Chapter Text
“– And with that, we’re off for our break now before the Ashes prep!” the chief selector George Bailey quipped. “Any questions?”
Pat shook his head, already contemplating the generous break the selectors had granted the fast bowling cartel and thinking about how he would spend his time relaxing on his sofa, then his bed, and back to his sofa again, occasionally going for a morning run from Bronte to Bondi.
With nearly everyone exhausted, the management sent everyone home from the Sydney Airport, and the players said their farewells for the coming few weeks.
They had been on the run for a few months now, starting with the IPL, the disruption to the IPL which extended the event, and then the WTC Finals. It still stung that they had lost, but as the team captain, he had to instil the belief that it was a valuable learning experience for all of them, and ultimately, the better team had won. He was still very proud of his boys, and their all-dominating series win against the West Indies had just proven that their defeat at Lord’s was only due to having a few bad days.
“ – Gee, can’t believe they’re letting us off the South Africa series, mate!”
Pat looked up at Josh, who was flashing his dimples and cheeky grin. The ever-reliable Hoff, whose mere presence helped Pat stay calm during tense moments in the game. Never mind that Pat had been harbouring an immense crush on him for the past five years; Pat simply considered himself fortunate to play in the same team as Josh and to spend time in his unassuming, witty company.
He didn’t realise when his feelings for his teammate had developed; after all, they had been playing together since their young adult years, and now they were nearly in their mid-30s. All Pat knew was that one morning, he woke up thinking of those hazel-grey eyes gazing at him with a kindness few people are privileged to see, and that was that. He was a lost cause.
“Yeah! God, I never thought I’d say this, but I really miss just being able to do nothing. You got any plans?”
“Visiting Ma and Pa, helping out with some projects around Bendemeer, and trying not to injure myself.”
Pat swatted his arm, “Come on, Hoff! Don’t say such things; you might accidentally manifest it.”
“Alright, alright, sorry Captain!”
Pat stepped out onto the pavement and breathed in the Sydney air he had been craving, “Not your captain right now. We are off-duty, remember?”
Josh extended a hand to hail a cab, and since Pat was sure the world revolved around Hoff, a driver appeared immediately. “God, you can be so dramatic sometimes. I definitely won’t miss that!”
Pat stood there next in line for the taxi, frozen, memorising the way Josh’s laugh vibrated through him, as if blinking would shatter this moment. “See ya soon, Joshy. Now go put your phone on DND mode!”
Josh winked and made a finger gun at him as he got into the cab, “You know it, mate! See you!” Josh had just narrowly missed how Pat’s breath hitched after that action.
As Pat hailed a taxi after, he smiled to himself, feeling a strange sense of pride that no teammate had realised his silly high-school-esque crush despite him sometimes being so obvious.
While enjoying the familiar hum of the local radio channels inside the vehicle, Pat’s phone suddenly chimed.
Shub: Hey Pat… Congrats on the West Indies win ☺️
Shubman Gill, the man who was recently thrust into the role of Indian Test Captain, and was doing a mighty fine job at that.
A hazy memory now flickered in Pat’s mind: a very drunken night from 2020 filled with post-win adrenaline, sloppy kisses, and noncommittal noises; when Pat was still seen as a young bloke, and Shubman even younger; his head resting on Pat’s bare chest as he played with Shubman’s hair. Although they both agreed it was a one-time thing then, the secret rendezvous continued for the rest of that IPL season, as the Covid bubble had taken its toll on everyone’s physical needs. On the final night of their quiet arrangement, Pat remembered telling Shubman how CA was shaping him into a potential captain for the Australian team. Shubman looked up at him with dazed eyes, under the influence of alcohol, and declared he would make a great captain, then dozed off mumbling that he wished to be a captain someday too.
They both agreed their relationship was a bit strange, but back then, the world was a peculiar place, and nobody paid much attention since everyone was too busy dealing with their own shit. So, they remained professional on the field, and anything that occurred in their hotel rooms was a secret known only to them.
Who knew they both would get what they wanted in just five years?
Pat: Thanks Shubbers! Time to relax now 😴
Shub: You deserve it!
Shub: Anyway, just texting to ask if you need me to arrange hotel accommodation for you next week? Or has Abhi taken care of it as you’re a guest from ‘his’ side?
Pat squinted at his screen, trying to understand what he was discussing.
And then it struck him all at once, like a brick.
Shubman Gill was getting married. Next week.
To his SRH teammate, Abhishek Sharma.
Shubman casually mentioned it to Pat in March when the IPL captains gathered for a promotional shoot. A nonchalant “Hey, I’m getting married in August, I’d love it if you could be there!” – Like he was talking about the weather. Or what food he had for breakfast that day.
For some reason, Shubman decided it was clever to omit who he was marrying at that time. Perhaps then Pat wouldn’t have felt the need to prove himself to his ex-situationship and feel compelled to lie and say “I’ll be there with my date!”
It wasn’t until Pat asked him, “Who are you getting married to, anyway?” that Shubbers shyly replied, “A teammate”, cheeks colouring as scarlet as a tomato.
That competitive spirit nagged at Pat, who just had to one-up the young man and say, “I’m dating a teammate too!”
Of course, Shubman meant Abhishek Sharma. Looking back, Pat didn’t think it could have been any more obvious. Childhood best friends who made it onto the national teams together, and having spent time with them both individually, they would never stop going on about each other. A part of him was almost jealous that these boys, much younger than him, seemed to be more emotionally mature and acted upon their romantic feelings. Unlike Pat.
So now there he was, sitting in a taxi, checking the calendar. Five days remaining before flying to the wedding procession of his ex-hook-up-turned-friend and his IPL teammate, with no date in sight.
Almost all of his teammates were happily taken or, worse, married. The ones who remained single were clearly far too young for Pat’s taste.
Well, everyone except one fellow.
Who just so happened to be the man Pat has been obsessing over for half a decade.
He knew that Abhi had already made arrangements for two people, so he felt like an idiot to tell them to change plans now.
He swallowed the sense of dread before replying to Shubman.
Pat: Abhi’s done it – Thanks tho! See you next week, Mr. Groom! ❤ ️
He spun the phone in his hand, weighing all his options. Should he tell them he broke up with his teammate upon arriving in Punjab? That would make him look like a loser, especially since he was the captain of two teams. Should he ask Hoff out? But what would others think? Worse: What would Hoff think?
Having sat in the car for around 15 minutes, he decided that the latter option was slightly more salvageable. He trusted his instincts and hoped Josh would show him the kindness he so often did every day.
He opened his contacts list, and stared at the name for a full minute before hitting dial on Josh’s number. It rang twice before the other man picked up.
“Wow, didn’t even last 20 minutes. Miss me that much?”
Pat made an unrecognisable noise in the back of his throat, “Grrgh. Listen... I have a favour to ask. Slightly urgent, too.”
The panic in his voice was successfully conveyed to the other end of the phone line, because Josh was suddenly concerned, “Hey, Patty, what’s up? What can I do?”
Cummins pinched the bridge of his nose, and not knowing a better way, decided to blurt it out. Fuck it. “Be my date?”
For a few seconds, Pat didn’t hear anything back. Then, all at once, Hoff burst into laughter, “Wait, what?”
“Look, I’m sorry, okay, but I’ve got myself into some trouble and there’s no way out for me except if you pretend to be my date. At a wedding… In India… In 5 days.”
Though they were both on their separate ways, Pat felt as if Hoff was sitting right beside him when he shouted, “India? Next week? A wedding?”
Pat scratched his neck, “Yeap.”
“What happened to your plans of doing absolutely nothing?”
“I forgot, alright? I hurriedly agreed to Shubman and Abhishek’s wedding and told him I was dating a teammate out of spite as well. Now everyone is either already happily married, too young, or abroad; you’re the only one I’ve got.”
The laugh from the other end was unexpectedly gentle, “Wow, Patty, sounds like I was your last resort.”
On the contrary.
“So, please? You still have enough days to see your parents, but perhaps you could come and work on the renovation projects later? I’ll cover your flight and everything because I’m getting you into this mess!”
Twenty seconds of silence which felt like twenty eons. Then, a very calm, “Yeah, alright. Why not? But you owe me big time, Patty.”
There he was, Pat’s always-kind Josh. “Really? You’d go with me?”
“I’ve heard Indian weddings are fun. Loads of dancing, colours, and food. As long as you promise to look after me if I get food poisoning.”
Pat let out a sigh of relief, not realising he was holding his breath. “Always, Joshy.”
“So.” He could already hear the smugness in Hoff’s voice, knowing him better than himself after years of friendship. “We pretend we’ve been dating? For how long?”
“Oh, I am not discussing this with you on the phone. We’ll work it out on the flight together. It’s gonna be a long flight to Amritsar anyway.”
“Hmm. Email me the details?”
“Yeah… Thanks again, Josh. You have no idea how much burden you’ve lifted off my shoulders.”
“Yeah, well, aren’t I the greatest? I’ll wait for your mail, boyfriend.”
Pat caught a glimpse of himself transforming into a rose in the rearview mirror the moment he heard the word he'd only ever dreamt of in Josh's voice. “Goodbye, boyfriend”.
So yeah. Pat was in serious trouble. Completely screwed.