Shubman had never seen Ishan freaking out so badly.

"You didn't tell her I haven't already left, have you?" he asked anxiously. "Good, you can go home and tell her I did already leave before she called."

"Bad idea," said Shahneel. "It's your duty, Ish, go in there and win over them."

"Win over...w-win over...."

Shubman felt faint with nervousness himself but he figured he couldn't possibly have it as bad as Ishan.

"Ishu, I know it's terrifying, but I don't think it'll help us if you don't come," he said. "Just, uh, just try not to...."

"Make a fool of myself?" asked Ishan, thumping his head.

"Yes," said Shubman.

"That's really mean," scolded Shahneel. "You should've said, Just try to act normal. I don't know how you put up with him, Ish."

"Even I don't know sometimes," said Ishan.

"And that's not mean at all," said Shubman.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shahneel led the way when the maid opened the door, since both Shubman and Ishan were too scared to. They tried carefully not to brush elbows or anything when they walked in. They had debated putting Shahneel di in between them, but that would have been too obvious and stupid.

Shubman's parents stood up when they entered. They were clearly looking at Ishan in a completely different manner from how they'd seen him for all these years. They would be forming all sorts of new judgements now.

Oh, God. 

Shubman found it very difficult to breathe normally. He could swear he could see Ishan's knees trembling. He hoped it was only he who saw it.

"Hello, Mom! Hello, Dad!" was how Shahneel decided to break the awkward silence.

Ishan followed her lead. "Um, hello, uncle, aunty."

He sounded like he was about to face the final ball of a World Cup final when 6 runs was needed.

No.

He sounded even more nervous.

Shubman failed to hold back a nervous snigger. Unfortunately, everyone looked at him, which made him almost as nervous as Ishan.

"What exactly is funny, Shubman?" his father asked.

"Um, um-"

"You know he laughs when he gets nervous, Dad," said Shahneel loudly. "And if you both stare at the poor boys so obviously, obviously they would get nervous. Lunch?"

That shook their mother into remembering they were basically here for a pretext of lunch, and she led them to the dining room.

Shubman tried to catch Ishan's eyes, but Ishan had now gone paper-white and did not look at anything but the floor in front of him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It would be an understatement to call that lunch awkward. 

Shubman couldn't rank the moments in the 'Awkwardest' list.   

One was when his father asked, pretty lightly, "You went out before telling us how the meeting with the selection committee went."

"It was...it was okay, Dad," Shubman muttered.

"No trouble? Got the team you wanted?"

"I-I, yeah, I mean-"

Shubman could tell his face was as red as Ishan's across the table.

"It must be the same team that went to Australia, right? That was a convincing series victory."

"Pretty much, yeah...."

"So, no changes?"

Dad, will you please shut up?

"Uh, only one." Shubman clenched his left fist.

"Which is?"

DAD, WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP?

Shubman must have looked exactly the way he felt, because Ishan tried to help him in a shaking voice. "Uh, uncle, I'm not there in the squad, it was a debacle for me in Australia."

"Oh!" Mr. Gill had the grace to look awkward, too. "Oh, it was quite understandable, with all that was going around...."

"Yes," said Shahneel, nodding. "We Indians have a strange habit of pulling down the very people who make us proud." She looked at their parents in a stern way, like she was talking of more than just cricketers.

Shubman wished she would shut up, too.

The second moment in the 'Awkwardest' list came immediately, Ishan reaching for his glass of water and knocking it over, his fingers were shaking so much.

It hit the floor and shattered.

"I'm so sorry," cried Ishan, horrified. "I'm so sorry-" 

He almost got up from his chair, but Mrs. Gill said quickly, "No problem, I'll get it, son."

Now Ishan looked like his whole face was on fire. 

Absurdly, Shubman found himself smiling down into his plate. 

Ishan was adorable when he got nervous.

Shubman almost wished he got nervous more often, instead of being sensible and level headed all the time.

The third moment arrived at their doorstep. Tina aunty had chosen that very afternoon to make a call. When the maid showed her in, she froze at the door of the dining room very dramatically.

"Is that-? Oh!" And she muttered something like, "Oh God save us." And then boomed, "Well hello, all! I didn't expect such....interesting company."

Poor Ishan looked like he wished to sink through the floor. Shubman wished they hadn't taken seats on the opposite sides of the table so that he could give him a reassuring pat on the knee or something. Tina aunty was always like this, no big deal...

Shahneel stood up respectfully.

"How funny, we didn't expect such an interesting caller either!" she said exuberantly.

Go, di, go!

Shubman bit his cheeks to stop himself from exploding into another snigger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they had finally survived through the lunch and Ishan told Shubman's parents goodbye and the three of them standing out in the open air, Shubman realized he couldn't stop smiling.

It had been awkward as hell, but it had not been bad. His parents had been a bit weird but overall they had been quite nice. And Ishan of course had been the weirdest of all, but he had also been completely endearing.

Shubman could definitely live with this.

Nisha came over to the fence. "Shahneel di told me what's happening. I hope it didn't go too badly?"

"I wouldn't say that," said Shahneel.

"Why are you smiling?" Ishan demanded to Shubman.

"Because I feel great!" said Shubman. "See, we're one step closer. Now that my parents have accepted it, I'm sure yours will too. You can use that to help them along."

"Yes," said Shahneel, also smiling. "Come on, let's get you to the airport, Ish."

Some more colour drained out of Ishan's face. Shubman tried to take his hand without his sister and Nisha noticing.

"I know it's daunting to go back," he said. "But it's going to be fine, I know it's going to be fine, get it over it, Ish."

"Okay," said Ishan. "I...I hope so."

Shahneel accompanied them to the airport, which meant Shubman couldn't bid Ishan quite the sort of farewell he would have liked. 

And the cameras! he scolded himself. Remember the cameras!

So he settled for pulling both of Ishan's cheeks and saying, "Go convince them, Ishu. Then we meet at the Delhi airport." He winked.

"Why the Delhi airport?" asked Shahneel, nosy as always. Shubman ignored her.

The mention of the Delhi airport brought the smallest of smiles to Ishan's face.

Shubman fixed the smile in his head. 

He would need it and he would hold on to it for as long as it needed for Ishan to convince his parents and he would not be impatient for a single moment.