Off Day – Oxford, England | July 19, 2018
🌤️ Prologue: Dawn in the City of Dreaming Spires
Oxford woke slowly. A soft rain awakened dinosauric oaks and washed the cobbled streets.
The air was fresh, alive—not the same as London's heat or the stadium's glare.
Ishaan Verma slipped quietly out of his hotel room, carrying no gear. Just a light backpack, a journal, and a phone with Emma's final message from The Oval: "Finding ourselves matters more than finding runs."
He paused in the hallway, drew in a slow breath.
"Today, I'm nobody's headline."
🌊 Scene 1: River, Spires, and Shared Silence
Their morning meet-up point was the Magdalen Bridge.
Emma stood there with two steaming takeaway coffees—Earl Grey for him, flat white for her.
She wore simple jeans and a light trench coat. Her hair had escaped the knot.
She smiled when she saw him.
Emma: "I got Earl Grey. Thought you deserved something familiar."
Ishaan (soft): "Thank you."
They walked side by side, stepping onto the ancient bridge. Water flowed under their shoes, pulsing toward the dreaming spires.
They didn't speak at first. Oxford's silence carried its own poetry.
🏛️ Scene 2: Punting on the River Cherwell
They rented a small punt boat. The guide pushed them from the riverbank.
Simple scene: damp grass, straw hats bobbing, spires in the mist.
At first, they talked about small things.
Ishaan: "I've never done this before."
Emma (smiling): "It's a London thing. Hogwarts tours do it, too."
Air bubbled into their laughter.
🗣️ Scene 3: Funny Flickers
As the punt wobbled, Emma giggled.
Emma: "Watch out—we'll end up like a dice in a bowl."
Ishaan: "That'd make a better headline than any fifty or hundred."
Emma: "'Punter flips Indian star.'"
They both burst into quiet laughter.
Oxford's solemnity didn't stop them from carving out irreverent smiles.
He relaxed.
🎒 Scene 4: The Café — Pressure & Privacy
Later, they walked into a cozy café with tall windows and old books stacked on tables.
Sitting across from each other, they sipped.
Ishaan: "You know... the world can write any story about me—win or lose."
Emma: "And you get to choose what you tell."
Ishaan paused, looking at her words on the steam rising from his cup.
Ishaan: "After tonight, I'm not sure what I want people to see."
Emma: "That's the point. You don't owe them the entire thing."
He looked at her—eyes soft in morning light.
🛤️ Scene 5: Identity & Expectations
They walked the High Street.
He looked at shop windows.
Ishaan: "They'll want highlight reels and headlines. Sometimes, I want a photo that's not perfect ... just real."
Emma: "We're defined by what we let out. My work—on screen, I choose roles. Off-screen... not so much."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Ishaan: "Must be tough."
Emma: "It is. But it also taught me something important: People will see what they want. You give them a moment you own."
👥 Scene 6: Shared Stories
Over pastries, they exchanged laughter-laced stories.
Emma: "I once tried hiding from fans in a museum... and ended up... in the bathroom."
He laughed.
Ishaan: "I once ducked into a tea aisle in Mumbai. My teammate sold me out—he tweeted a photo."
Their laughter echoed among old books and quiet music.
🧭 Scene 7: Reflections & Internal Compass
They stopped by a gilt-embossed plaque on a sunken wall.
Emma: "Oxford's walls carry centuries. They've seen revolution and revelation—but they stood silent."
She looked at him.
Emma: "There's wisdom in silence."
Ishaan: "That note last night... 'Bravery isn't noise.' I think I understand."
Emma: "Bravery is choosing what to say and what to... hold."
He thought of his journal, wristworn and shifting.
🕰️ Scene 8: Quiet Music in Alleyways
They found a busker playing acoustic guitars in a narrow courtyard.
Emma gave money, Ishaan did too.
The musician played a carol about coming home.
Ishaan felt tears sting—tears not of sadness, but resolution.
He looked at Emma.
Ishaan: "Thank you—for silence, and for echo."
She squeezed his hand.
🌤️ Scene 9: Oxford Castle Garden
At the garden near Oxford Castle, they sat on a bench looking down across the city.
Emma: "I'm proud of you."
He took a breath.
Ishaan: "I feel close to being proud of myself."
She smiled.
Emma: "You have the right to be."
🕯️ Scene 10: The Cliffhanger at Waterstone's
On their walk back, they ducked into a Waterstone's bookstore. He found a cricket biography by Sunil Gavaskar.
She found a poetry collection by Emily Dickinson.
They exchanged.
Ishaan: "For reading when I need words."
Emma: "For reading when I need quiet courage."
They stood in the aisle, casual, human—no tags, no filters.
😌 Scene 11: Setting Up for the ODI Revival
As afternoon turned to evening, they walked toward the camp van.
Emma: "Tomorrow's Oval. You know… only we decide what you show."
Ishaan: "I'll show the man who stood here when the world watched."
They shared a final smile.
Emma (softly): "I look forward to tonight's innings."
He nodded.
Ishaan (quietly): "So do I."
📘 Closing Reflection
Later that night, back in his hotel room, he opened his journal by lamplight:
"In Oxford, I wasn't a number. I wasn't a highlight. I was just me. And sometimes that matters more."
He closed the book, the page still warm with meaning.