In His Custody ✎ (MaNan)

✰ 45 - take a stand

One more update!

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Manik

The butler who was in charge of keeping my bedroom an orderly space witnessed a battleground of tossed pillows, scattered clothes, and overturned furniture, all torn apart in my relentless search as he brought in a platter of snacks for me to munch alongside my beer. The food was immediately upended, just like the parts of me that chaotically sprawled my room. Every corner, every drawer, had been ransacked for the two star-shaped studs.

When my eyes fell on them finally in the corner of one of my closet cupboards, I clutched them in a fit of rage, my hands shaking to reclaim some semblance of order in my shattered world. I stormed downstairs and crossed the threshold of the balcony leading to the pool — my safe haven in this hellhole. Opening my fist, my fingers trailed over the two specks of gems embedded on silver stars, which shimmered faintly in the moonlight.

A gift to her on our first month together.

I rolled my fist, its metal biting into my palm, as I went back to the ledge where her journal sat, desperately flipping the page from 4th of November to the 5th. Diwali.

5 November 2010

Babbu, remember I told you yesterday that after badminton, Manik invited me for Diwali celebrations at his house and I had told him my Chikkappa would not allow it? Later at dinner time yesterday, Abhi pitched in information about the Diwali party to Chikkamma and Chikkappa and said he would love to take us to see the lights. How Manik had convinced my brother without leading to suspicions, I didn't know.

The celebration was to begin at six, so Abhimanyu had returned from their hangout to pick Rishu and I up at six, but on reaching there, nobody else had turned up. Nobody except Manik's friend group.

For weeks, I had nagged him about never showing me his house or taking me in even though he has been to my Mumbai home countless times, but today... after being there in an eight-bedroom bungalow, surrounded by such magnificent opulence and not a speck of dust on any shelves or cabinets, my heart fell in my stomach. Our Mumbai home was below sub-standard in comparison.

Chikkamma had even insisted me to take a gift since we were not supposed to go to other's homes empty-handed, but the hollowed star-shaped lamp I had gotten from the street-side market wasn't worth putting on any of those shelves. Frightened by the divides in our class, the whole excitement of visiting Manik's home vanished. I excused myself from my brothers, saying I would freshen up and join them. Abhi pointed to an alleyway leading to a guest bathroom, and left towards a balcony.

I nervously shuffled the gift from one hand to the other as I made my way towards the bathroom, when firm fingers encircled my elbow and dragged me in a different direction. Mouthing his name under a small smile, I let myself get pulled through a door, leading to the garden. Behind one of the pillars supporting the intricately carved rainshed between the ground and first floor, my back hit smooth white marble.  

Manik gently tucked my loose hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering at my earlobes. "I like them on you."

I blushed, looking at his kada hovering near my eyes and then his red Ferrari slides, registering that he was wearing a black vest and blue sweatpants. It was past six. "It's your Diwali party and you're still not ready?" I fretted to his feet.

"Tch, I don't care about these festivals. What's this?"

He frowned, looking at the gold gift-wrapped box.