seeing each other."

Yuvi's eyes widen and he asks, "Mahi ki girlfriend hai?"

Sonu simply nods as he struggles to calm his best friend down, who looked like he was close to having a full-blown panic attack.

Mahi continues to be inconsolable before he starts struggling to breath and eventually passes out.

Sonu sees all this with teary eyes before he turns to Yuvi and says, "Aap please physio ko bula do aur Dada ya Bhai ko bhi call kardo."

Yuvi immediately calls the physio into the room before dialling his big brother's number and asks, "Unko pata hai Sakshi ke baare me?"

Sonu replies, "Mahi ne sabse pehle unko hi bataya tha. Mujhe toh iss tour ke start me hi bataya. Speaker on kar dijeeye please."

Just then the call is received and a voice says, "Yuvi kabhi toh time dekh ke call kar liya kar. Time difference naam ki cheez hoti hai."

Yuvi replies, "Par Dada important baat hai."

Dada sighs and says, "Mahi ki complain karna koi important baat nahi hai. Please mujhe ab sone de."

Just then Sonu replies, "Dada, please phone mat kaato. Mahi se related hi baat hai."

Dada asks, "Kya baat hai Sonu?"

Sonu replies, "Mahi ko abhi just ek call aaya tha. Sakshi ka accident hua hai."

Dada immediately gets alert and asks, "Mahi theek toh hai na?"

Yuvi replies, "Usko shayad abhi panic attack hua tha lekin fir woh behosh ho gaya. Physio ko bulaya hai abhi."

Dada says, "I'll try to find out where Sakshi is admitted and send Jammy to help out. Sachin board ko handle kar lega toh fir hum Mahi ko wapas laa sakte hai."

Sonu replies, "Ek hi match bacha hai hamara idhar. I don't think Mahi will agree to going back before the series is done."

Yuvi asks, "Mahi ki girlfriend hospital me hai toh woh idhar kyu rukega?"

Dada replies, "Yuvi, yeh Mahi hai toh you never know. Isliye Jammy ko bhej raha hu udhar. Next series se koi problem naa ho bas wohi manage karne ke liye Sachin ko bolunga."

Just then the physio enters the room and examines the unconscious captain.

A few moments later he turns to the two boys and says, "He's fine, just a little stressed. Try to get him to relax and eat properly. He should be fine."

The physio also leaves a few electrolyte pouches with the boys to ensure that the captain doesn't end up getting dehydrated.

Yuvi walks the physio out while Sonu innocently asks, "Mahi theek hoga na Dada?"

Dada replies, "Tu tension naa le Sonu. Hum sab hai na uska khayaal rakhne ke liye."

Sonu asks, "Aur Sakshi?"

Dada sighs and replies, "Main poori koshish karunga uski help karne ke liye. I'm sure jab tak tum log wapas aaoge tab tak humko thodi information mil jaayegi uski health ke baare me."

Sonu simply hmms in response since he was hoping for a more positive answer.

Dada understands this and continues, "Bachhe mujhe pata hai ki tu shayad yeh jawaab nahi sunna chaahta tha, but I don't want to give you false promises without knowing all the facts. I can definitely promise that I'll do my best to ensure that Sakshi receives the best care possible."

Sonu smiles and says, "I understand Dada. Jammy Bhai ke aane tak hum Mahi ka achhe se dhyaan rakhne ki poori koshish karenge."

Dada replies, "I know Bachha. Lekin apni health mat ignore karna Mahi ka dhyaan rakhne ke chakkar me."

Sonu nods in agreement before going to sit next to his unconscious friend as Yuvi returns back in the room.

Yuvi asks, "Toh kya plan hai?"

Sonu replies, "Mahi ka dhyaan rakhna hai Jammy Bhai ke aane tak. I just don't know how he is going to react after waking up."

Yuvi says, "Well knowing him, he'll pretend everything is fine. Baat toh karne se raha yeh so just behave normally."

Sonu asks, "Normal kaise ho sakte hai?"

Yuvi gives him a look and replies, "Mahi ko jab kuch problem hoti hai toh usko kabhi bhi baat karte hue dekha hai kya? If we even try to talk to him then he'll close himself off. Jammy Bhai ko hi handle karne de baat karne wala kaam."

Sonu can't help but sigh because he knew that Yuvi was completely right.

Mahi would never willingly talk about something bothering him and might also try to push them away.

The two boys sit anxiously next to their best friend as they wait for him to gain consciousness.

~~~~~~~

About an hour later Mahi starts showing signs of waking up and soon he opens his eyes to find his two best friends sitting next to him.

Sonu notices that he's up and helps him sit up while Yuvi goes to bring him a glass of water.

Mahi takes a few sips of the water and says, "You don't need to stay with me. Main theek hu."

Sonu sighs while Yuvi replies, "Tu zyaada mat soch. Hum bore ho rahe the toh socha idhar aake tera dimaag kharaab kare."

Mahi narrows his eyes and asks, "Main hi milta hu dimaag kharaab karne ke liye?"

Yuvi retorts, "Arre tera nahi karunga toh kiska karunga?"

Sonu can't help but laugh at Yuvi's attempt of being normal which almost always involved annoying their poor captain.

Mahi shakes his head and says, "Achha ab chalo dinner ka time ho gaya hai. Sab log hamara wait kar rahe honge."

With that he gets up and makes his way to wash his face before quickly leaving the room.

Sonu can't help but sigh at his best friend's actions while Yuvi comments, "Well at least we know that he can handle himself until Jammy Bhai comes."

After seeing the look Sonu was giving him Yuvi quickly adds, "Arre matlab Mahi kuch time tak theek hone ki acting karke apna bhi man bhar lega aur Jammy Bhai aake fir usko dekh lenge."

Sonu sighs and says, "Aur koi option bhi nahi hai. Hopefully Jammy Bhai jaldi se aa jaayenge."

Yuvi simply nods in agreement before they go to join the rest of their team in the dining area.

They closely watched as Mahi sat away from them, among the juniors to avoid talking to them, but even then, he was unusually silent.

A few of their teammates noticed this and asked Yuvi about it but he just replied by saying that he had annoyed Mahi a little more than usual before dinner which was the reason for his silence.

It was fairly common knowledge that Mahi tended to be unusually silent if he was really annoyed by any of his teammate's stupid antics.

Sonu couldn't help but giggle when everyone accepted this answer, while Yuvi was slightly offended by how quickly they all believed his excuse.

~~~~~~~

The next day during practice, Mahi ran a few extra rounds of the ground to distract himself, much to the annoyance of all his teammates who cursed Yuvi for annoying the captain and forcing them into training extra hard.

Sonu was a little concerned about the extra training his best friend was doing to push any and all thoughts of Sakshi from his mind.

Yuvi tried to send Virat and Rohit to get Mahi to stop pushing himself, but to no avail.

The boys even noticed that Mahi looked like he hadn't slept well the previous night.

What the two concerned boys did not know was that their best friend's sleep had been plagued by nightmares.

Every time he closed his eyes, Mahi would be getting flashbacks of his relationship with Priyanka, how they used to talk about random things and then the horrid accident that took her away from him.

Slowly Priyanka's face would morph into Sakshi's and Mahi would wake up gasping for air, feeling completely uncertain of the future.

Playing cricket was helping Mahi in keeping his mind engaged so that he would not start drowning in his memories with Sakshi.

Mahi had even spent the morning wondering why he was being forced to bear so much pain and suffering.

He had suffered through rejection to losing the first girl he loved without getting the chance to tell her about his feelings and now he could potentially lose the angel who entered his dull life unexpectedly, only to make it so much brighter.

Upon realising that he was spiralling again, Mahi shook his head and went back to concentrating on the ball coming at him.

A few hours later all the players forcibly pulled their captain out of the nets before he ended up hurting himself from training too hard.

~~~~~~~

The next day of practice also starts the same way but by the end of it an unexpected visitor stands behind the captain waiting for him to acknowledge his presence.

A while later the man realises that his kid was too distracted to realise that he was being watched, he says, "Try to use less force. You wouldn't want to tire yourself too quickly."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, the kid spins on his heels before his jaw drops in surprise, while one of his teammates switches off the bowling machine.

Mahi tries to formulate a response, but no sound comes out of his mouth, so the man continues, "Don't worry I won't stop you from training. I know all about your coping mechanisms."

Sonu watches from a distance and silently thanks Dada for working so quickly because he was starting to get really worried about his best friend.

Mahi eventually finds his voice again and asks, "Jammy Bhai, aap yahaan?"

Jammy Bhai smiles and replies, "Well kissi ko toh aana hi tha warna Indian captain toh practice me hi injured ho jaata."

Mahi rubs the back of his neck sheepishly and says, "Aisa kuch nahi hai Bhai. You all get worried for no reason."

Jammy Bhai retorts, "Sure no reason. Yeh khud ko overexert karna toh tumhari aadat ban chuki hai."

Mahi can't help but chuckle at his big brother's response while brings a smile to Jammy Bhai's face.

The kid may not be laughing completely sincerely but if they could get a relatively normal reaction out of him then there was still some hope to break past the walls the boy may have built to try and protect himself from the inevitable pain.

Jammy Bhai lets his kid train peacefully until Mahi himself decides that he was done for the day.

Both of them knew that Mahi had actually stopped earlier than he would have if his Jammy Bhai wasn't standing there but no one said anything about it.

~~~~~~~

After having dinner Jammy Bhai made his way to the captain's room but not before telling Sonu and Yuvi to take care of the others and not disturb them.

The boys agreed knowing that their big brother would get their stubborn best friend to talk about his feelings since he was like the Mahi whisperer.

In the captain's room, Jammy Bhai makes tea for the two of them while Mahi takes care of some pending official work.

They sit together and sip their tea quietly for some time before Jammy Bhai breaks the silence, "Do you want to talk?"

Mahi doesn't meet his eye and replies, "I'd rather not. I need to concentrate on tomorrow's match."

Jammy Bhai says, "Bachhe, baat karne se distraction nahi hoga aur yeh baat tujhe bhi pata hai."

Mahi stays silent for a few moments before he asks in a low voice, "Do you think I should be there with her right now?"

Jammy Bhai replies in an equally soft tone, "Sakshi knows you and she understands your priorities. Woh toh khud tumhare har decision ko support karti hai. Your priority is being here with your team and Sakshi will understand that."

Mahi looks at his big brother with teary eyes and says, "Then why do I feel like I'm letting her down? Usko pata hai ki main kabhi usse apni first priority nahi bana paaunga lekin phir bhi woh mujhe kuch nahi bolti hai. Abhi usko shayad meri zaroorat hai lekin mujhe yeh tak nahi pata ki woh kis haal me hai."

Jammy Bhai quickly pulls his kid in for a tight hug and replies, "Aise nahi sochte bachhe. Sakshi loves you for who you are. Aur uski health ki tension mat le because Dada woh sab khud handle kar raha hai. We can call him now if you want to find out about her health."

Mahi immediately shakes his head and says, "Abhi nahi. Match ke baad baat kar lunga. Already nightmares distract kar rahe hai."

Jammy Bhai silently caresses his kid's back before he cautiously asks, "Kaise nightmares bachha?"

Mahi replies, "Starting me jo Priyanka ke jaane ke baad aaye the waise hi hote hai. Fir Priyanka ka chehra dheere se Sakshi ke chehre me badal jaata hai."

Jammy Bhai looks concerned and asks, "Bachha, are you sleeping properly?"

Mahi sniffles and replies, "Nahi so paa raha hu Bhai. Every time I close my eyes ya toh nightmares aate hai ya toh Sakshi ke saath time spend kiya hai woh yaad aata rehta hai. Constantly yeh darr laga rehta hai ki agar usko kuch ho gaya toh main kya karunga."

Jammy Bhai says, "Tu tension naa le Mahi. Dadi achhe se achhe doctor ko bulwayega aur Sakshi ka ilaaj karayega. We won't let anything happen to her, but you need to be strong for both of you."

Mahi tightens his grip on his big brother but remains silent while Jammy Bhai lovingly caresses his head.

Eventually Mahi falls asleep and Jammy Bhai carefully places him on the bed before going out to the balcony.

Jammy Bhai decided to make a quick phone call while also keeping an eye on the sleeping kid.

~~~~~~~

Meanwhile in India, Dada was trying to find a specialist doctor to take a look at Sakshi's case when he received a phone call.

He picks up his phone only to be greeted by silence from the other side, so he waits for some time before he asks, "Kya baat hai Jammy?"

Jammy Bhai takes a deep breath and replies, "Mahi theek se so nahi paa raha hai nightmares ki wajah se lekin usne kisi ko nahi bataya. Main yeh soch ke pareshaan ho raha hu ki agar uss din Sonu aur Yuvi nahi hote toh yeh ladka akele hi yeh sab jhel raha hota bina kisi ko bhi kuch bataye."

Dada says, "Jammy what ifs ke baare me mat soch. Humko pata chal gaya aur hum ab Mahi ki help kar rahe hai. Sachin ne bhi baat karli hai toh next series ka koi stress nahi hai. Main abhi kuch specialists ko bula raha hu Sakshi ka check-up karane ke liye."

Jammy Bhai replies, "Ek minute specialist ko bulane ki kya zaroorat hai? Sakshi theek toh hai na? Dadi sach bata mujhe."

Dada says, "Main bas second opinion lena chaahta hu. Sakshi theek ho jaayegi jaldi se. Achha ab yeh sab chhod aur bata ki Mahi kaisa hai."

Jammy Bhai replies, "Bahut kuch apne andar chhupa ke rakha hai usne. Sakshi ki chinta hai lekin baakiyon ke saamne kuch bol nahi raha hai. Zyaada training kar raha tha apne mind ko distract karne ke liye."

Dada nervously asks, "Tujhse baat ki kya usne theek se?"

Jammy Bhai replies, "Luckily yes but woh sab sunke mujhe aur kharaab lag raha hai ki hum abhi uske liye kuch nahi kar paa rahe hai. Pata hai usne mujhe yeh tak bataya ki usko darr hai ki Sakshi ko kuch ho jaayega. Main toh soch bhi nahi sakta ki yeh ladka kitna dara hua hai ki yeh sab batane ko taiyaar ho gaya. Uski feelings toh nahi samajh sakta hu lekin uski haalat dekh ke mujhe bhi kharaab lag raha hai."

Dada says, "Jammy please ab tu aise mat