In His Custody ✎ (MaNan)

✰ 36 - new priorities

My exams (you can also lovingly call them nightmares :D ) finished on Tuesday, so I'm back with a long AF part to compensate <3

Will be regularly updating from now on, sorry for the delay :(

I hope you enjoy it! <3

Please keep your love coming :")

⭒

Cabir

Rose twirled her hair as she slowly moved down the stage and leaned over to the centre of the platform. "Was it just me or did you guys catch the drift with Khurana and Manik's mother?"

"Where has Manik gone?" came Alex's tired voice as he took my stool and tapped my drumsticks together.

To deal with his demons in silence. Silence: that was his impulsive solution to everything and anything.

For two complete days after my secret came out in the open, Fab 5 did not speak to one another. I wasn't sure if the others within the group did, but I did not see or hear of anyone. A sleepless night filled with tears was all I remembered of that time. The next morning, or closer to noon rather – on the third day of Navrathri – was when I got a text message on the group chat.

Alia: *I can't do this anymore, guys. Emergency meeting @ mine.*

We assembled shortly after in Alia's bedroom. Mukti had her hands on her hips.

"Accha hua Alia ne sabko yahan bula liya. I've been thinking about it myself... Look guys, for all of us it's always been our friends before anyone else. And Cabir needs us the most right now. So let's just talk it out openly, okay?"

Alia nodded, "It's hard enough that I'm constantly churned between my friends and my brother, I could do with some quality group time."

"We'll come to that too, but let everyone open up. Jo bhi mann mein hai, bol do abhi ke abhi. Khatam karlo yeh sab cold war and all!" She waved her hands like they were swords, clashing with one another and falling as a result. "Cabir, do you want to go first?"

Manik shook his head, lost in some thoughts. "I think Abhimanyu should be here too. He deserves to know."

Bill urged, "I think he deserves a thank-you, we're performing at you guys' school only because of..."

"His mother's doing. It's all her, not Manik," I advocated in his absence. Something I thought I would never do again. Triggered by the kindness of my actions, I redefined the sympathy I felt for him and replaced it with brutal indifference. "You probably should not get your hopes up though, he could back out at any point; nobody messes with his ego, not even his mother."

Abhimanyu had said he was going to be away praying for the whole Navrathri period, and refused to participate in any group activities for that time frame. "Buddy, we can't choose that... it's Cabir's decision," Dhruv rebutted, gesturing me to go ahead and say what I had on my mind.

Mukti clapped for attention. "Shh... everyone shut up, only Cabir speaks. No interruptions. Go Cabir."

I deeply inhaled and made eye contact with one member of the group. Dhruv – he appeared the most approachable of the bunch. "Frankly, I was really afraid. Tum sab straight ho yaar, tum loug samjhoge nahi how difficult it is to grow up without that... that kind of representation around me. Kitna mushkil hai yeh feelings ko samajhna... aur uske baad noticing someone who ticks all those boxes, only to freak them out about my sexuality, it was extremely hurtful for me. Time and again." My voice cracked as I spoke and it was getting difficult for me to keep my emotions at bay while revealing such an important aspect of myself, my identity that I never shared with anyone else. Not even out loud to myself.