Practice sessions

"Why didn't you call me ma?" Vedika was sobbing into the laps of Hema while Harish sat there with tears in his own eyes and Asad also was sitting beside them.

"I'm an old soul now Vedika, how long will you keep taking care of me." Hema said as she lay there on the bed.

"You are more important to me than anything else ma, I'll take care of you two as long as I can." Vedika said.

"You don't have to my child, I'm fine. Look." Hema made a funny gesture with her hands.

"We were in luck that young man was there." Harish said.

"True, he was a true human being." Hema said.

"I'm relieved that you got help, getting late to the hospital might be dangerous in such situations." Asad said concern evident in his voice.

"I wish I could thank him myself. Do you know where he live or work?" Vedika asked.

"No, he was just coming out of the stadium and I forgot his name as well. Do you remember his name Hema?" Harish asked his wife and Hema just shook her head.

"You don't know his name?" Vedika asked shocked.

"We talked but I just forgot. I think it was something like Ashish or Sahil." Harish said scratching his head.

"Both the names are poles different pa. Maybe I'll go there and ask someone I can't let this go, I have to thank him." Vedika said, determined to thank the person who saved the life of her mother and helped her father that day.

Next day Vedika got ready for work early as she planned on stopping by the stadium her father gave her address of, to thank the person who helped her parents to the hospital.

Pulling over a random shrug over her crop top and plazo she left the house saying good bye to her parents.

"Excuse me I want to know about the person who took my mother to the hospital yesterday. She and my father were right here." Vedika was saying to someone standing on the main gate probably the gatekeeper of the stadium.

"There was a man begging for help and one of the cricketers took him and his wife to the hospital." The man said.

"Who was he?" Vedika asked.

"Vedika?" A surprised voice from behind startled her and she turned to look into the familiar pleasant face of Aditya.

"There he is, he took your parents to the hospital." The gatekeeper said giving Aditya the hint of what was going on and he realized that coincidence has showered upon him.

"Vedika what are you doing here?" Aditya asked coming closer to Vedika and Vedika too approached him.

"I...Aditya the people you helped yesterday, they are my parents and I came here to thank you." Vedika said.

"This was not necessary Vedika I did it as a human being." Aditya said shaking off the gratitude, he was still unable shake off her words from her the last time they met. But he doubted if she still thought that they can't be together.

"Still I can't thank you enough for-"

"Aditya wh-, oh busy?" Harry came speaking but stopped seeing Vedika.

"No I was just leaving." Vedika said and turned to leave.

"Wait, you are Aditya's friend from the restaurant. Why don't you come in and see him practice." Harry offered. Vedika was confused at what to say, she couldn't deny that they were friends maybe she didn't wanted to but she didn't wanted to take it further and lead him on.

As she was about to open her mouth to politely decline the offer her eyes caught the scene she didn't wanted to see in a thousand years, Aman, her crazy lover right across the road with some of his friends, having chat and laughing.

She immediately turned towards the stadium door and walked in saying, "yes I'd love to." Aditya and Harry followed her in, looking surprised.

Vedika was sitting in the stands wearing baseball cap that one of his teammates Mohit gave her as Aditya was practicing with others on the ground.

She had no idea what was going on, its been ages since she saw cricket and some of the cricketers names she was familiar with was because of her father and Asad.

She remembered Asad would love to come here, hopefully if Aditya and her continued being friends she'd bring him here next time. She felt stupid for shunning Aditya off because of that jerk Aman but still she was not up for a relationship with everything going on.

"Hey you having a good time." A woman with a little girl came to sit beside her. She introduced herself as Kriya who is also wife of Harry.

"Do you come here often?" Vedika asked.

"Sometimes. So you and Aditya." Kriya said gesturing to the ground.

"No, no. We are just friends." Vedika clarified.

"Ok sorry."

"That's fine. I should go I'm already half day late for work."

Vedika and Kriya chatted for a little longer about their profession and home before Vedika left the stands to head to work.

"Would you inform Aditya that I left?" Vedika turned back to Kriya.

"He will know it eventually but I think you should go and say goodbye yourself. Come on don't be shy I'll go with you." Kriya got up and Vedika followed her into the ground.

Seeing both them coming towards them, Aditya and his teammates stopped practicing and waited for them to come in the ear shot.

Harry took the little girl from Kriya's hand and started playing with her while Aditya came to Vedika.

"Leaving already?" Aditya asked hoping to say more.

"I have been here long enough. It was good to see you again, we can be friends. Right?" Vedika said.

"Of course we can. So you have to go?" Aditya said feeling the awkward silence and knowing without seeing that his teammates were looking at them only.

Vedika knew being friends with Aditya was going to be different, the way they interact at start and her feelings for him was no where close to friends. She knew she was attracted to Aditya but accepting it then didn't seem like right decision. She needed time.

"I will come back some other time. Pa and Asad would love to come here, they love cricket like crazy."

"That's great, I would like to have them over someday."

"Aditya you know we're thinking about having a pool party once before the series why don't you invite Vedika too." Rocky jumped in between knowing well that Aditya can't back off now.

Aditya nervously looked at Vedika who just smiled.

"Maybe I'll." Vedika said.

"No maybe. You have to come Vedika. It will be fun, there would be others too." Kriya urged..

"When is it?" Vedika asked.

"Next week, Aditya will tell you exact date, time and venue." Jaz came forward with bat in his one hand and gloves in another.

Vedika thanked everyone and after saying goodbye left for work with Aditya who insisted on dropping her to work that day.

"Your friends are amazing." Vedika said as she looked out of the window of Aditya's car.

"They are. They think you are amazing too." Aditya said smiling to the back of her head.

"I am sorry I just walked off that day, I was not thinking better." Vedika said.

"I understand totally. We can start over." Aditya said as they stopped before Vedika's clinic.

They both felt the tension in the space between them, not the tension of animosity but the tension of love.

Maybe this was a new start to a relationship that neither of them had in mind till now.