This Chapter is already
so much fun
—full of humor, great dialogue, and that
perfect mix
of exasperation and affection between Ryan and Ava. To
add a romantic or cute moment
, I’ll:
✔
Increase the tension & awareness between them
—lingering glances, slight touches, subconscious attraction.
✔
Give Ava a moment of realizing she cares
—even if she won’t admit it.
✔
Make Ryan subtly protective of Ava
—without being over the top.
✔
Add a "fake dating" vibe with the family pushing them together
—flustering Ryan, which is always fun.
Here’s the
revised version with those tweaks!
The Family Dinner Setup
Ryan Kim didn’t scare easily.
He’d faced the
angriest
of clients,
courtroom theatrics
, and
more than a few screaming matches
in his office—but nothing filled him with
more existential dread
than family dinner at his parents’ house.
Especially when his mother had texted:
"Family dinner. Bring someone. Big news to share."
His
immediate instinct
had been to
throw his phone into the ocean
. Instead, he ignored it for a day, hoping it would
vanish like a bad dream
.
That plan fell apart when
Ava, of all people
, found out.
Ava, the Worst Person to Have This Information
"Family dinner?"
Ava’s voice crackled through the phone,
clearly amused
. "
What’s the big news? Did your mom take up competitive knitting again?
"
Ryan,
slouched at his desk
, rubbed his temples. "
I don’t know. It could be anything. The last time she said ’big news,’ she revealed she was starting a hat business. A hat business, Ava.
"
"
That’s amazing,
" Ava said,
barely containing her laughter
. "
I’d buy one. Do they have pom-poms?
"
"
I don’t want to talk about the pom-poms.
"
"
Aw, come on. It’s endearing.
" Ava
teased
, her smile practically
audible
. "
Anyway, what’s the worst that could happen? You show up, eat some food, survive whatever bomb she drops, and leave. Easy.
"
Ryan groaned. "
You say that like you’ve met my family. Trust me, it’s never easy.
"
"
Want me to come along for moral support?
" Ava asked casually.
Ryan
froze
. "
You?
"
"
Why not?
" Ava’s voice turned
mischievous
. "
I’m great at defusing awkward situations. And besides, you still owe me for the tofu-and-hunter disaster. Consider this payback.
"
Ryan opened his mouth to decline, but Ava
cut him off before he could.
"
Unless...
" she added,
her tone wicked
, "
you’re scared your mom will like me more than you.
"
Ryan sighed, already
resigned to his fate
. "
You’re insufferable.
"
"
And you’re picking me up at seven,
" Ava replied
cheerfully
.
The Arrival (a.k.a. Ryan’s Doom)
When they pulled up to his parents’ house—a
quaint but overly decorated cottage
with fairy lights in
every
tree—Ava turned to Ryan with
a knowing grin
.
"
Are you sure your mom’s not running a Pinterest account?
"
"
I’m convinced Pinterest is running her,
" Ryan muttered,
opening his car door
.
Susan Kim greeted them at the door with the kind of enthusiasm that should be illegal.
"
Ryan, darling!
" she exclaimed,
hugging him tightly
before
spotting Ava
. Her
eyes lit up
. "
And you brought someone! Oh, you didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend!
"
Ryan
froze
. "
She’s not—
"
"
I’m his co-worker,
" Ava said smoothly,
stepping forward with a polite smile
. "
Ava Lee. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Kim.
"
"
Oh, please, call me Susan,
" his mom
waved a hand
dismissively. "
And don’t be modest—you’re much too pretty to just be a co-worker. Come in, come in!
"
Ryan
shot Ava a look
, his expression
pure exasperation
. Ava, however,
smirked
as if this was the
best day of her life
.
"
Behave,
" Ryan
whispered under his breath
as they entered.
"
No promises,
" Ava replied,
her grin widening
.
Dinner (or Ryan’s Slowly Unraveling Sanity)
Dinner was a spread of
homemade dishes
—banchan, grilled meats, steaming bowls of rice—and despite the cozy atmosphere, Ryan’s stomach felt like it was
hosting its own anxiety gala
.
Ava, meanwhile, had settled in
effortlessly
,
chatting with Susan
about
"the complexities of raising Ryan."
His mother was laughing too much.
Ryan
cut in, desperate for a subject change
. "
Mom, what’s the big news?
"
Susan exchanged a smile with Ryan’s dad, Mark, before turning back to them with a
beaming grin
. "
We’re getting remarried!
"
Ryan
froze mid-chew
. "
You’re... what?
"
"
Remarried!
" Susan
held up her hand
, revealing a
modest diamond ring
. "
After all these years, we’ve decided to give love another chance.
"
Ryan
coughed, nearly choking on his rice
.
Ava
leaned over
,
patting his back gently
. "
Breathe, Ryan.
"
His parents
beamed at each other
,
completely oblivious
to Ryan’s
existential crisis.
"
This is... unexpected,
" Ryan finally managed,
his voice hoarse
.
"
It’s romantic,
" Susan
corrected
. "
Love deserves second chances.
"
Ava,
watching this unfold like it was the best sitcom she’d ever seen
, murmured, "
I think it’s sweet.
"
Susan
turned to her, delighted
. "
Doesn’t it just melt your heart, dear? A second chance after all these years.
"
Ava
hesitated
,
glancing at Ryan
. "
It’s... very inspiring.
"
Susan
clapped her hands
. "
See? Ryan needs someone like you in his life. He’s always been so cynical.
"
"
Mom, please don’t—
"
"
Oh!
" Susan
interrupted, grabbing something from a cabinet
. "
I almost forgot. I kept the cake topper from our first wedding!
"
She held up a
dusty, slightly creepy porcelain figurine
of a bride and groom.
"
Something simple or tiered?
" Susan asked
innocently
.
Ryan’s
head hit the table
. "
Mom, stop.
"
Ava,
barely containing her laughter
,
whispered
to him, "
So... tiered?
"
"
Not. Helping,
" Ryan muttered
through gritted teeth
.
After dinner, Ryan escaped to the back porch,
leaning against the railing
as he stared into the quiet backyard.
Ava
found him a few minutes later
, holding
two mugs of tea
.
"You look like you just saw a ghost,"
Ava said,
handing him a cup
.
Ryan sighed,
accepting it without looking at her
. "
It’s just... weird. Seeing them like this.
"
"They seem happy,"
Ava said
gently
.
"Yeah, but for how long?"
Ryan muttered. "
What if it just falls apart again? What’s the point of trying if it’s going to end the same way?
"
Ava
set her tea down
, stepping
closer
. "
What if love isn’t about avoiding pain? What if it’s about choosing someone, even when it’s messy and hard?
"
Ryan
looked at her
, something
unspoken flickering
in his expression. "
You really believe that?
"
Ava
nodded
. "
Yeah. I do.
"
The air
shifted
—a tension neither of them wanted to acknowledge.
Ryan
exhaled
, then—before he could stop himself—
reached out, brushing a stray hair behind her ear.
Ava
froze
.
Ryan’s
hand lingered for half a second too long
.
Then he pulled back, clearing his throat. "
You’re annoyingly optimistic, you know that?
"
Ava
bumped her shoulder against his
,
grinning
. "
And you’re annoyingly pessimistic. It balances out.
"
Ryan
glanced at her
,
small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth
.
"Maybe."
A beat of silence.
Then,
casually
, Ryan said, "
Lunch tomorrow?
"
Ava
blinked
, caught off guard. "
Lunch?
"
Ryan shrugged. "
Like we used to. You know, before you decided I was the enemy.
"
Ava hesitated. She could say no. She should say no.
But instead, she
found herself agreeing
before she could think too hard about it. "
Fine. But only if you pay.
"
Ryan smirked. "
I always do.
"
Ava
rolled her eyes
but couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at her lips.
"
Good. Just making sure you remember our arrangement.
"
Ryan chuckled. "
Oh, I remember. See you at noon?
"
Ava gave him a
mock-suspicious look
. "
You’re not going to trick me into some terrible fusion restaurant again, are you?
"
"
No promises.
"
Ava
shook her head
, taking a sip of her tea.
Maybe this wasn’t
the worst idea.
Probably.
(
Hopefully.
)
As Ryan pulled up in front of Ava’s apartment, he
shifted the car into park but didn’t move to unlock the doors just yet
.
Ava stretched, letting out a soft sigh. "
Well, that was an experience.
"
"
That’s one way to put it,
" Ryan muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. "
At least we survived.
"
Ava smirked. "
Barely. But your mom is my new favorite person. She’s officially replacing you.
"
Ryan shot her a dry look. "
Good to know where I stand.
"
She
tilted her head toward him
, eyes glinting mischievously. "
Don’t look so wounded. You knew this was inevitable the moment she pulled out that wedding cake topper.
"
Ryan
chuckled
, shaking his head. "
She’s relentless.
"
Ava hummed in agreement before
her smile softened, something unreadable flickering across her face.
A quiet moment settled between them, the hum of the car engine the only sound.
Ryan cleared his throat. "
So... lunch tomorrow. Still on?
"
Ava hesitated—
not because she wanted to say no, but because she wanted to say yes too easily.
But then,
she nodded
. "
Yeah. Still on. Noon, right?
"
"
Noon,
" Ryan confirmed, tapping the steering wheel.
Ava
reached for the door handle
, pausing just before she stepped out. Then,
without thinking too hard about it
, she turned back toward him.
"
Hey, Ryan?
"
Ryan looked at her, a little thrown by the softness in her voice. "
Yeah?
"
Before she could talk herself out of it, Ava
leaned in
, pressing a quick, warm
kiss to his cheek
.
It was
brief, barely a second
, but
Ryan went completely still
—like his brain had short-circuited.
When she pulled back, her lips
curved into a knowing smirk.
"
Thanks for tonight. It was... kind of fun watching you suffer.
"
Ryan
blinked, processing, then narrowed his eyes at her.
"
You are actually the worst.
"
Ava
grinned
, stepping out of the car. "
Goodnight, Ryan.
"
He watched her
walk up to her building
,
lingering at the entrance for just a second before disappearing inside.
Ryan
exhaled
, running a hand through his hair.
His cheek was
still warm.
He didn’t know what that meant.
But he did know
he was looking forward to lunch tomorrow way more than he should be.