Laddu looked at Mochi, eyes hopeful and wildly optimistic.
"Can I pick you up in my arms," he asked,
"put you on the sofa, and give you a deep lip kiss?" 😌💋
The room froze. ❄️
Maya slowly turned.
"Nope." ❌
The cousin answered instantly.
"Hard no." 🚫
Mother didn't react. She just waited. 👀
Mochi looked at Laddu for a long, quiet moment.
"No," she said calmly.
Laddu blinked.
"…Why not?"
"Because," Mochi replied evenly,
"that's not a hug."
She continued, voice steady,
"And because you didn't ask for each part separately."
Laddu frowned.
"It was one sentence."
"That's the problem," Mochi said.
"Picking me up. Moving me. Kissing me. Those are different things."
Maya nodded hard.
"She's correct." ✔️
The cousin added,
"You bundled it." 📦
Laddu tried again.
"What if I only pick you up?"
"No," Mochi said.
"What if only the kiss?"
"No."
"What if—"
Mochi raised her hand slightly. ✋
"Stop."
Laddu stopped immediately.
"You can ask for a hug," Mochi said.
"That's it."
Laddu sighed, disappointed but accepting.
"…Can I hug you?"
"Yes," Mochi replied.
He hugged her gently 🤍
No lifting.
No extra moves.
Then stepped back on his own.
"Still no pass," he muttered.
"Still no pass," Mochi agreed.
Mother went back to work 🍳
Maya shook her head 😮💨
The cousin smiled 😌
Laddu looked at Mochi again.
"Can I buy a new drone?" he asked.
"My previous one is broken." 🚁💥
Maya reacted instantly.
"Again?" 😑
The cousin leaned back.
"How did it break this time?"
"Wall," Laddu said.
"And fan." 🌀
Mother glanced up.
"How much?"
Laddu hesitated.
"…Medium expensive."
Mochi looked at him.
"Do you need it?"
"Yes," Laddu said.
"For work. And… flying."
Mochi thought for a second. 🤔
"Did you finish last month's expenses?"
Mother nodded once.
"Then it's fine."
Maya smiled.
"Drone approved." ✅
The cousin added,
"Hide it from the fan."
Laddu looked at Mochi.
"So… permission?"
Mochi corrected him calmly.
"You don't need my permission to buy things."
"But?" Laddu asked.
"But you asked," Mochi said.
"And that's good."
Laddu smiled.
"I'll buy one." 😊
The baby slept peacefully. 😴🍼
Laddu looked at Mochi again, thoughtful.
"You have to become possessive," he said.
"Because I am a flower 🌸. Many bees 🐝 want to eat me."
Maya groaned.
"Please stop talking." 🙄
The cousin shook his head.
"That metaphor died." ⚰️
Laddu kept going.
"And don't say 'I respect this' and 'I respect that.' In real life no one is like that. Not even you."
The room went quiet. 🧊
Mochi looked at him steadily.
"You're wrong," she said.
Laddu frowned.
"How?"
"I don't need to be possessive to care," Mochi replied.
"And I don't compete with imaginary bees."
"But people will try," Laddu argued.
"They can try," Mochi said.
"I don't guard people. I choose them."
Mother spoke calmly.
"Possessiveness is fear, not love."
Maya added,
"If he's a flower, he can water himself." 💧🌼
The cousin nodded.
"No one is stealing him."
Laddu looked at Mochi.
"So you won't be jealous?"
"I'll be honest," Mochi replied.
"I'll talk. I won't control."
She paused.
"If you want someone to lock you, I'm not that person."
Laddu was silent.
"…Okay," he said quietly.
"So I stay because I want to," Mochi added.
"And you stay because you want to."
Laddu nodded slowly.
"That sounds fair."
Laddu squinted at her.
"It feels like I'm talking to a machine."
"No anger. No jealousy. Oh my God." 🤖
Maya burst out laughing.
"Rude!" 😂
The cousin nodded.
"Very rude."
Mother waited.
Mochi replied calmly.
"I'm not a machine."
"Then why no reaction?" Laddu asked.
"Because not every feeling needs noise," Mochi said.
"I feel things. I just don't weaponize them."
"So you don't get jealous?" Laddu asked.
"I do," Mochi said.
"But I don't let jealousy decide my behavior."
Maya nodded.
"That's called maturity."
Laddu scratched his head.
"So no drama?"
"No drama," Mochi replied.
"But what if I want drama?" Laddu asked.
"Then you picked the wrong person," Mochi said.
Silence. 😶
Laddu stared at her, then smiled nervously.
"…That's actually scary."
"That's called stability," Mochi replied.
Mother nodded once.
"And peace." ☮️
The baby slept.
Laddu wasn't done.
"I like drama," he said.
"You say I am grounded. Punish me. It makes me happy." 😐
Maya reacted instantly.
"Nope."
The cousin muttered,
"That took a wrong turn."
Mother stayed quiet, watching.
Mochi didn't raise her voice.
"I'm not here to punish you," she said.
"And I'm not your authority."
"But you grounding me feels real," Laddu insisted.
"Say something dramatic."
"This is not a game," Mochi replied.
"And I don't control you to entertain you."
"So nothing?" Laddu asked.
"I will say this," Mochi said firmly,
"If you cross my boundary, I don't punish you."
She paused.
"I step back."
That landed hard. 🧠⚡
Maya nodded.
"That's worse."
The cousin added,
"Effective."
Laddu swallowed.
"…I don't like distance."
"Then respect boundaries," Mochi said.
"That's the only rule."
"…Okay," Laddu said quietly.
"No punishment," Mochi added.
"Just choices and consequences."
Mochi finished,
"And I'm not your authority."
Laddu's face changed.
"Then who are you?" he asked sharply.
"We're a couple, not machine parts."
The room went silent.
Maya stopped moving.
The cousin looked up.
Mother stayed still.
Mochi didn't step back.
"I'm your partner," she said.
"Not your boss. Not your judge. Not your punishment system."
"Then why all these rules?" Laddu asked, frustrated.
"Because I want to stay," Mochi replied.
"And rules help me stay without losing myself."
"That sounds cold," Laddu said.
"It's honest," Mochi answered.
"I don't want a relationship where I have to shout, threaten, or control to be heard."
"So feelings don't matter?" Laddu asked.
"They matter," Mochi said.
"But they don't give permission."
Mother finally spoke.
"Love is not a hierarchy."
Maya added,
"You want intensity. She wants safety."
The cousin nodded.
"Only one lasts."
Laddu looked at Mochi, breathing slowly.
"So what do couples do?" he asked.
"They choose each other," Mochi replied.
"Every day. Without force."
Silence.
"…I don't know how to be calm like you," Laddu admitted.
"You don't have to be," Mochi said.
"You just have to be respectful."
Laddu nodded.
Not happy.
Not defeated.
Just learning. 🌱