If anyone had told me that five hours after dumping my ex, I would be:
hiding in an underground bunker,
trending on the internet as "Virgin Mom,"
making noodles for a time-traveling child,
and apparently softening for a man with hero-complex shoulders…
…I would've blocked them for manifesting chaos.
But here we were.
Ren sat tucked under my arm on the couch while Kabir paced the room like a malfunctioning fan.
"This is INSANE," Kabir declared, throwing his hands in the air. "I look like a SIDE CHARACTER. Why do I look like a SIDE CHARACTER, Arya?"
"Because you ARE a side character," I said gently.
Kabir gaped at me like a fish that just learned swimming wasn't optional.
"Oh my god," he whispered, horrified. "You've changed."
Ruhan, who was leaning against the wall with the silent intensity of a dramatic K-drama lead, muttered, "She hasn't changed."
I blinked at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He looked away.
"Nothing."
Which was Ruhan-speak for "everything."
Ren lifted the tablet again.
"We have ten thousand comments."
Kabir shrieked.
"TEN THOUSAND??? Do I look stupid in them???"
I snatched the tablet.
"Let's see… Comment 731: 'Kabir gives off pet-owner energy, not boyfriend material.'"
Kabir sagged.
"Comment 904: 'The kid is adorable. The mom is hilarious. The dad is HOT. The ex is there.'"
Kabir touched his heart.
"I—I'm THERE?"
"Barely," Ren said sweetly.
Kabir crumpled onto the couch like a dying starfish.
I put the tablet aside.
"Okay, listen. Internet drama aside, we need to talk about—"
But before I could finish, Ren's face suddenly froze.
All color drained.
His little hands trembled.
"Ren?" I asked immediately. "Hey. What's wrong?"
Ruhan moved instantly, kneeling in front of him.
Ren's voice was tiny.
"Mom… Dad… the timeline ripple is coming."
My stomach plummeted.
"What ripple??" I demanded.
Ren took a shuddering breath.
"In my timeline, this is when you disappeared."
Silence.
Cold.
Sharp.
Heavy.
Ruhan's expression darkened like a storm cloud.
"Ren," he said, voice steady but low, "look at me."
Ren's eyes lifted slowly.
"You're not losing her," Ruhan said firmly. "Not again."
Ren burst into tears.
Not the cute anime sniffles.
Real tears.
Shaking shoulders.
A terrified child remembering grief.
"Mom," he sobbed, reaching for me, "you—you died—Dad tried—he couldn't—everything broke—everything—"
"Oh god," I whispered, my chest tightening painfully.
I pulled him into my arms immediately.
He collapsed against me, burying his face in my shirt, crying like the fear was physically dragging itself out of him.
I held him.
Tightly.
Instinctively.
My hand found the back of his head without thinking.
My chin rested on his hair without thinking.
My voice softened without thinking.
"Hey. Hey. I'm here," I whispered. "I'm right here."
Ruhan watched us with an expression that nearly broke me:
Hope
disbelief
pain
gratitude
fear
a longing so deep it felt like someone else's memory.
Kabir stood in the corner, frozen, staring like he'd walked into a private moment he didn't deserve to witness.
Ren hiccuped.
"You—you won't l-leave?"
"I'm not going anywhere," I promised. "Not unless I'm thrown, kidnapped, erased, or launched into another dimension. But I assure you, none of those are on my calendar for today."
Ren managed a watery laugh mid-tears.
Ruhan let out a breath he'd been holding so long I swear the air in the bunker changed.
I wiped Ren's tears with my sleeve.
"Okay, kid. Deep breaths. Timeline ripple or not — we're together. Alright?"
He nodded into my chest.
Something warm spread through me.
Too warm.
Too familiar.
Too dangerous.
I didn't want to pull away.
He didn't want to let go.
Ruhan cleared his throat softly.
"I should check the perimeter."
Translation:
He needed a second to emotionally recover.
He turned to leave—
—Kabir jumped in front of him.
"NO." Kabir pointed dramatically. "YOU. Stay away from her. You're confusing her feelings!"
Ruhan blinked.
"I'm what."
"Her feelings!" Kabir shouted. "Her EMOTIONS! Her HEART! Her—her hormonal impulses!"
I stared.
Ren stared.
Even the bunker stared.
"Kabir," I said calmly, "you have the emotional intelligence of a stapler."
"That's NOT TRUE!" Kabir protested. "I just want to protect you! You're fragile!"
"I threw a brick at a robot today," I reminded him. "I'm not fragile."
Ruhan pinched the bridge of his nose.
Kabir glared at him.
"You think you're so special. So tall. So handsome. So timeline-boyfriend. Hah! Well guess what? Arya and I had a relationship!"
"Did you?" Ruhan asked mildly.
Kabir puffed his chest. "Yes!"
"You cheated on her," Ruhan said.
Kabir deflated like a sad balloon.
"I—well—emotions are complicated—"
"No," I cut in. "They're not. You're just stupid."
Kabir clutched his heart.
"You're so MEAN now!"
"Timeline trauma," I said kindly. "Side effect."
Ruhan fought a smile.
Kabir rounded on him again.
"And YOU—stop looking at her like that!"
"Like what?" Ruhan asked.
"Like you're already married in another timeline or something!"
Ruhan didn't reply.
Because Kabir — for the first time in his life — was right.
Silence stretched.
Ren leaned into me.
"I'm sleepy," he whispered.
I tucked him closer.
Kabir backed away, defeated.
Ruhan glanced at us one last time, eyes softening—
just a fraction—
just enough to make my stomach do something illegal—
And said quietly:
"I'll keep watch."
He stepped outside.
The bunker door clicked shut.
Ren drifted asleep against me.
And for the first time all day, the bunker felt warm.
Safe.
I stared at the door where Ruhan had gone.
Something in my chest pulled.
Slow.
Soft.
Dangerous.
And whispered:
"Don't get attached."
But sitting there with Ren snoring against me
and Ruhan guarding the door like a silent vow—
I feared I already was.