My cousin is staying with us for a few days, and I feel incredibly uncomfortable. I hadn’t seen him in years, and when he first arrived, he greeted me with a long hug that lasted just a little too long. At first, I brushed it off—maybe he was just being friendly. But then, the comments started.

“You’ve really grown up,” he said, his eyes scanning me in a way that made my skin crawl. “I barely recognized you. You turned into a real woman.” His words felt wrong, like there was something behind them that he wasn’t saying out loud. Every time I walked into the room, he found a reason to mention my looks—how my hair was nice, how I had a ‘great figure.’ I laughed it off at first, but inside, I felt sick.

The hugs became more frequent, too. A hand resting on my back for too long, a touch on my arm that felt unnecessary. I started avoiding being alone with him, finding excuses to stay in my room or leave the house. But how do I say something without it turning into a huge family issue? If I tell my mom or my aunt, will they just say I’m overreacting? I don’t want to cause drama, but I also don’t want to feel unsafe in my own home.

I just want him to leave.