Alone Battles

After that fragile moment at the health party—with Ziva in his arms, and Sammy curled up against his chest—something had shifted in the team.

They saw him.

Not the loud, brash Hardik of the past—but a quiet, broken boy trying to find a way back. And for the first time, they wanted to talk. Really talk.

So, they gathered. Virat, Rohit, Ashwin, Jadeja, Bhuvi, Rahul, and Dhoni sat together in a meeting room. The air was tense, the intention clear. They wanted to clear the air with Hardik—talk about everything left unsaid.

But just as Rohit opened his mouth to begin, Yuzi barged in, phone in hand.

“Guys… you need to see this.”

He flipped the screen. A screenshot.

It was from Instagram. A troll meme targeting KL Rahul—cruel, mocking. And next to it: “Liked by @hardikpandya93.”

The room went cold.

Rahul’s face drained of color. His breath quickened. “No… no way…” he whispered, shaking his head. “He wouldn't—he can’t…”

Virat stood, fists clenched. Rohit’s brows tightened. Ashwin cursed under his breath.

Only MS Dhoni remained calm. Too calm.

He reached for his phone.

“Call him.”

Yuzi nodded, nervous now, and walked down the hallway to find Hardik.

---

Hardik’s Room

When the knock came, Hardik almost didn’t open the door. Nobody had knocked in months. Nobody had called for him.

He opened the door slowly. Yuzi stood there, eyes uncertain.

“Bhaiya is calling you.”

Hardik blinked, hesitant. “Why?”

Yuzi didn’t answer.

Hardik followed in silence, stomach tight, dread thick in his chest.

When he entered the room, everyone was already seated. No one spoke.

Then Dhoni turned his phone to him.

“This… Hardik. What is this?”

Hardik stared at the screen.

For a moment, he didn’t understand.

Then—his breath caught. The image. The meme. His name under it.

His voice cracked. “I—I don’t know this—wait—wait—this isn’t…”

He stumbled back a step, then remembered.

“Instagram. That day—I dropped my phone. It was in my hand, scrolling. I must have—maybe I touched it by mistake—I didn’t mean to!”

Rahul was silent, but his fingers shook.

Virat’s voice was sharp. “Mistake, again?”

Ashwin added, “You always have a reason, don’t you?”

Jadeja looked away. “Every time—it’s a slip, it’s unintentional. When does it stop being a mistake and start being you?”

Hardik’s eyes welled up. He looked at Rahul. “I swear—I would never…”

But Rahul turned away.

And that broke him.

Dhoni stood, the calm in his voice cracking slightly.

“Enough.”

Everyone fell silent.

He looked at Hardik—his expression unreadable, but tired. Deeply tired.

“I don’t want to hurt you in anger, Hardik,” Dhoni said, voice low. “Please. Go back to your room. Just… go.”

Hardik opened his mouth. Nothing came.

His eyes dropped to the floor. He nodded.

And turned away.

---

Back in His Room

He walked the hall like a ghost. Closed the door. Locked it. Sat on the bed.

His head dropped into his hands. His shoulders trembled.

And for the first time in months—he cried.

Not the kind of crying anyone could hear. Not loud.

Just silent, breathless sobs.

Because even when he didn’t mean to…

He was still the mistake.

To be continue

Do let me know if you want me publish previous 5 ch here

I'd name - sehneer