Father leaned slightly toward Mother and whispered,
"We should allow it." 🤫
Mother didn't answer immediately.
"If they meet outside," Father continued quietly,
"it will be dangerous. We won't see anything." 👀⚠️
Maya caught it instantly.
"…You want to invite the stranger home?" 😐
Father nodded once.
"To keep an eye." 🛡️
The cousin leaned in.
"That's actually reasonable." 🤔
Mother frowned.
"Our house is not a testing ground." 🚫
Father replied calmly,
"Our house is safe. Outside is not." 🏠✅
Candy looked between them.
"So… inside is better?" 🧠💡
Maya sighed deeply.
"I hate that this makes sense." 😩
Mochi spoke carefully.
"If she comes here," she said,
"there are rules." 📜
Everyone looked at her. 👁️👁️
"No closed doors," Mochi continued.
"Common space only. Daytime." ☀️🛋️
The cousin added,
"And we observe. We don't interrogate." 👀🤐
Mother thought for a long moment. ⏳
"She's still a stranger," Mother said.
"But so was Laddu once." 🌱
Laddu looked up from the sofa.
"…You're talking about me like I'm not here." 😑
Maya shot back instantly.
"You invited chaos. Sit." 💥
Father looked at Laddu.
"If we allow this," he said,
"you follow house rules." 🏠⚖️
Laddu hesitated.
"…What rules?" 🤨
Mother answered clearly.
"Living room only. No privacy. No lies." 🚨
Candy raised her hand.
"And snacks." 🍪✋
Everyone ignored her. 😐
Mochi looked at Laddu.
"Can you agree to that?" 🤍
Laddu swallowed.
"Yes." ✔️
Mother finally nodded.
"Tomorrow," she said.
"Daytime. One hour." ⏰
Laddu's face softened.
"…Okay." 🙂
Maya muttered under her breath.
"I can't believe we're doing this." 🙄
Father leaned back.
"It's better to watch a storm from inside
than pretend it isn't coming." 🌩️🏠
The family settled back into their seats.
No one was fully comfortable. 😬
But everyone agreed on one thing:
If something was going to happen,
it would happen where love could see it. ❤️👀
Morning ☀️
The doorbell rang. 🔔
Mother opened the door.
A girl stood there.
About twenty.
Neatly dressed.
Confident smile.
Clear eyes. ✨
"Hi," she said politely.
"Is this Laddu's house?" 🙂
The living room went still. ❄️
Maya whispered,
"…She's pretty." 😶
Candy stared openly.
"Wow." 😮
Father adjusted his glasses.
"Too confident." 👓
Mother stepped aside.
"Yes. Come in." 🚪
Living Room 🛋️
Laddu looked up from the sofa.
His face lit up instantly. ✨
"Rainse!" 😄
Rainse clapped her hands lightly.
"You look exactly like your photos." 📸
Laddu laughed.
"And you look taller than your emojis." 😂
They sat together immediately.
Too comfortable.
Too fast. ⚡
Like sisters meeting after years. 👯♀️
Rainse leaned forward.
"I was so nervous." 😬
"Why?" Laddu asked.
"I thought you'd be serious," she said.
"But you're… cute." 🥹
Laddu gasped dramatically.
"Cute? I am dangerous." 😤
Rainse laughed loudly.
"Sure, Cinderella." 👑
Maya choked.
"…She already knows." 🤯
Laddu flipped his hair back.
"Tell them about the café." 💁♂️
Rainse smiled.
"He ordered coffee and stared at the menu like it insulted him." ☕😤
"I was judging prices," Laddu defended.
"Economically." 📊
Rainse giggled.
"He talks with his hands a lot." 🤌
"You talk with your face," Laddu shot back.
"Very expressive." 😆
They laughed again. 😂😂
Family Reactions (low voices) 🤫
Maya leaned toward Mochi.
"They're flirting like best friends." 👀
The cousin frowned.
"This isn't romantic energy." 🧠
Father nodded slowly.
"It's mirroring." 🔍
Mother watched closely.
"He's not performing." 👁️
Candy whispered excitedly.
"They're laughing the same." 😄
Mochi didn't speak.
She just watched Laddu. 🤍
He wasn't trying to impress.
He wasn't checking reactions.
He was… relaxed. 🌿
Back to Laddu & Rainse
Rainse pointed around the house.
"Your family looks scary." 😅
Laddu grinned.
"They bite only strangers." 🦷
Rainse waved awkwardly.
"Hi." 👋
Mother smiled politely.
"Hello." 🙂
Rainse leaned closer to Laddu and whispered loudly,
"She's elegant. I'm intimidated." 😳
Laddu whispered back.
"She knows everything. Don't lie." 😐
Rainse laughed.
"Good. I hate lying." 🙅♀️
Laddu nodded seriously.
"Same." ✔️
They bumped shoulders lightly. 🤝
Like siblings.
Like mirrors. 🪞
The Room Settles 🌊
Father exhaled.
"She's not here to seduce." 😮💨
Maya nodded.
"She's here to connect." 🤝
The cousin added.
"This explains the selfies." 📱
Candy smiled.
"I like her." 😊
Mother didn't smile yet.
But she didn't frown either. 😌
And Mochi finally realized something important:
Rainse wasn't replacing her. ❌
Rainse was reflecting a phase Laddu was passing through. 🔄
And phases, no matter how loud,
always moved on
when the house stayed calm. 🏠🌱