Rachel
Favoured Frenzy
From the moment he came to stay at her ancestral home, he became her safe place — not by trying too hard, but just by being there. He didn't force conversations, didn't demand attention. He just was, quietly loving her in the way she needed — with patience, respect, and warmth. He didn't come there expecting anything. He just wanted to be close to her, to see her smile, to hear her laugh.
Mornings were slow and beautiful. He'd help her grandmother draw water from the well. He'd run across the fields barefoot, every now and then calling out her name playfully from the end of the mango grove, hoping to catch a glimpse of her peeking smile shyly from the verandah.
Evenings were even better. They sat together under the great banyan tree in the yard.Sometimes he would play guitar or sang songs for her, sometimes she sang songs back, her voice low and beautiful in the soft dusk and he would just listen, his heart full. In those quiet moments between the music, she would lean her head against his shoulder, staying there for a long time as the world slowed down around them.
One evening, it rained.
The soft drizzle turned into a wild village storm. She stood in the courtyard, lifting her face to the sky, arms wide open, laughing. And he stood at the steps, watching her like she was the only thing that mattered.
When she caught him looking, he didn’t look away. Instead, he walked out into the rain and stood silently before her, just offering his hand — no words, no pressure.
She placed her hand in his.They stood together in the rain, hand in hand. It was a kind of closeness that didn’t need touch, didn’t need anything more — just presence, just being together.
Later that night, under the soft yellow lamp in her room, he wiped her wet hair dry with towel, careful, loving, with a tenderness that made her heart ache.
He stopped the moment she turned and looked at him, as if she were seeing her entire world in one person. He leaned in close. As their eyes met, he slowly lowered his head and cupped her face deeply in his hands, holding her there for a long moment as if the sheer weight of his love was too much to carry. Gazing into her eyes, his voice became a steady promise.
He looked into her eyes and without saying a word, his heart spoke loud and clear:
"You, just as you are, are enough.
I don’t need anything else. I just want to protect this smile forever."
Her heart almost burst with the tenderness of it. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to.
She just leaned against him, resting her head on his chest, feeling his heart beating — slow, sure, and strong — just like his love for her.
Mornings were slow and beautiful. He'd help her grandmother draw water from the well. He'd run across the fields barefoot, every now and then calling out her name playfully from the end of the mango grove, hoping to catch a glimpse of her peeking smile shyly from the verandah.
Evenings were even better. They sat together under the great banyan tree in the yard.Sometimes he would play guitar or sang songs for her, sometimes she sang songs back, her voice low and beautiful in the soft dusk and he would just listen, his heart full. In those quiet moments between the music, she would lean her head against his shoulder, staying there for a long time as the world slowed down around them.
One evening, it rained.
The soft drizzle turned into a wild village storm. She stood in the courtyard, lifting her face to the sky, arms wide open, laughing. And he stood at the steps, watching her like she was the only thing that mattered.
When she caught him looking, he didn’t look away. Instead, he walked out into the rain and stood silently before her, just offering his hand — no words, no pressure.
She placed her hand in his.They stood together in the rain, hand in hand. It was a kind of closeness that didn’t need touch, didn’t need anything more — just presence, just being together.
Later that night, under the soft yellow lamp in her room, he wiped her wet hair dry with towel, careful, loving, with a tenderness that made her heart ache.
He stopped the moment she turned and looked at him, as if she were seeing her entire world in one person. He leaned in close. As their eyes met, he slowly lowered his head and cupped her face deeply in his hands, holding her there for a long moment as if the sheer weight of his love was too much to carry. Gazing into her eyes, his voice became a steady promise.
He looked into her eyes and without saying a word, his heart spoke loud and clear:
"You, just as you are, are enough.
I don’t need anything else. I just want to protect this smile forever."
Her heart almost burst with the tenderness of it. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to.
She just leaned against him, resting her head on his chest, feeling his heart beating — slow, sure, and strong — just like his love for her.
