Ryan’s Family Bombshell

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.