My Cousin Sister 2020 __exclusive__ May 2026

Late December, 2020

Thank you, Riya. For holding my hand through the chaos. For the blanket forts and the burnt banana bread. For teaching me that family isn’t just blood—it’s the person who shows up, every single day, when the world is falling apart. my cousin sister 2020

Tonight, as I write this, I am back in my own room. The lockdown is easing. We are supposed to go back to “normal” soon. But I don’t think I want to go back to the old normal with her. Late December, 2020 Thank you, Riya

She was the person who knew I was having a panic attack before I did. She was the one who texted me a funny meme at 2 AM because she knew I couldn’t sleep. She was the keeper of my lockdown secrets—the failed crushes, the career doubts, the fear of a future that felt so uncertain. For teaching me that family isn’t just blood—it’s

And suddenly, the world shrank to the size of our living rooms.

We built a blanket fort in her room on a random Tuesday. We attempted to bake banana bread—it came out looking like a hockey puck, but we ate it anyway, laughing until our stomachs hurt. We downloaded eight different multiplayer games, got bored of seven, and became embarrassingly competitive at the eighth.

We became witnesses to each other’s small bravery. Getting out of bed. Logging into that Zoom class. Trying again tomorrow.