There are disasters you can fight.
There are disasters you can escape.
And then—
There are Indian family rumours.
Those?
Those spread faster than light.
By the time Aarav and the others returned home from jewellery shopping, Delhi had already entered what historians would later describe as the following:
The Great Engagement Speculation Crisis.
His phone was vibrating like it had developed personal trauma.
WhatsApp.
Family groups.
School friends.
College friends.
Unknown aunties who had somehow acquired his number through black magic and social networking.
Even people he hadn't spoken to since Class 8 were suddenly emotionally invested in his marriage.
Rohan sat beside him on the sofa, eating chips like a professional witness.
He looked at the screen and nodded respectfully.
"You are trending."
Aarav stared into the void.
"I want to disappear."
His sister walked by carrying tea.
"Too late. Bua from Jaipur already asked for wedding dates."
Impossible.
Terrifyingly possible.
His father had wisely retreated behind a newspaper again—the ancestral shield of Indian men.
Coward.
Legend.
His mother, meanwhile, looked peaceful.
Which meant she was absolutely the source.
Aarav pointed dramatically.
"This is your fault."
She sipped tea.
"Proof?"
He held up his phone.
"Thirty-two missed calls from relatives I don't even remember."
His mother nodded.
"Good. Means they still care."
No.
That was not how emotional warfare worked.
Across the room, the girls were experiencing Indian family rumours for the first time.
Aelina was reading the family WhatsApp messages like a scientist discovering hostile wildlife.
Mira looked like she wanted to delete the internet.
Selene had somehow interpreted it as intelligence warfare.
And Nysera—
Nysera was helping his grandmother on a video call.
Because of course she was.
Traitor.
Perfect traitor.
His grandmother's face appeared on the tablet.
The moment she saw Nysera, she adjusted her glasses and said,
"This one looks expensive."
Silence.
Then Rohan nearly died laughing.
Even Mira turned away to hide a smile.
Nysera, unbelievably, nodded politely.
"That is statistically accurate."
His grandmother approved instantly.
A dangerous alliance formed.
Aelina, unfortunately, was next.
Grandmother looked at her and smiled warmly.
"This one looks like she will make sure you eat vegetables."
Aelina blinked.
"…Yes."
Approved.
Immediate approval.
Then Mira.
Grandmother narrowed her eyes.
"This one argues."
Mira folded her arms.
"Correct."
Grandmother smiled.
"Good. Men require supervision."
His father lowered the newspaper for exactly one second.
A silent moment of ancestral agreement.
Then Selene.
Grandmother stared.
Long.
Very long.
Finally—
"This one scares me."
Selene nodded.
"That is fair."
Grandmother pointed.
"Keep her."
Everyone accepted that as a holy law.
Aarav sat there watching his life become a family selection committee.
This was not how heroes were supposed to live.
Then—
The doorbell rang.
Everyone froze.
Because in Indian households, unexpected doorbells after rumour outbreaks meant only one thing.
Relatives.
His mother smiled.
That smile.
That terrible smile.
"Ah. They're early."
They?
No.
No, no, no.
Too many pronouns.
The door opened.
Three aunties.
Two uncles.
One random cousin nobody recognised, but everyone accepted anyway.
And one family friend who "just happened to be nearby".
Lies.
All lies.
They entered like an investigation team.
Rohan whispered,
"Boss battle."
Accurate.
Painfully accurate.
Within seconds, everyone was seated in the living room.
Snacks had appeared.
No one knew how.
Indian houses broke physics during social emergencies.
One aunt leaned forward and smiled.
"So, beta…"
Dangerous start.
"We heard good news."
Aarav replied immediately.
"No, you didn't."
She ignored reality.
"Which one is final?"
The girls looked at him.
Again.
This was becoming legally suspicious.
His younger cousin appeared from nowhere and shouted,
"Vote system!"
Chaos.
Absolute chaos.
His sister clapped.
"I support democracy."
No one should have supported democracy here.
One uncle, who had clearly chosen violence, asked—
"Love marriage or arranged marriage?"
Rohan answered before Aarav could.
"Yes."
Brilliant.
Perfect.
Even the uncle respected it.
Aarav considered leaving the country.
But unfortunately, Nysera had probably already predicted that.
Then—
His mother stood.
And silence obeyed.
She looked around the room like a queen addressing parliament.
"All of you relax."
A pause.
"When my son decides, you will know."
Powerful.
Elegant.
Terrifying.
Everyone nodded.
Because even gossip respected authority.
Then she added—
"Until then, stop asking and start eating."
Absolute victory.
Rohan whispered,
"She ended democracy."
Yes.
Beautifully.
The relatives surrendered to samosas.
Peace restored.
Temporary.
Very temporary.
Later that evening, after the chaos finally died down, Aarav escaped to the rooftop.
Fresh air.
Silence.
Stars.
Finally.
A place without aunties.
Hopefully.
He leaned against the railing and looked at the city lights.
Delhi stretched endlessly below.
Alive.
Messy.
Human.
And for the first time since all of this began—
He felt still.
No Titans.
No time collapse.
No cosmic destiny.
Just… life.
Footsteps behind him.
Soft.
He didn't need to turn.
Aelina.
She stepped beside him quietly.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then she smiled softly.
"Your family is more dangerous than future wars."
He laughed.
"Correct."
A pause.
She looked at the lights below.
"In my timeline, people didn't gather like this anymore."
Her voice was quieter now.
"No noisy relatives. No aunties. No people arriving without permission."
A small smile.
"I think I understand why humanity survived here."
That line stayed with him.
Because maybe the chaos was the point.
Messy love.
Annoying relatives.
Family arguments over tea.
Not perfection.
Connection.
He looked at her.
"And?"
Aelina met his eyes.
Blue and soft and far too honest.
"And I'm glad I came here."
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
The kind where hearts became stupid.
Aarav opened his mouth—
And Rohan's voice exploded from downstairs.
"BRO, YOUR AUNTIES STARTED A MARRIAGE POLL!"
Silence died instantly.
Aarav closed his eyes.
Of course.
Of course they did.
Aelina laughed.
Real laughter.
Warm.
Bright.
And somehow—
That felt like the future choosing him back.