Morning (continued) 🌤️
Laddu walked into the kitchen, phone still glued to his hand 📱
Thumb scrolling. Smile ready.
"Aunty," he said lightly, almost sweet,
"Is my food ready?" 😊
Mother turned from the stove.
"What do you want to eat, son?"
Father looked up from the table, brow furrowing.
"He always says mother," he muttered. 🤨
Laddu didn't notice.
"Two bread," he said casually,
"And black coffee." ☕🍞
Mother paused mid-motion.
"Only that?"
"Yes, yes," Laddu replied quickly.
"Or I'll get fat." 😄
Mother nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Father stared at him longer now.
"He used to eat in kilos." 🍚🍚🍚
"And steal from other plates," Father added, looking at Mother.
"Remember that day you gave him less?"
Mother sighed.
"He said, 'No one loves me in this family. Am I adopted?'"
Maya's face tightened. 😟
"I'm getting worried."
Laddu sat down, took a small bite of the sandwich 🍞
Sipped the coffee ☕
Then smiled at his phone again.
"Oh wow," he laughed.
"This angle is nice." 📸✨
Candy leaned closer.
"You're taking photo of food?"
"Yes," Laddu replied cheerfully.
📸 Click.
He posted it.
Maya shook her head slowly.
"He used to say people who post food are empty inside."
Father nodded.
"He finishes food first. Phone later."
Mother watched carefully.
"He's eating less… and smiling more." 😶
Laddu laughed at a comment.
"Stop, you're too sweet," he typed. 💬💖
Candy whispered,
"He's talking to strangers."
Maya crossed her arms.
"This isn't him."
Laddu finished the sandwich neatly, wiped his hands 🧻
Another sip of coffee.
"Perfect," he said. ☕✨
No one smiled back.
Not because they were angry.
But because everyone felt the same quiet fear growing in their chest:
🚫 This wasn't a diet.
🚫 This wasn't fashion.
🚫 This wasn't mood.
⚠️ This was someone replacing comfort with attention.
And that scared them more than silence ever had.
The cousin quietly unlocked his phone 📱
"I'm opening his account," he said.
Mother frowned.
"Should we?"
"We need to know," the cousin replied.
He turned the screen so everyone could see.
The feed loaded.
📸📸📸
Bright smiles.
Cute angles.
Carefully chosen poses.
Candy leaned closer.
"He looks… different."
Maya's voice went flat.
"He never lets anyone take his photo."
The cousin scrolled.
Then stopped.
"…Bio," he said quietly.
He read it aloud.
"Single."
💥 Silence hit hard.
Mochi's head snapped up.
"…What?" 😨
The cousin swallowed.
"This is bad. Truly bad."
Candy gasped.
"Look! Girls are commenting!" 😳
She read aloud, innocent but loud:
"'You're cute.'"
"'DM me.'"
"'Can I get your number?'"
Maya clenched her jaw.
"Oh hell no." 😡
Father exhaled slowly.
"He's getting out of our hands."
Mother didn't speak.
She just watched Mochi.
The cousin's face hardened.
"I'm testing something."
He switched accounts.
Typed:
Hello.
Across the room, Laddu laughed softly at his phone. 😊
A second later—
Hello 😊
Candy covered her mouth.
"He replied!"
The cousin typed again.
Are you single?
Everyone stopped breathing.
Laddu's phone buzzed 📳
He smiled.
Typed.
Yes.
The room exploded.
Mochi stood up so fast her chair scraped loudly 🪑💥
"…He said yes?"
Maya snapped,
"He didn't even hesitate."
Candy looked confused.
"But he lives here."
Father's voice was calm but sharp.
"This is serious now."
Mother finally spoke, voice steady but heavy.
"He's not lying to strangers."
She paused.
"He's lying to himself."
The cousin locked the phone.
"This isn't flirting."
Maya nodded.
"This is identity drift."
Mochi sat back down slowly.
"He didn't forget me," she said quietly.
"He rewrote himself." 💔
The house went quiet again.
Laddu laughed at something on his screen 😂
Completely unaware.
And for the first time,
the family didn't just feel worried.
⏳ They felt time running out.
The cousin typed again.
Want to meet in a café?
Across the room, Laddu's phone buzzed.
He smiled.
I don't know you 😊
Mother exhaled.
"That's good." 😮💨
The cousin kept typing.
Why not, cutie?
Laddu laughed out loud.
You are funny 😂
Maya's face tightened.
"…This is moving fast."
Fifteen minutes passed ⏱️
Back and forth.
Smiles 😊
Emojis 💕
Laughs 😂
Then Laddu typed one last message.
Okay. Café.
The cousin locked the phone.
"They agreed."
Mochi went still. 🧊
Laddu stood up immediately and went to his room.
A few minutes later, he came out, fixing his jacket 🧥
Checking his phone 📱
Keys in hand 🔑
Mother looked up.
"Son, where are you going?"
Laddu didn't hesitate.
"Shopping."
🚪 He walked out.
The door closed.
Mother stared at it.
"He never lies."
"And when he does," Father added quietly,
"his face tells the truth."
Maya rubbed her arms.
"This is bad."
Father sighed.
"I mean… people lie. Some learn early."
The cousin raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
Maya, half-joking, half-tense:
"Uncle is right… about people lying."
Mother shot them both a look.
"This is not about who lies," she said firmly.
"This is about risk."
Father nodded.
"What if a bad person traps him?"
Candy whispered,
"He trusts easily when he wants to feel liked." 🥺
The cousin paced.
"This isn't flirting anymore. This is exposure."
Maya clenched her fists.
"He used to hate strangers knowing his life."
Mother looked at Mochi.
"He didn't even say goodbye."
Mochi swallowed.
"He didn't need to."
"He already left before leaving." 💔
Father spoke decisively.
"We don't panic."
"Then what?" Maya asked.
"We prepare," Mother replied.
"And we don't shame him when he comes back."
The cousin nodded.
"And we don't let this become a secret."
Candy looked toward the door.
"Will he be okay?"
No one answered immediately.
Because the truth sat heavy between them:
☕ This wasn't about a café.
📱 This wasn't about Instagram.
It was about someone chasing validation so hard
that he forgot to tell the truth
to the people who never asked him to perform.
And that scared them
more than any stranger ever could. 🌑