In His Custody ✎ (MaNan)

✰ 40 - looking inwards

It takes a lot of strength to acknowledge that we need help, and even more to reach out to someone in our brink of helplessness.

But what comes out of it is growth, lots and lots of personal growth. 

That growth and energy feeds into the relationships we make, helping us develop fulfilling bonds with the people we care about the most.

So if you're hurting, look inwards. You'll find reasons to live, to smile, and most of all, more reasons to love yourself.

HEADS UP, this is a long update (5100 words)

⭒

Manik

It was nothing out of the blue for two grown-ass completely barefoot men to be wobbling in a meandering fashion along the Mumbai coastal line at half past twelve. Why did we end up barefoot, I couldn't remember. At what part of the aimless walk did we decide to proceed towards the beach, I wasn't certain we even had that conversation. For what seemed like an hour of strolling and sobering in the process, pleasant silence surrounded us.

Glimmering fine grains stuck to our feet and as their softness drowned our feet with each step, soothing chills swept over us. I gazed into the horizon where the stars danced and saw the space where land met sea, as fireflies magically embedded themselves in frothy crests. The shore glowed with the union of stars and fireflies.

"Forever and always," I murmured under my breath, suddenly smitten by the urge to touch it, feel it, and be sure that what I was seeing was indeed real.

My companion snapped his head at me for one full second, and as if filling with fury in that span of time, he leaned and roughly whacked my bicep with one of his shoes as forcefully as he could.

"You bastard!"

"Ow!" I clutched my arm, gasping at the blow and my eyebrows furrowed at his statued self. "What the hell?"

He dropped his shoes, crouched in his spot, and hastily scanned the area around him. Was he about to chuck some sand at me? I backed up cautiously and frowned when he finally clasped something and swung what looked like a sea-glass-sized rock.

"Chutiye!" He stood up, digging his foot into the sand like an animal ready to charge.

I threw my shoes in the air and bolted towards the water like my existence depended on surviving his attacks. "You've been with me longer than you have lived without me, for fuck's sake, you knew about my relationship problems," Another rock flew at me, knocking my upper back.

"Cabir!"

"...my sexuality," A whistle of air delivered the stone some metres away from me.

"You have a shitty aim, don't bother trying!" I echoed, smirking to myself.

"Motherfucker... I told you about my childhood, you knew every fucked up thing about me..." This one hit my butt, and I swerved, enraged.

How the hell did he find that many pieces to strike me with?

Feeling dizzy from the running and the sudden turn, I slowed my pace and held back the nauseating feeling when Cabir stormed into me, playfully punching my gut.

"Ouch! Cabir, stop it! I'm gonna throw up on you!"

"...but you never confided in me... not now, not then, not ever... maar khaa ab!" He slapped me across my face.