The next morning, after Virat returned from breakfast, his phone rang.

It was Ritika.

"Virat, is Rohit with you?" she asked, sounding breathless.

"No," said Virat, frowning. "Why?"

"Could you please check if he's in his room? He hasn't been picking up calls since yesterday," said Ritika anxiously.

"Oh...just a minute, wait." Virat rushed to Rohit's room and found it locked from outside. "He's not here--I'll check the others' rooms once..."

"When did you last see him?"

Now that he came to think of it, he realised he hadn't seen Rohit since the bus journey, and he told Ritika so, who sounded deliberately calm as she said, "I'm coming over to your hotel."

Ritika wasn't even in Manchester then, so Virat told her reassuringly, "Don't worry, Rits, we'll find him in no time. He must be around somewhere. You stay where you are. I'll keep you updated."

"Ok, thanks."

Virat hurried to check all the other rooms. No one had seen Rohit since yesterday.

Jinks, with whom Virat had talked for a long time last night, called him again and said in a worried tone, "I've been calling Rohit since yesterday night, and he's not responding. Is he all right?"

"We don't know where he is," said Virat, starting to panic.

"What?" cried Jinks.

Jaddu snatched the phone from Virat's hand and told Jinks, "We're looking for him, don't worry."

Yuzi looked like he was panicking too.

"Don't look so scared, Yuzi, Virat--you're just worrying unnecessarily," said Jaddu in a very sensible voice. "He could be anywhere around. Go and look for him, everyone."

They all obeyed without a word.

___________

After about half an hour, Virat felt sure that Rohit wasn't in the hotel. He kept calling Rohit every five minutes, but there was no answer.

By now, he was in full blown panic mode, and he left the hotel and went in any random direction, trying to clear his head.

Suddenly his phone rang.

Rohit, it said.

His hand shaking, he picked up the call.

"Virat?"

The familiar voice filled Virat with such relief that he had to sit down on a fence nearby.

"Rohit!"

Virat's voice sounded desperate enough for Rohit to ask anxiously, "What happened?"

"You're asking me what happened? Where the hell are you? Why haven't you been picking up calls?" began Virat.

"It was on silent," explained Rohit, apparently not realising the hue and cry he had caused back at the hotel.

"Don't give me that nonsense! Do you have any idea about how worried we were? You just vanished without a trace, Rohit. Why would you do that?" Virat's relief had given way to fury, and he was positively shouting by now.

"I didn't realise--" began Rohit, sounding shocked.

"Where are you?" demanded Virat.

"On Trinity bridge. It's quite nice here," said Rohit.

Virat didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and he settled for saying, "Stay there, I'm coming. Oh, and call Ritika."

"She won't understand--and I don't feel like talking to anyone, much," said Rohit.

"She's been sick with worry, Rohit. The least you can do is let her know you're ok," said Virat sternly.

"All right."

"And if I don't find you on Trinity bridge in half an hour, you'll not like what I'm going to do," Virat finished menacingly.

___________

Rohit was there when Virat reached the bridge.

"You're impossible," was the first thing he told Rohit.

"I honestly didn't have any idea you will worry so much," said Rohit.

"Oh damn, I had to inform them!" Virat called Jaddu and said, "I've found him."

"Good, tell him from me that he's a prat," said Jaddu grimly.

"Jaddu says you're a prat," Virat told Rohit with great relish before saying on the phone, "Tell the others not to worry. We're on our way back."

"I'm sorry to bother you all," said Rohit, and he did look sorry.

"You should be," said Virat, flopping down on the footpath of the bridge. Rohit joined him.

"I'm also sorry for behaving like a jerk to you all day yesterday," said Rohit, not looking at Virat. "I dunno what came over me..."

Just like 8 years ago, when a 22-year-old Virat had comforted Rohit after the WC snub, a much older and mature Virat did the same, and he put his arm around Rohit and drew him close.

"You don't have to apologise for that. I've been a jerk to you all my life."

"No--you haven't really. At least...not during the times I needed you."

Virat couldn't think of an answer to that, and they sat in silence for a while before Virat said wistfully, "You were right, it is nice here."

"Only...all nice things will have a sting from now on," said Rohit, also wistfully.

Virat nodded.

"I guess it'll always be like this in the future," said Rohit.

"Yeah..."

"Is it the same for you, too, Vi?" asked Rohit curiously. "I mean, you did win a World Cup once in your lifetime."

Virat smiled so wryly that it looked more like a grimace. "Doesn't seem like a happy memory at all, the 2011 WC final."

"Doesn't it?"

"No...maybe because today I can fully comprehend the unearthly joy of the seniors I saw that day. I realise what we might have got if...if only..."

"If not for 40 minutes of bad cricket," whispered Rohit.

"It's no good winning a World Cup with a group of strangers, Ro," said Virat, suddenly realising a very home truth. "It had to be us...you...me...Shikhar... Jaddu... Bhuvi... Jinks... and I'm sure Ash feels the same, he was in the squad in 2011, too."

Rohit blinked furiously but his vision blurred anyway. "Our family, you mean."

"Our family," confirmed Virat. "But guess what, Ro?"

"What?"

"Wouldn't you rather be part of this family and lose two WC semi finals rather than be part of any other family and win one?" Virat looked into Rohit's eyes.

Rohit thought of Jaddu's wicked humour, of his and Shikhar's flawless partnership on and off the field, of the childish innocence in Bhuvi's eyes, of Jinks' indulgent smile as he tolerated their antics, of Ash always being the voice of reason...and of Virat's arm around him all the times when he needed it most...

And he smiled.

"I would, Virat. I would always choose us."