A whisper beneath the waves

Walking Into The Storm

The storm didn't feel so intimidating anymore.
Ayu stood beside Shayel, drenched from head to toe, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The rain beat down harder, but the sense of freedom that had settled in his chest, so suddenly and unexpectedly, made everything else fade away. There was something raw and real about this moment—the feeling of not needing to control it all, of simply being. The world felt stripped of all its noise, leaving only the two of them standing in the heart of the storm, surrounded by the rhythmic sound of raindrops on sand.

Shayel was laughing, his hair plastered to his forehead, a genuine joy radiating from him. It was a contrast to the tension that had gripped Ayu for so long, and he couldn't help but be drawn to the easy confidence that Shayel exuded. He was the storm—wild, uncontained—and yet, there was a sense of calm that seemed to follow him, like he knew how to dance with chaos without letting it consume him.

"You're crazy,"

Ayu muttered, though his smile betrayed the words. He was trying to keep his tone light, but something inside him was awakening, a feeling too new, too unfamiliar, to name just yet.

Shayel tilted his head, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"You think I'm crazy now? Wait until you've spent more time with me. You'll start questioning your own sanity."

Ayu couldn't help but laugh, the sound a little breathless from the adrenaline of the storm.

"Maybe I already have."

They stood there for a while longer, the rain soaking them both to the bone. It should have been uncomfortable, maybe even a little miserable, but Ayu found himself surprisingly at peace. The worries that had once crowded his mind—the weight of family expectations, the fear of never living up to anyone's standards, the overwhelming pressure of his own unspoken dreams—seemed so distant, so unimportant now.

Shayel was right about one thing: you couldn't wait for everything to fall into place. Sometimes, you had to step into the storm, embrace the chaos, and just... live. It felt like a revelation.

Eventually, the rain began to taper off, the thunder retreating into the distance. Shayel glanced over at Ayu, his expression softening.

"We should probably get out of here before we drown."

Ayu chuckled, his heart light in a way it hadn't been for a long time.

"Yeah, probably. But... I'm glad you came. I didn't expect this."

"I told you, I have a way of showing up when you least expect it,"

Shayel said, nudging him with his elbow.

"But it's good, right? The storm, I mean. It wasn't as bad as you thought, was it?"

Ayu turned to face him, the faintest of smiles still lingering on his lips.

"No, it wasn't. It was kind of... freeing, actually."

"I think you're starting to get it,"

Shayel said, his voice low but warm.

"It's all about letting go. Letting the world happen around you without trying to control every single detail."

Ayu's gaze dropped to the sand, his thoughts swirling again.

"It's just... hard, you know? My whole life has been about doing things the right way, making everyone happy. I've been so focused on what comes next that I haven't taken the time to ask myself what I really want."

Shayel was quiet for a moment, and when Ayu looked up, he saw that there was a softness in his eyes—like he understood more than he let on.

"You've spent so much time taking care of everyone else. It's okay to take care of yourself for once. It's okay to just... be."

Ayu swallowed, the sincerity in Shayel's words settling deep within him. The realization hit him harder than the storm ever could: he had been running his whole life, chasing after approval, after validation, after some kind of perfection. And yet, he had never stopped to simply live in the moment, to accept himself without all the noise of expectation.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore,"

Ayu confessed, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

"But maybe... maybe I'm okay with that. For once."

Shayel's lips quirked into a smile, his eyes glowing in the fading light.

"Good. Because you don't need to have it all figured out. Not now, not ever. Just... trust yourself. And trust that the right things will fall into place."

Ayu nodded, his heart racing, his chest tight with an unfamiliar feeling. The air between them seemed charged now, as if everything—every word, every glance—was leading them somewhere neither of them had expected.

For a moment, they stood there, the space between them electric, but neither of them moved, neither of them spoke. It was as if they were both waiting, waiting for something—something small, something important. But it wasn't the kind of waiting that felt empty or frustrating. No, this was the kind of waiting that felt like possibility, like everything could change in an instant, like the world had opened up just enough for them to step forward.

"I'm glad I met you, Shayel,"

Ayu whispered, the words feeling heavier than he expected. It wasn't something he had planned to say, but it felt right, like the simplest truth in the world.
Shayel turned to him, his gaze steady, and for a moment, there was nothing else but the two of them.

"I'm glad too,"

he said softly, and there was a tenderness in his voice that made Ayu's heart beat faster.
And then, before Ayu could process it fully, Shayel stepped forward, closing the distance between them. It wasn't sudden, but it was inevitable, and Ayu could do nothing but stand there, his breath catching in his throat. Shayel's hand brushed his arm, a touch so light it could have been imagined, but the warmth that spread through Ayu's body told him otherwise.
The moment stretched, each second filled with an unspoken understanding, with the weight of everything left unsaid. And just as Ayu felt like he might lose himself in it, Shayel leaned in, his lips brushing gently against his ear, the words warm and intimate.

"Sometimes,"

Shayel murmured,

"you don't need to know where you're going. You just need to start walking."

Ayu closed his eyes, the world falling away for that single heartbeat. He didn't need to know where they were headed. He didn't need to have everything figured out.

All he needed was to be here, now, with Shayel.