Laddu's face hardened. His voice cracked, not loud, but sharp.
"At least show some emotion," he said.
"You used to puff your cheeks. Your face would turn red." 😠
Mochi looked at him. Steady. Present.
"I still feel," she said calmly.
"I just don't perform it." 🌊
"That's not fair," Laddu snapped.
"I'm standing here raw, and you're calm like nothing touches you." 💥
Maya leaned toward the cousin and whispered,
"I don't like where this is going." 😬
The cousin whispered back,
"Stay quiet. Let them talk." 🤫
Mochi didn't raise her voice.
"I don't owe reactions," she said.
"I owe honesty." 🧭
Laddu exhaled hard.
"So I'm supposed to read nothing?"
"You're supposed to listen," Mochi replied.
"When I'm upset, I say it. When I'm not, I don't fake it." 🎧
Laddu's jaw worked.
"I miss when you reacted."
"I don't miss losing myself," Mochi said.
Mother spoke softly, grounding the room.
"Emotion isn't volume." 🤍
Laddu looked at Mochi.
"So you won't puff your cheeks anymore?"
Mochi shook her head.
"No." ❌
"But I still care," she added.
"I just care without burning." 🔥➡️🌱
Silence settled.
Laddu's shoulders dropped a little.
"…I don't know how to stand in quiet."
Mochi answered gently,
"Then stand next to me. I'll show you." 🫶
Maya let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. 😮💨
The baby slept. 😴
The moment passed without breaking.
Laddu looked at Mochi again.
"We need to talk," he said.
"Because this is not working out." ⚠️
The room froze.
Maya straightened.
The cousin forgot how to breathe.
Mother didn't move.
Mochi didn't flinch.
"Okay," she said.
"Talk."
Laddu rubbed his face.
"I feel like I'm always asking. Always wrong. Always stopped."
Mochi nodded once.
"And I feel like I'm always explaining why no is not rejection."
"That's exhausting," Laddu said.
"Yes," Mochi replied.
"It is." 😔
"So what are we doing?" Laddu asked.
"I don't want to fight like this."
"I don't want to fight either," Mochi said.
"But I won't give up my boundaries to keep peace." 🧱
"So this is it?" Laddu asked.
"This is a hard part," Mochi answered honestly.
Mother finally spoke.
"Hard parts don't mean ending." 🌿
Maya added quietly,
"But they do need listening."
The cousin nodded.
"And time."
Laddu was silent.
"I don't want to lose you," he said.
"But I don't know how to fit here."
Mochi replied softly,
"You don't have to fit perfectly.
You just can't push me smaller." 🫂
Silence.
"…Let's keep talking," Laddu said.
"Yes," Mochi nodded.
No decision.
Just honesty.
The baby slept.
Laddu tried again, quieter now.
"I have no problem asking for permission," he said.
"But your face… it shows no emotion. It hurts my head." 🧠💥
Mochi listened.
"It feels like," Laddu continued,
"I came to someone's death ceremony. Everything quiet. Flat." ⚰️
Maya flinched.
The cousin whispered,
"That was harsh." 😶
Mother stayed still.
Mochi didn't explode.
"I'm sorry it feels that way," she said.
"But calm doesn't mean empty." 🌫️
"I need something back," Laddu admitted.
"Some reaction. Otherwise I feel alone even when you're here."
Mochi nodded slowly.
"I understand that," she said.
"But I can't manufacture emotions to make you feel alive."
"So what do I do?" Laddu asked.
"You ask," Mochi replied.
"Or you tell me what you need."
Laddu swallowed.
"I need to know I matter."
Mochi answered clearly,
"You matter. If you didn't, I wouldn't be here arguing." 💔➡️❤️
That landed.
Maya exhaled.
"Okay… that helped."
The cousin nodded.
"That was emotion."
Mother added softly,
"Different people show care differently."
Laddu was quiet.
"…I'm not asking you to scream," he said.
"I'm asking you to be human with me."
Mochi met his eyes.
"This is me being human," she said.
"Steady. Honest. Staying." 🧘♀️
Silence.
Not cold.
Just real.
Laddu swallowed.
"…Okay," he said.
"I'm sorry."
Then, smaller,
"And I'm stupid." 😔
The main door slammed. 🚪💥
Silence crashed behind it.
Maya broke first.
"…That was bad."
The cousin rubbed his face.
"He didn't mean half of what he said."
Mother stayed quiet.
Mochi sat down slowly.
"He meant the feeling."
Maya turned to her.
"Are you okay?"
Mochi nodded once.
"I'm hurt. Not broken." 💔🩹
The cousin leaned against the counter.
"He thinks noise equals love."
Mother finally spoke.
"He grew up where emotion was loud.
Silence feels like abandonment to him."
Maya sighed.
"But slamming doors isn't okay."
"No," Mother said.
"But neither is shrinking yourself to keep someone calm."
Mochi looked at her hands.
"I didn't want to fight.
I just didn't want to lie with reactions."
Mother looked at her gently.
"You didn't do anything wrong." 🤍
The cousin added,
"He has to learn intensity isn't the only proof of care."
Maya nodded.
"And you have to decide how much patience you have left."
Mochi stayed quiet for a moment.
"I'll talk when he's ready to talk," she said.
"Not when he's angry." 🌙
Mother nodded.
"That's wise."
The house stayed quiet.
Not empty.
Just waiting. 🌱