Rohit's phone rang when he returned to his room after the cake-smashing, hugging, high fiving celebration. Well, his phone had been ringing pretty much nonstop, but he hadn't been in a position to answer thus far. He had a lot of calls to return.

Back to the present, he saw Virat's name flashing on the screen. Rohit frowned and choked back his pang of irritation and received it.

"Hey, Ro," said Virat. "Well done."

"Really?" said Rohit.

There was a silence, after which Virat said, "Do you want to talk to me?"

"Yes," said Rohit, his irritation dissipating.

"I'm glad," said Virat, meaning it.

He had been worried sick for the last few days.

"The physio..." said Virat nervously. "He stated very clearly you're unfit..."

"So I've heard," said Rohit, kicking off his shoes and settling down on the bed, suddenly feeling worn out.

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Unfit?"

"I don't feel unfit, clearly," said Rohit. "If I did I wouldn't be playing."

"What does your franchise physio say?"

"He hasn't got a problem with me playing," said Rohit coolly, and instantly regretted his tone.

He wasn't mad at Virat...not really...not a bit, in fact. Maybe he just needed a vent to the piled up irritation and confusion—

"I don't know what's going on any better than you do, y'know, Ro."

After a beat's silence, Rohit spoke.

"I believe you."

"Promise?" said Virat without thinking.

Rohit hadn't expected this conversation to make him smile, but that tone of Virat's did.

"God promise," he said, grinning.

"We're not...6th graders..." said Virat, beginning to relax a little.

"Yeah, right," said Rohit. "We're not 6th graders, and one of us still asks 'promise?' when he wants assurance."

Virat hadn't expected this conversation to make him smile either—he'd been dreading it for days—but Rohit's words did.

"So why have you been, er, ignoring my calls?" asked Virat.

"I don't know," said Rohit. "I'm sorry, I guess...it was too much to take in and stuff..."

"Things were easier back in 2013 and '14, weren't they?" said Virat wistfully.

"No debates over that," said Rohit at once.

"Everything's changing, Rohit...and I don't want them to change."

"Vi...stop overreacting," said Rohit, because he did not like the idea of 'everything' changing.

Since 2013, 'everything' had been pretty awesome, in spite of all those knockouts losses.

"Can you get away for a while from your team there? I'm thinking of coming over to your hotel," said Virat. "If—of course, you're ok with it," he added quickly.

"I'm going to slap you hard when you come for that 'if you're ok with it'," said Rohit scathingly. "I tell you, you're overreacting."

Virat was already getting up.

"Come quick," said Rohit, before hanging up.

**********

A very tragic Virat slunk up to Rohit's room an hour later.

To be sure, Rohit wasn't feeling particularly happy either, but at that moment he could see that it was a priority to cheer poor Virat up, because he looked genuinely distressed about everything.

"Come, now, you idiot," said Rohit. "What's bothering you? What has changed?"

"Bhuvi's recurring injuries," said Virat. "And they won't consider Ash and Jinks for the limited overs at all...and Mahi bhai's gone...and now the physio is declaring you injured, too..."

Now Rohit was badly regretting having ignored Virat's call for the past week.

"What's left of us from 2013 and 14, Ro?"

"I'll show you what," said Rohit, hit by sudden inspiration.

"Hm?" said Virat, looking at him with a frown at his upbeat tone.

"You have to wait patiently for a bit, though," said Rohit. "Will you?"

"I'll come with you wherever you're going," said Virat firmly.

"Right then, we're going to the other block of the hotel," said Rohit. "Into DC's camp."

Virat caught a mad glint in Rohit's eyes.

"And we have a couple of calls to make."

************

Jaddu got a call from Rohit very late that night.

"I've got a little mission for you, Sir Jadeja, if you're up for it?"

Jaddu sat up, running the sleep out of his eyes.

"What now, Ro?"

"Texting you an address...meet us there in an hour."

***********

"Radhika, Jinks is not answering his phone..." said Rohit.

"Um," said Radhika. "He's sleeping, you know."

"I guessed," admitted Rohit. "Can you tell him to come down to Ash's room?"

"Now?"

"Yes, now, it's kind of urgent," said Rohit seriously.

"Right."

***********

"SHIKH! SHIKH!"

This time Virat joined Rohit, hammering on the door with gusto.

"SHIKH! OPEN THE DOOR!"

Shikhar woke up with an awful shock and rushed to open the door, and found himself face to face with two maniacally grinning buffoons.

"What do you want, heartbreaker?" he grumbled to Rohit.

"Heartbreaker?" asked Virat interestedly.

"He just defeated us in a fi—" Shikhar paused and blinked. "Where'd you come from, Virat?"

"That's a nice and long story," promised Rohit. "Come down to Ash's room double quick if you want to hear it."

"I don't want to hear it," said Shikhar.

Virat and Rohit looked at him threateningly.

"On second thoughts," sighed Shikhar. "I do."

***********

Ash, unfortunately for him, had forgotten to bolt the door before sleeping that night, so he was woken up with a quartret of 32 year old men yelling in his ears, and one man protesting uselessly, "Seriously, don't, he tired—!"

"What's wrong with you guys?" demanded Ash, sitting up with a jerk, and noticing Rohit, Virat, Jaddu, Shikhar and Jinks crowded around his bed.

"Same question," said Jinks. "Why exactly did you wake us up at this hour?"

"Virat had this doubt," said Rohit.

"Doubt?"

"Yes, I'm telling you...we just have one video call to connect..."

************

Bhuvi groaned and reached for his phone as it blared in the middle of the night to put it on silent. He might have too, but it was Rohit, and he couldn't ignore Rohit's call, obviously.

"Hello Bhuvi!"

"Ro, what's up," mumbled Bhuvi, still half asleep.

"Nice outfit," said Shikhar, smirking.

Bhuvi fully woke up at that and only realized then that it was a video call; also that he wearing of his nephew's Mighty Raju t-shirts.

He groaned again and switched on the light and looked into the phone properly.

"What are you all doing there?"

"I have no idea," said Ash.

"Nor me," said Jaddu.

"Nor m—" began Shikhar.

"Silence, please, everyone," said Rohit with dignity. "Virat wanted to know today what was left of us."

"Us?" repeated Jinks doubtfully.

"Us," said Rohit, annoyed. "Like us....you, me, Vi, Jad, Ash, Bhuvi, Shikki...the 2013-14 us. He seems to think that nothing's left of us."

Virat felt himself going red under the amazed gazes of five of his friends, all of whom—including Jaddu—had caught on to the point.

"Did you really, Virat," said Jaddu in a suspiciously smooth voice. "I thought we're all whole, and we're still definitely us."

"I didn't mean it like-like that," said Virat, embarrassed.

"Why did you suddenly feel..." began Bhuvi, full of concern.

"He's freaking crazy," said Shikhar, but Jinks hushed him.

"I just felt...things are changing," said Virat, speaking straight from his heart. "Remember how we used to travel together literally all year in 2013 and 14 and 15...across all formats...all of us..."

"But 'us' doesn't depend on whether it's travelling together or not, Vi," said Jinks, hiding a smile.

"'Us' is made of stronger stuff, isn't it?" said Shikhar.

"Of course it is," said Ash. "Personally, I like 'us'."

"So do I," said Jaddu. "'Us' is my favourite people."

"There are seven of us in 'us'," cried Bhuvi, suddenly noticing. "Seven is the most powerful magical number, Virat! You don't need to worry about 'us'—ever."

"Nicest observation you've ever made, Bhuvi," said Shikhar with satisfaction.

Virat did not want to question Bhuvi, but he asked timidly, "What's so special about seven?"

"Seven days in a week," said Rohit.

"Seven colours of the rainbow," said Jinks.

"Seven notes of music," said Ash.

"Seven ages of man," said Shikhar

"Seven wonders of the world," said Jaddu, with a cackle. "'Us' is the seven wonders of the world, Virat! How does that sound?"

"Awful," said Rohit before Virat could answer.

"Awesome," countered Virat. "I love 'us.'"

"Don't we all?" asked Shikhar.

"I do," said Bhuvi. "I love 'us'."

"I love 'us' too," said Jinks.

"And me," said Ash.

"Who doesn't love the seven wonders of the world?" said Jaddu.

Everyone looked at Rohit.

"Ah," said Rohit complacently; clearly he considered the entire 'us' his credit because he had forced them into this unplanned meet tonight.

"You were supposed to say you love 'us' too," said Virat.

"I don't need to say it," said Rohit scornfully. "So long as I feel it."

Jaddu cackled again.

"Don't, Jad," said Bhuvi, frowning. "I never knew a person like you to spoil the mood."

"Bhuvi on fire!" said Shikhar, delighted.

"Shut up," said Bhuvi. "So, Virat?"

"Yes?"

"You sure about the strength and permanence of 'us' now?"

Virat glanced around the room.

Jaddu was still in mid-cackle, and Ash was shaking his head; Shikhar's cheeks were pulled up in a grin in spite of losing the final, his opponent captain had an elbow on his shoulder and beaming at Virat.

You doubted 'us'? Jinks asked him teasingly.

Virat shook his head and turned back to Bhuvi, who was smiling as well.

"I am," he said.

And he was pretty sure he'd never doubt 'us' again.