Quiet Happiness
Two hours later, the house was empty.
No voices.
No footsteps.
Just Laddu and Mochi in her room. 🤍
They sat on the bed, close, comfortable in the silence.
Not awkward.
Not tense.
Just there.
Laddu smiled, unable to hide it. 😊
"I'm very happy," he said softly.
He leaned in and kissed her lips.
Gentle.
Warm. 💋
Mochi smiled against him, then pulled back just a little.
"…Ask permission," she said,
half shy, half teasing. 🌸
Laddu laughed quietly. 😌
"Idiot," he said fondly.
"We already chose each other."
He rested his forehead against hers.
"Permission isn't a rule here," he added softly.
"Respect is."
Mochi smiled, reassured, and kissed him again. 🤍
The room stayed quiet.
Not rushed.
Not loud.
Just two people
resting in certainty.
Morning — The Smile That Didn't Know 🌤️
They lay down together.
Mochi curled into Laddu's arms, warm and safe, and drifted into sleep. 😴
Morning came softly.
Mochi woke slowly…
and felt empty space.
She frowned.
The bed was cold on the other side.
"…Laddu?" she murmured.
No answer.
Confused, she got up and stepped out of the room. 🚶♀️
In the living room, she saw him.
Laddu asleep on the sofa,
one leg hanging down,
face calm,
like the night had never happened. 🛋️
Mochi stood there, heart racing. 💓
Why is he here?
Her mind replayed everything.
The closeness.
The kisses.
The future.
The certainty.
She didn't realize it had been a dream.
She just felt shy.
And strangely… happy. 😊
A small smile appeared on her face.
Mother noticed it immediately. 👀
"What happened?" Mother asked, suspiciously calm.
Mochi answered without thinking, still half-lost in her thoughts.
"…I was just thinking," she said softly,
"whether it will be a boy or a girl."
Dead Silence 🧊
Father, mid-sip of coffee—
SPIT. ☕💥
Right out of his mouth.
Straight onto Candy.
Candy screamed.
"WHAT DID I DO?!" 😱
Father coughed violently.
"WHAT did you just say?!"
Maya burst out laughing from the corner. 😂
"NO WARNING AT ALL!"
Mother turned slowly toward Mochi.
"…Boy or girl?" she repeated.
Mochi blinked. 😐
Reality still hadn't caught up.
"…Yes?" she said unsure.
"Isn't it too early to decide?"
The house exploded. 💥
Candy waved her arms wildly.
"EARLY?! THIS IS SKIPPING SEASONS!"
Father wiped his mouth, still coughing.
"I JUST DRANK THAT!"
Laddu stirred on the sofa, half-awake. 😴
"…Why does it sound like court is in session?"
Everyone pointed at Mochi. 👉
Laddu blinked.
"…Why are they looking at you like that?"
Mochi finally noticed something was very, very wrong.
She looked at Laddu.
On the sofa.
Fully dressed.
Asleep.
Morning — Silence Before the Storm ⚠️
Mother's voice came again, slower now.
"…What do you mean, boy or girl?"
Mochi didn't answer immediately.
She stood there,
half awake,
half smiling.
Then—
without thinking,
without drama,
without fear—
She gently placed her hand on her stomach. 🤍
The room froze.
Candy's mouth opened.
No sound came out.
Maya stopped laughing mid-breath.
"…Oh."
Father's cup trembled in his hand.
Mother's eyes sharpened instantly.
Not panic.
Not anger.
Recognition.
"…Mochi," Mother asked carefully,
"why did you do that?"
Mochi smiled.
Soft.
Certain.
"I don't know," she said.
"It just feels like that."
Silence.
Candy whispered,
"…Feels like what?"
Mochi looked down at her hand.
"Like someone is here," she said simply.
Father inhaled sharply.
Then set his cup down.
Mother didn't move.
Didn't blink.
She looked at Mochi.
Then at Laddu on the sofa,
still asleep.
Maya swallowed.
"This escalated."
Candy hugged herself.
"…Is it real?"
Mochi nodded gently.
Confident.
Unaware.
"Yes," she said.
"Of course."
Mother stepped forward slowly.
"We'll talk," she said.
"But first—"
She glanced at Laddu.
"Let him sleep."
Living Room — Reality Shaken 🌪️
Mochi looked at Mother, still calm.
"But I already told you," she said.
"And Laddu is the father."
For one second—
nothing moved.
Then the house exploded again.
Candy yelled,
"WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!"
Maya jumped up so fast her chair scraped.
"THIS IS NOT A SENTENCE YOU DROP IN THE MORNING!"
Father slammed his cup down.
"LADDU?!"
Mother raised her hand sharply. ✋
"Enough."
But even she looked shaken now.
"Mochi," Mother asked carefully,
"when did this happen?"
Mochi frowned.
Confused by their confusion.
"Last night," she said.
"We were together."
Candy clutched her head.
"LAST NIGHT WE WERE ALL HOME!"
Maya pointed at Laddu.
"THIS MAN WAS SNORING LIKE A TRACTOR!"
Father looked like his brain had stopped buffering.
"This… makes no sense."
Mother turned slowly toward Laddu.
Still asleep.
Peaceful.
"…Wake him," Father said.
Mother shook her head.
"No. Not yet."
She turned back to Mochi.
"Mochi," she said firmly,
"you're safe."
"But something isn't adding up."
Mochi's smile trembled.
"…Why are you all angry?"
Candy's voice cracked.
"We're not angry. We're scared."
The room filled with overlapping voices.
Questions.
Worry.
Protection.
A real family reaction.
And through it all—
Laddu slept.
The Memory That Didn't Exist 🧠
"But you told me to take a pregnancy test," Mochi said quietly.
"And it was positive."
Silence.
Every head turned—
slowly—
to Mother.
Candy blinked.
"…What?"
The cousin frowned.
"Test?"
Father straightened.
"…When?"
Mother froze.
"I didn't say that," she said carefully.
"There was no test."
Mochi shook her head.
"No. You gave it to me."
"You said not to panic."
The room went very quiet.
Candy whispered,
"Why does she sound so sure?"
Maya swallowed.
"This feels real to her."
Mother stepped closer.
"Mochi," she said gently,
"that didn't happen."
Mochi's hand slid slowly from her stomach.
The certainty cracked.
Bathroom — Truth 🚿
Mother didn't argue anymore.
She took Mochi's hand.
"Come," she said.
"Let's check properly."
Inside the bathroom, the test rested on the sink.
Lines appeared.
One.
Negative. ❌
Mother turned the test so Mochi could see it.
Mochi stared.
"…It takes time," she whispered.
Mother shook her head gently.
"No."
The certainty collapsed.
"…Then why does it hurt?" Mochi asked. 😢
Mother pulled her into a hug. 🤍
"Because your heart believed it."
The door opened.
Mother shook her head slowly.
Negative.
Relief flooded the room.
Confusion followed.
Mochi stepped out last.
She touched her stomach again—
this time uncertain.
"…So there's no one," she said.
"Not yet," Mother replied softly.
Laddu slept on the sofa.
Unaware.
Mochi looked at him.
Then away.
For her,
it hadn't been a mistake.
It had been real.
Just not true.
And that difference
settled quietly in her chest
as the house slowly returned to breathing. 🌬️