In His Custody ✎ (MaNan)

✰ 42 - role reversals

This part is really freaking raw!

The confrontation sequence is beginning, and I want to say that with the amount of deep-rooted, unprocessed grief that exists on both sides, there's more than just one conversation needed to even understand their issues (more revelations on this in the subsequent updates as they process it).

I've made the update dual POV so you guys can see the differences in outlook to the same situation.

In saying that, the pacing of the story is going to accelerate henceforth as we're reaching the final ~35% of the book. I won't be rushing anything but every snippet and every POV might show you some growth from the characters which will interlace with the past as well (some pain some happiness you know? :") and there will be time skips.

Enjoy!

⭒

Nandini

I gripped the bars of the terrace railings tight, afraid of collapsing at the sound of his weakened voice. Underneath us, the arena continued to bust its tunes, as if ironically celebrating our grimacing reunion.

Almost hiccupping a breath to keep my composure, I spoke to the stars ahead of me. "This might be the first time in seven years you're seeing me but I... I've caught glimpses twice already in these last two weeks. And both times I could not muster the courage to face you. This is the third instance, I'm taking no chances." Even the thought of turning around to catch one brief look of him shuddered my guts.

His kada struck something, alerting me that his hand rose in the air while his boot made an advance. "Nand –" He began and I palmed my ears shut, letting one of those tears that held on to dear life slowly escape.

"Don't. Please, don't make it harder for me than it already is."

Some divine grace stopped him from uttering my name, because if it escaped his lips, I would have turned to putty on the spot.

His footsteps paused some place diagonally behind me, several metres away that was for sure.

"I'm listening..." He assured.

I deeply sighed before I narrated what poured out of my heart in a flurry. "The first time I saw you two weeks ago, you were walking barefoot on the footpath with Cabir by your side. I went numb for a few seconds watching you, because the Manik I knew would flinch at the thought of such middle-class acts." The image had been so crisply engraved in my mind that it had taken me a solid few minutes to register the man I had seen was actually Manik, not a hallucination just because I had been stuck in his city. "I suspected something must have gone terribly wrong in your life, but did not allow myself to think about it – or you – any further."

He hummed in a low achy tone, so as to notify me that he was still there, listening intently.

"That same night, you came in a car and parked under the windowsill of my childhood room... you were in the distance, away from direct public view, but you were there. I hid behind the curtains terrified at the thought of being spotted. I don't remember how long I stood there frozen, inching between coming down to see you and staying locked up in my room. Like the coward I was." I scoffed, wiping the valleys of my eyes. The last thing I wanted was for him to know through my croaky voice that I had been crying because of him.

Seven years later as well.

There was a long pause, before I could resume. "It seemed like you came to talk to me about something, but as you mindlessly waited without hope until four in the morning – your bedtime, you hadn't looked up a single time at me... it was as if you just knew I wouldn't be there anymore." I heard a mild sniffle, which instantly died when my head flicked sideways.