In His Custody ✎ | (MaNan)

✰ 68 - anything for your love

Hey everyone! I'm quite late to update. I had actually written this whole chapter by Monday morning but for some reason, it just wasn't sitting right with me.

Something felt so off, so I had to retrace my steps and scrap ~4000 words to rewrite this.

I guess the reason I'm sharing it is sometimes even I don't have a say in what gets to be in the updates. These characters really have a mind of their own :P

Reminder: italics is Manik's POV in flashback, and underlined stuff you already know!

Word count: 4180

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13 January 2011

Babbu, you know what? Manik's house is so boring. There's nobody else to talk to. Just a while ago, I sent Manik off to go have dinner with his family so he didn't miss out on a family bonding experience, but now I wish I hadn't. At least I wouldn't be sulking alone in his bedroom... bored out of my wits.

That night, I was surprisingly sitting with Dad and Mukti at the dinner table – after a lot of questions from Nandini about why I didn't. Like she said, apparently I was missing out on quality family bonding time. Yeah right...

Dad considered it the perfect once in a blue moon opportunity to dump his life wisdom lecture on us. It was the same old trash talk, about how we had to take our lives seriously, how pursuing a field like music for our career was a lost cause. He even reinitiated a proposal for us: to join his fashion house, learn the business and become an entrepreneur early, while other underprivileged kids beneath our class would have to muscle through conventional college admissions.

The roasted chicken on my plate was suddenly more revolting.

"Yes Dad, we'll definitely think about it..." Mukti said softly to placate him on behalf of both of us. From the corner of her eyes, she was signalling to me to comply as well, and appeal to him. I ignored her.

Instead, my gaze kept flickering to my room every now and then... where Nandini was. It now seemed like bringing her to my house was a terrible idea.

This long weekend away from my family was my golden opportunity to chill outdoors even after 6pm, visit the beaches at midnight, eat roadside ice cream from the stalls near the shore, anything... but no, I have been given strict orders to 'smile' and 'sit' on this bed, and not leave from here under any cost.

I heard footsteps outside the door. Quickly, I hid my diary in my backpack, and scurried under his bed. His feet appeared in the bedroom. "Nandini?" He gently called after he shut the bedroom door behind him. I stifled a laugh to not give away my hiding spot.

Hearing no response from me, he set the tiffin box he had arranged for me on his side table and scanned the area. His feet moved to search through the cupboards. I pulled my lips between my teeth at his silliness: why would he think I would climb in there myself? Had he even seen my height? I couldn't get up there on my own!

Anyways, he then urgently walked to the little lounge area attached to his bedroom, and then sprinted into the bathroom on the other end.

She was nowhere.

I had told her to stay put on the bed and not wander off anywhere like the usual fidgety girl she was. As I pinched the bridge of my nose, I wondered if she had somehow run into Nyonika who was in the office room across the corridor...