Mother picked up her phone.
No hesitation. No drama.
She called Barfi 📱
Then added Jalabie ➕
Conference call.
The line connected.
"Hello, aunty," Jalabie said cheerfully 😊
"Good morning."
Mother took a slow breath.
"I need to explain something."
And she did.
📱 Social media.
☕ Café.
🤥 Lying.
😰 Fear.
She didn't exaggerate.
She didn't hide anything.
Just truth.
There was a pause on the line.
Then Jalabie spoke.
"Aunty," he said gently,
"it's not good to drink in the morning." ☕🚫
The room froze.
Mother blinked.
"…What?"
"It's bad for health," Jalabie continued seriously.
"Empty stomach. Very bad."
Mother sighed despite herself.
"That is true."
And then—
Laughter.
Not mocking.
Not careless.
Just familiar laughter 😌
Low. Certain.
The call ended.
📴
Silence filled the room.
Maya stared at the phone.
"…Did they just hang up?"
The cousin rubbed his face.
"They absolutely did."
Candy tilted her head.
"Why did they laugh?"
Father sighed slowly.
"That laugh means they understood."
Mother lowered the phone.
"When they laugh like that," she said quietly,
"it means they already decided something."
Maya crossed her arms.
"I don't know if that comforts me or scares me."
The cousin muttered,
"They don't talk first. They observe."
Candy asked softly,
"Will they stop him?"
Mother shook her head.
"No."
Father nodded.
"They'll make sure he comes back safe."
Maya exhaled.
"That's… something."
Mother looked toward the door again 🚪
"We don't chase," she said quietly.
"We wait."
The room settled into tense calm.
Somewhere in the city 🌆
Laddu walked toward a café, phone in hand 📱
Smiling at a screen.
And somewhere else,
two people who never explained themselves
had just been informed.
That laughter still echoed in Mother's ears.
Not careless.
Certain.
Mochi broke the silence.
"Are we going to meet him at the café?" she asked the cousin.
The cousin shook his head.
"No. I sent my friend."
Maya looked up.
"You told him everything?"
"Yes," the cousin replied.
"Who Laddu is. What's happening. To observe only."
A phone buzzed 📳
The cousin checked it.
"…He's there," he said.
"With her."
Mother let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding 😮💨
"That's a relief."
"At least he's not alone," Father added.
Maya was already typing ✍️
"I'll text my friend. Test him for loyalty."
Mother's head snapped toward her.
"No."
Maya froze.
"…No?"
Mother's voice was calm but firm.
"He's not himself right now."
"But—" Maya started.
"If you test him," Mother continued,
"and he fails, it will break him."
Mochi nodded slowly.
"He's fragile."
Mother looked at Maya.
"He's a new person in his own head. He'll fall badly."
Maya swallowed.
"…Okay."
She deleted the message 🗑️
The cousin leaned back.
"We observe. We don't provoke."
Father nodded.
"If he chooses wrong, it's not proof of character."
"It's proof of confusion," Mother said.
Mochi stared at the floor.
"I just want him safe."
Mother reached for her hand 🤍
"And he is. For now."
Another message came in 📩
The cousin read it quietly.
"They're just talking."
Candy smiled faintly.
"Talking is okay."
The room stayed still.
Phones down.
Voices low.
No traps.
No tests.
Just a family learning, painfully,
that love sometimes means resisting the urge
to interfere.
And waiting.
Maya broke the quiet, voice uneasy.
"What if he starts liking boys?"
The room went still 🧊
Mother turned immediately.
"Nonsense."
The cousin didn't disagree.
"It's possible," he said calmly.
"And we live in an open society."
Father leaned back, thoughtful.
"Liking someone isn't a disease."
Mother looked at him, surprised.
"I didn't say that," she replied.
"I meant this isn't about orientation."
Maya crossed her arms.
"I'm scared he'll change into someone we don't recognize."
The cousin answered gently,
"People don't become strangers because of who they like."
"They become strangers," he added,
"when they stop feeling safe."
Candy asked quietly,
"Would we still love him?"
Everyone looked at her.
Mother answered first.
"Always." 🤍
Father nodded.
"No conditions."
Maya exhaled.
"Then why am I panicking?"
"Because," the cousin said,
"this isn't exploration. It's confusion."
Mother folded her hands.
"If he told us clearly, calmly, we'd listen."
Father added,
"But that's not what's happening."
Maya nodded slowly.
"He's chasing attention, not connection."
The cousin continued,
"Orientation grows from knowing yourself."
"This," he said softly,
"is someone who doesn't know who he is today."
Candy hugged her knees.
"So the problem isn't love."
Mother smiled sadly.
"No. The problem is fear."
Father looked toward the door.
"He used to share everything because he felt anchored."
Maya whispered,
"And now he's floating."
The cousin concluded softly,
"Our job isn't to label what he might like."
"It's to make sure," he said,
"that when he chooses anything… it's really him."
Mother nodded.
"We don't control. We protect."
The room relaxed a little.
Not because they had answers.
But because they remembered something important:
💛 Love doesn't shrink when identity shifts.
💛 It only gets tested when fear replaces trust.
Mochi finally spoke.
"I respect his decision," she said quietly.
"Whatever he takes."
Everyone turned toward her.
She didn't sound brave.
She sounded tired.
"I don't want to trap him," Mochi continued.
"I don't want to test him. I don't want to force him to choose me… or us."
Mother watched her closely.
"If he tells me he likes someone else," Mochi said,
"or that he needs space… I'll respect that too."
Maya frowned.
"That hurts."
"Yes," Mochi replied.
"But love isn't ownership."
Father nodded slowly.
"That's maturity."
The cousin added,
"You're choosing dignity over fear."
Mochi swallowed.
"I just want his choice to be real. Not panic. Not attention."
Mother took her hand 🤍
"That's all anyone can ask."
Candy asked softly,
"If he comes back different?"
Mochi answered without hesitation.
"Then we meet that version honestly."
The room went quiet.
Not heavy.
Clear.
Mochi looked toward the door one last time 🚪
"I love him," she said.
"That doesn't mean I decide for him."
And in that moment, the family understood:
Whatever Laddu chose,
whatever he discovered,
Mochi had already chosen the hardest thing of all.
To stay kind 🌱
without trying to control the ending.