"Okay," I said slowly, pointing at him. "Let's start from the beginning."
The world was still frozen.
People stuck mid-laugh.
My ex frozen mid-anger.
His new girlfriend still clinging to his arm like a decorative accessory.
And then there was me…
Standing in the middle of all this madness…
Talking to a man who just claimed to be my husband, From the future.
Yeah.
Totally normal.
I took a deep breath.
"You have exactly five seconds to explain before I scream," I warned.
Adrian didn't even look threatened.
Instead, he glanced around lazily, like we were in a boring waiting room instead of a broken reality.
"You can scream," he said calmly. "No one's going to hear you."
"…That's not comforting."
"It's not supposed to be."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're very annoying for someone who just met me."
He let out a short laugh.
"Met you?" he repeated. "Zara, I married you."
I pointed at myself. "You see this face? Does it look like it has ever seen you before in its entire life?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "Unfortunately, many times. Usually right before you do something reckless."
"Excuse me?!"
He ignored me.
"Actually…" he tilted his head, studying me. "This is the exact expression you had before you tried to cut your own hair at 2 a.m."
I froze.
"…What?"
"And ended up crying for three hours because it looked 'emotionally uneven.'"
My mouth dropped open.
"…HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!"
"That was Year Three," he added thoughtfully. "You banned mirrors for a week."
I took a step back.
Okay, Okay, not okay.
"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice sharper this time. "Are you stalking me? Did someone send you? Is this some kind of prank?"
Adrian sighed like I was the problem.
"Why is it always this version of you?" he muttered. "So aggressive. So suspicious."
"Because you're insane!"
"Correction," he said, raising a finger. "I'm your husband. Very important difference."
"I don't have a husband!"
"You will."
"I won't!"
"You already did."
"THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE!"
He smiled.
And I hated how calm he looked.
"Welcome to time travel," he said.
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Nothing came out.
Because somehow…
this man knew things he absolutely shouldn't.
And the worst part?
He wasn't even trying to convince me.
He was acting like this was… normal.
Like I was the one behind schedule.
"This is a dream," I decided finally. "I fainted from embarrassment and now I'm hallucinating a very rude imaginary man."
"Rude?" Adrian repeated. "Zara, I literally came back in time to save your life."
I blinked.
"…What?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at me carefully.
For the first time since he appeared…
his expression softened.
Just a little.
And something about it made my chest feel… weird.
"You're about to die," he said simply.
Silence.
"…Wow," I said flatly. "You really don't know how to comfort people, do you?"
"I'm serious."
"And I'm hungry, what's your point?"
"Zara."
The way he said my name this time, low, firm...
made me pause.
"There's a reason I'm here," he continued. "And it's not to argue with you about your terrible life choices."
"Hey!"
"You're in danger."
I folded my arms.
"From what? Bad luck? Because clearly, that's already doing a fantastic job."
Adrian stared at me for a second.
Then—
he pinched the bridge of his nose like he was physically exhausted.
"I forgot how difficult you are."
"Then go back to your future wife!"
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because," he said, looking straight at me,
"you're the one who sent me here."
I blinked.
"…I did what now?"
"You begged me," he said. "Cried, actually. Very dramatic. You told me to come back… to fix everything."
I stared at him.
Searching his face.
Looking for any sign of a lie.
A joke.
Anything.
But there was nothing.
Just calm certainty.
And something deeper…
Something heavy.
Something real.
"…You're lying," I said, but my voice wasn't as strong anymore.
"I wish I was."
Silence stretched between us.
Then, I shook my head.
"Nope. I don't believe you."
"Of course you don't."
"I don't!"
"You never do at first."
"Stop saying things like that!"
"Like what?"
"Like you know me!"
"I do know you."
"NO, YOU DON'T!"
"Yes, I—"
"YOU DON'T!"
The words came out louder than I expected.
My chest rose and fell quickly.
And for a moment…
everything felt too much.
Too strange.
Too sudden.
Too...
Adrian sighed.
Then suddenly, he stepped closer.
Before I could react—
he reached out…
and flicked my forehead.
"OW!" I yelped, jumping back. "What was that for?!"
"You're panicking," he said simply.
"Of course I'm panicking! A random man just froze time and claimed to be my husband!"
"Future husband," he corrected.
"I don't care!"
He studied me for a second.
Then,
a slow, familiar smirk spread across his face.
The kind that immediately made me suspicious.
"…What?" I asked.
"You want proof?" he said.
I crossed my arms. "Obviously."
"Alright."
He leaned in slightly.
Lowered his voice.
And said, very casually,
"You have a hidden snack stash under your bed. Left side. Behind the loose panel. Chocolate, chips, and—"
"OKAY!!!" I shouted, lunging forward to cover his mouth. "STOP TALKING!"
His eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Mmm?" he hummed against my hand.
I quickly pulled back like I'd been burned.
"…That was a lucky guess."
"Was it?"
"Yes!"
"You want me to continue?"
"NO!"
He chuckled.
Actually chuckled.
Like this was the funniest thing in the world.
I stared at him.
Horrified.
"…You're real," I whispered.
"I've been saying that."
"And you know things."
"Yes."
"And you're not leaving."
"No."
"…This is a disaster."
"That's exactly what I said when I married you."
"HEY!"
He grinned.
And somehow—
somehow—
despite everything…
I felt it.
That tiny, dangerous shift in my chest.
Like something had just begun.
Something chaotic.
Something unstoppable.
Something that was definitely going to ruin my life.
Adrian straightened, glancing around at the frozen world.
"Alright," he said. "We're running out of time."
My stomach dropped.
"…What do you mean?"
He looked back at me.
Serious again.
"Time's about to restart."
"…And?"
"And when it does," he said,
"something is going to happen."
I swallowed.
"…What kind of something?"
He held my gaze.
And smiled—
but this time…
it wasn't teasing.
It wasn't playful.
It was warning.
"The kind that almost gets you killed."
My heart skipped.
"…You're joking."
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
I hesitated.
"…Yes."
"…Zara."
"Okay, fine, a little less now."
He exhaled.
Then reached out and grabbed my wrist.
My breath hitched.
"Stay close to me," he said.
"Why?"
"Because," he replied,
"this is the part where everything goes wrong."
And just like that, Time…
started moving again.