Laddu's voice dropped.
Not angry. Not loud.
Just… tired. 😔
"You don't smile," he said.
"You don't make faces." 😶
He rubbed his forehead, frustration leaking out.
"I feel so stupid," he continued.
"Did you even know what I was trying to do?" 🤦♂️
Mochi stayed quiet.
Still. Grounded.
Watching him instead of reacting. 👁️
"And then you say you're this way," Laddu went on, words tangling,
"so one of us is stupid."
The sentence hung there.
Sharp. Dangerous.
Unfinished on purpose. ⚠️
Maya inhaled sharply.
"…Careful." 😬
Mochi finally spoke.
Her voice wasn't loud.
But it didn't shake. 🧊
"Don't finish that sentence like that."
Laddu looked at her.
Eyes searching.
"Then help me understand." 🫤
She stood up.
Slowly.
Deliberately. 🧍♀️
"I don't smile on command," Mochi said.
"I don't perform emotion to prove it exists." 🎭
She touched her chest lightly.
Just once.
Like marking a truth. 🤍
"But I felt everything you were doing."
Laddu shook his head.
Confused, not dismissive.
"Then why did it look like nothing?" ❓
"Because," Mochi said, voice steady but shaking underneath,
"I thought if I stayed neutral, you'd feel safe."
She looked him straight in the eyes.
No blinking.
No escape. 👁️👁️
"I didn't know you were watching my face for permission."
Silence.
Thick. Heavy.
But honest. 🫢
Laddu swallowed.
"So when I joked… flirted… tried to get a reaction…" 😐
"I was taking it in," Mochi said.
"Not rejecting it."
Maya muttered from the side,
"This is two introverts arguing with opposite wiring." 🧠⚡
Laddu ran a hand through his hair.
Breathing out.
"So I wasn't stupid." 😮💨
"No," Mochi said immediately.
"You were reaching." 🤲
He nodded once.
"And I made you uncomfortable."
"No," she corrected gently.
"You confused me." 🔄
A beat passed.
Then another.
Time doing its work. ⏳
"One of us isn't stupid," Mochi said softly.
"We just learned different ways to speak." 🗣️
Laddu sat down heavily.
The weight finally landing.
"…I needed feedback." 📡
Mochi nodded.
"And I need time to show it." 🌱
Candy whispered, eyes wide,
"They're fixing it." 🧩
Laddu looked up at Mochi, exhausted.
"So next time?"
She answered clearly.
"I'll smile. I'll say it.
I won't disappear behind calm." 🙂
He nodded.
"And I'll stop assuming silence means rejection."
They didn't touch.
They didn't apologize dramatically.
But the sharp edge dulled. ✂️
Not because the hurt vanished.
But because it finally had a name. 🏷️
Laddu looked at her for a long second.
Then spoke again.
Slower. Heavier. 🐢
"What if I become neutral?"
"No jokes. No smile. No flirting." 😐
The words weren't sharp.
They were tired.
Worn thin. 🪫
"What if I do what you did?" he asked.
"Just… flat." 📉
Mochi didn't answer immediately.
Laddu continued, voice lower now.
"I don't feel safe when everything is calm."
"I feel safe when I'm in danger." ⚠️
The room stiffened.
Even the air noticed.
Something old had surfaced. 🌫️
Maya whispered,
"That's… not normal."
Laddu shook his head.
"I know." 😞
He looked straight at Mochi.
"When things are risky," he said,
"when I have to push, joke, test, survive—" 🔥
"That's when I know who I am."
He tapped his chest lightly.
Once.
Twice. 💓
"If everything goes quiet," he added,
"I lose my shape." 🫥
Silence spread.
Heavy but clean.
No panic. No denial. 🧘
Mochi finally spoke.
"So neutrality didn't make you safe,"
"it erased you." 🧩❌
Laddu nodded.
"Yes."
Mochi took a step closer.
Careful.
Intentional. 👣
"I thought calm was protection," she said.
"But for you… movement is." 🌊
Laddu gave a small, broken smile.
"Danger tells me I exist."
Mother spoke gently from the table.
"That's a man who learned love through survival." 🛡️
Father nodded.
"He needs friction to feel real." ⚙️
Mochi's voice softened.
"I don't want you to disappear," she said.
"And I don't want to scare you into staying." 🤍
She met his eyes.
No fear.
No retreat. 👁️
"So don't go neutral," she said.
"And I won't either." ⚖️
Laddu frowned.
"Then what?"
"Then," Mochi replied,
"I'll meet you halfway." 🫱🫲
She paused.
"I won't be loud," she said.
"But I won't be silent." 🔔
Laddu exhaled.
Like someone setting down armor.
"…That works." 🧎♂️
Maya muttered,
"This is the most intense negotiation I've ever witnessed." 🤯
Candy smiled softly.
"He got his shape back." 🧩
Laddu looked at Mochi one more time.
"If I stop joking," he said quietly,
"it doesn't mean I'm okay." ⚠️
Mochi nodded.
"And if I go quiet," she replied,
"it doesn't mean I don't care." 🤍
They didn't hug.
They didn't promise forever.
But something important locked into place. 🔒
Neither of them needed to disappear
for the other to feel safe.
They just needed to stay visible.
Even when it felt risky. 🌤️
Laddu stepped back.
The energy draining out of him.
"If you only show love internally," he said quietly,
"and not externally…"
He looked at her once.
"Then couples fight." 💥
No accusation.
Just a rule learned the hard way. 📜
Mochi opened her mouth to respond.
But Laddu had already turned.
He walked to his room.
And closed the door behind him. 🚪
Not slammed.
Not angry.
Just… final for the night. 🌙
After 🌌
The house stayed still.
Maya whispered,
"That wasn't anger."
The cousin nodded.
"That was resignation." 😔
Candy hugged her knees.
"He went to think." 🧸
Mother spoke softly.
"He didn't want to hurt her further." 🤍
Mochi stood where she was.
Still.
Listening to echoes. 👂
She replayed his words.
If you only show love internally… couples fight.
Not shouted.
Not dramatic.
Said like a scar. 🩹
Father sighed.
"He's not wrong."
Mochi sat down slowly.
"I thought calm would protect us."
Mother placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Calm protects homes." 🏠
She paused.
"But relationships also need signs." ✨
Mochi looked toward the closed door.
Not with panic.
With clarity. 🌅
For the first time, she didn't think, I am wrong.
She thought:
I need to learn how to be seen. 👁️
And somewhere behind that door,
Laddu wasn't plotting an escape.
He was doing what he always did
when things hurt too much.
Giving space.
Before the damage became permanent. 🌱