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As soon as the players stepped out of their vehicle, the paparazzi swarmed like bees to honey. Flashbulbs flickered madly, the air thick with shouted requests for poses and smiles. Some players obliged, pausing to strike a few casual poses, their practiced smiles wide and easy. Others, however, simply walked past, throwing a brief, polite nod toward the cameras before disappearing into the airport's glass doors. The buzz of voices, the chaos of clicking shutters, and the press of bodies in motion created a whirlwind of excitement and frenzy.

Finally, after the hustle and bustle at the entrance, they were inside the cool, air-conditioned lobby. The players regrouped with their teammates, exchanging quick greetings and updates. Shaurya, ever the calm one, slipped off his shades and scanned the area, his sharp eyes briefly noticing a few unfamiliar faces standing with the team. His curiosity piqued, but it was fleeting. He soon returned his attention to the mobile in his hand, fingers moving swiftly across the screen as if the world outside his phone was of little consequence.

"Good morning, everyone," the manager's voice cut through the chatter, drawing the attention of the team. Even those glued to their phones or lost in conversation looked up. "I'm sure some of you are wondering who these new faces are." He gestured towards the unfamiliar group standing beside him, prompting a few murmurs, and exchanged glances.

"They're the people I mentioned yesterday. They're from the Prime Minister's Office and will be traveling with us for the next two months." The manager's tone was even, but the news had its impact. Shaurya, along with the others, looked up from his phone, his brows furrowing slightly as the manager continued.

"They'll be documenting our daily activities for a report that will be reviewed by the Prime Minister and the BCCI Chief before it's released to the public." He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in before adding, "They've signed NDAs, so your personal lives are off-limits."

A ripple of irritation passed through the players. Some exchanged glances of annoyance, their forced smiles doing little to hide their displeasure. The agents, standing awkwardly on the side, seemed well aware that the road ahead wouldn't be easy. They could already sense the resistance, the subtle hostility that often came when players felt their privacy being invaded.

The introductions were brief, each agent stepping forward to nod at the players who responded with tight-lipped smiles and curt nods of their own. The tension hung in the air, thick and palpable.

It was then that the word 'stadium' floated into the air, immediately capturing Shaurya's attention. His head snapped up, eyes narrowing as he glanced toward the source of the voice.

"Wait, were you at the stadium yesterday?" one of his teammates, and best friend, Akshith, asked, his tone laced with suspicion. His sharp gaze landed on one of the agents, a girl who had remained quiet amidst the introductions. 

Ananya, who had been doing her best to stay unnoticed, felt a surge of irritation as she recognized the familiar, annoying voice from the previous day. Her eyes flicked towards Akshith, who was now staring at her, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips.

"What are you doing here? Which one of us are you following?" Akshith's voice was laced with a mixture of arrogance and accusation, his gaze challenging her as if daring her to prove him wrong. His tone was enough to make Ananya's nostrils flare in frustration. She hated men like him—the type who thought every girl in the vicinity was obsessed with them.

"Excuse me?" Ananya's voice cut through the air like a knife, sharp and cold. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him, the intensity in her gaze making him falter for a brief second. "Do you think I need your permission to be here? I'm not following anyone. I'm here to work."

Her fiery response left Akshith momentarily stunned. He wasn't used to being spoken to like this—least of all by a girl who wasn't swooning over his looks or cricketing skills. His mind scrambled for a retort, but his gaze remained accusing, shooting daggers at the girl. Ananya's hand darted into her bag, retrieving her ID card. "I work for the PMO," she added, forwarding the card towards him. "See for yourself."

Akshith, still taken aback by her assertiveness, glanced down at the ID, his brows raising in surprise. He studied it for a moment before handing it back, clearly unsatisfied but unable to argue further.

"Well, I'm still going to keep an eye on you," he said, his voice quieter but no less condescending. "And trust me, my eyes are very sharp."

Ananya merely rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. She cast a quick glance at her fellow agents, who were trying—and failing—to stifle their giggles. She could feel the heat of embarrassment rising in her chest but pushed it down, determined not to let this man get under her skin.

"Why are you so rude to her? Maybe she is here to do her work, not everyone is a mad fan of you Akshith bhai," Siraj, one of the players muttered, not realizing that Ananya could hear him perfectly well.

"Rude? I'm not being rude. She's the one who bumped into me yesterday. I think she's here for me," Akshith whispered, his tone dripping with self-assurance, clearly oblivious to the eye-rolls his statement was eliciting.

Ananya, unable to hold back any longer, let out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, please," she snapped, her voice cutting through the small huddle of players. "Trust me, you're not as special as you think you are. And if I were here for someone, it definitely wouldn't be you."

Her words hit their mark, and Akshith's smirk faltered. The rest of the team burst into laughter, their amusement evident as they patted Akshith on the back. Even Shaurya, who had been silently watching the whole interaction from the sidelines, couldn't suppress the small smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. He stood with his arms crossed, his muscles flexing as he watched his best friend face a rare moment of defeat.

Akshith, trying to salvage his pride, mumbled, "How did you even hear us? We were talking so low."

Ananya, her confidence now fully returned, shot him a smirk. "Your volume might have been low, but my ears—and my brain—are sharp," she said with a wink, flipping her hair as she turned away, leaving Akshith standing there, dumbfounded. The rest of the team, still laughing, watched her walk off, her sharp words lingering in the air.

The agents chuckled to themselves, used to Ananya's fiery temper, while Shaurya stood quietly, a look of amusement still lingering on his face as he watched his best friend's failed attempt to win a battle he was clearly outmatched for.

As the airport announcements crackled overhead, signaling the final boarding call for their flight, the group began to make their way to the gate. They moved in unison, though the playful tension between Ananya and Akshith lingered in the air like an unspoken challenge.

Onboard, the team settled into their seats, the hum of the plane's engines filling the cabin as it prepared for takeoff. Ananya and her colleague, Shika, quickly busied themselves with their books, both of them engrossed in the pages of their latest romance novel. Every now and then, they would exchange shy smiles, the occasional blush creeping onto their cheeks as they read, completely unaware of the curious glances being stolen by the men seated nearby.

Shaurya, seated just a row behind, found his eyes drifting toward Ananya more often than he'd like to admit. There was something about her—her boldness, her sharp wit, the way she held her ground against Akshith—that intrigued him. His gaze lingered on her, watching as she absentmindedly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression softening as she lost herself in the words on the page.

He shifted in his seat, his thoughts wandering, a small smile tugging at his lips as he continued to steal glances at the girl in the adjacent row.

Their plane landed in Lucknow after 1 hour and they all collected their luggage. The team got onto their bus, and a car was arranged for Ananya's team. They reached their hotel and settled into their respective rooms. 

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The players gathered in a hall where their coach explained to them the playing styles and pitch conditions with the help of videos, on the other hand, the agents joined in another room, with the maps of the hotel and blueprints sprawled, analyzing the whole building and the routes to reach there, checking for any security loopholes or threats. They have also decided to inspect the ground later. 

Ananya stood alone by the pillar near the pool, the cool marble pressing against her back as she observed the world around her with hawk eyes, trying to find any unusual movement. The soft splashing of water and the distant hum of conversation were the only sounds breaking the tranquil evening. Shaurya walked in, his phone pressed against his ear as he gave instructions to someone over the call.

He moved with casual grace, the kind that came naturally to him, yet his focus on the conversation kept him oblivious to her presence. As he approached the pillar where Ananya stood, he tried to walk around it, but in his distraction, he didn't notice her. The unexpected collision caught both of them off guard.

Shaurya's foot slipped on the damp floor, the slickness of the surface betraying him. In a reflex, he reached out to steady himself, his fingers closing around Ananya's arm. The sudden pull made her lose her footing as well, but her instincts kicked in, and she grabbed the pillar with her free hand. Shaurya held on tightly to her as he regained his balance, though his phone wasn't as lucky. With a soft plop, it slipped from his grasp and fell into the pool, sinking slowly beneath the water.

Neither of them noticed.

Shaurya's breath hitched as his eyes met Ananya's. In the warm glow of the fading light, her features were illuminated softly, her delicate face framed by loose strands of hair that swayed in the gentle breeze. Concern flickered in her eyes as she searched his, but Shaurya wasn't thinking about what had just happened. His thoughts were consumed by the intensity of her gaze, the way her wide, expressive eyes seemed to pull him in deeper, like a force he couldn't resist.

They stood mere inches apart, their breaths mingling in the warm air, and yet there was something electric in the small space between them. Her fingers were still lightly wrapped around his wrist as if anchoring them both to the moment, neither ready to step away just yet.

Ananya, trying to compose herself, felt the weight of his gaze. Her eyes, which had been locked with his, slowly traveled downward, tracing the sharp lines of his face. His strong jaw was dusted lightly with stubble, and the tension in his broad shoulders was impossible to ignore. His presence felt overwhelming, yet strangely calming.

Shaurya, on the other hand, couldn't pull his eyes away from her. Her beauty, so effortlessly striking, held him captive. He allowed himself to savor every detail—the soft curve of her button nose, the faint flush in her cheeks, and her slightly parted lips that seemed to beckon him closer. There was something about her presence, something about the way she stood there, both fragile and strong, that stirred something deep within him. He felt an unexplainable urge to reach out and brush his fingers against her cheek, to feel the warmth of her skin under his touch.

His heart raced, pounding in his chest like a drum, the rhythm quickening with each second that passed.

Suddenly, the quiet buzz of Ananya's phone snapped her out of the trance. She blinked, quickly clearing her throat, the tension between them abruptly interrupted. Flustered, she pulled her hand back, the touch of his wrist lingering on her fingertips as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red, betraying her emotions, though she tried her best to remain composed.

Shaurya, however, couldn't stop staring at her. His eyes, though softer now, continued to linger on her face, tracing the outline of her features as if he couldn't quite let go of the moment. His thoughts were still muddled, his pulse still quick from the sudden closeness they had shared.

Ananya glanced at her phone, which had buzzed with a simple bank notification. She pocketed it swiftly, feeling a bit foolish for letting such a mundane thing pull her away from the moment. When she looked back at Shaurya, she found his gaze still on her, a quiet intensity in his expression, as though he was waiting for her to say something.

"Don't tell me you staged this little act just to get closer to me," Shaurya teased, his voice low, but with an amused edge. His brow arched in mock accusation, a small smirk playing at his lips. It was a line he had used before, more times than he cared to count, but this time, it felt different.

Ananya's eyes widened at his words, surprise evident in her expression. "Why would I do that?" she replied, her tone filled with genuine confusion. "Why would I want to get closer to you?"

"You're my fan," Shaurya stated, as if the answer was obvious, a glimmer of mischief dancing in his eyes.

Ananya couldn't help but laugh at his assumption. "I am, but what does that have to do with my job?" she countered with a shake of her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. As realization dawned on her, her laughter bubbled up, filling the air around them. "Wait... you think I did all this just to be near you? Because I like you?"

Her laughter came out in soft bursts, her body shaking as she doubled over slightly, placing a hand over her stomach. Tears of amusement gathered at the corners of her eyes, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand, her smile wide and genuine. Shaurya watched her, captivated by the sight of her laughing so freely, so unrestrained. It was rare to see someone react to him like this, and he found himself smiling despite the playful accusation.

Ananya shook her head, catching her breath. "Look, Mr. Singhania," she began again, her voice more serious now. "I may be a fan, but I'm not that obsessed with you. And do you really think I could have arranged all of this just to be close to you?"

Shaurya sighed, realizing she had a point. It wasn't easy to be where she was, especially given the fact she just met him yesterday. Still, as she spoke, a small twinge of disappointment settled in his chest. Why doesn't she like me? The question hovered in the back of his mind, though he quickly pushed it away. Why do you even care? another voice answered.

With a brief nod, he turned away, his face now expressionless, and made his way back towards the pool. Ananya, feeling the odd shift in energy, settled herself by the water's edge, dipping her feet into the cool pool, the sensation refreshing against her skin.

As she gazed at the ripples spreading from her feet, her eyes caught something glinting beneath the water—the outline of Shaurya's phone lying at the bottom. She was about to call someone for help when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Shaurya walking towards the pool.

Without hesitation, Shaurya dived into the water with a graceful movement, quickly retrieving his phone from the bottom. Ananya pulled her legs out of the water to avoid accidentally kicking him, folding them beneath her as she watched him surface.

When Shaurya emerged, droplets of water slid down his face, clinging to his lashes before falling back into the pool. His damp hair clung to his forehead, and his soaked shirt clung to his chest, outlining the hard lines of his body. He lifted himself out of the pool, his hands resting on either side of Ananya's thighs as he hovered near her.

Their faces were so close now that she could feel the warmth of his breath mixing with hers. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat loud in her ears. His eyes locked onto hers, unwavering, and the heat between them seemed to thicken with every passing second. Her gaze involuntarily flickered to his lips, and she swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry.

Shaurya noticed her pupils dilating, her breath quickening most subtly. He smirked, his voice dropping to a soft murmur. "Take a picture. It'll last longer."

The teasing lilt in his tone snapped her out of her trance. Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink, and she quickly averted her gaze, scooting back to give him space to climb out of the pool.

Shaurya pulled himself onto the edge, his muscles flexing as he moved, and grabbed a towel from the nearby chair. Ananya stared at her hands, feeling the heat radiating from her face, her fingers nervously fiddling with the hem of her top.

"I... I should go," she mumbled, her voice barely audible as she stood up quickly. Without waiting for a response, she hurried away, her heart still racing, leaving Shaurya standing by the pool, watching her retreat with a smile tugging at his lips.