Singles Club

Alternate Ending

2 years later-

Jaanu had always loved children. She'd help raise her nieces, Arav had been in her life for like a year, and now, here she was, alone and wishing she could balance her own child on her hip at the grocery store.

She pushed the cart along the cereal aisle as she looked for Apple Jacks. A young boy, about four or five, stood in front of them.

"Excuse me? Do you mind handing me that box of Apple Jacks?" she asked before noticing his hands were full of other treats from around the store. "Oh, dear. Let me help you," she bent over to grab some of the cookies from his hands.

"No," the little boy said. "I need my dad."

"Oh! Do you want to use my phone?" She offers. This kid felt oddly familiar.

He shrugs and holds out his hands to look up at her face and make eye contact for the first time. His dark eyes entrance her for a second before he clears his throat, and she reaches down to grab her phone from her pocket.

She watches him dial and grabs her cereal in the meantime.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Papa! I'm Arav, Papa. I'm with the cereal. Come find me," the boy says.

Jaanu's head snaps towards the boy when he says his name. Her hands suddenly begin to sweat as the memories of the toddler flood her mind. She was his Jaanie. Her throat dries as Arav hands her his phone. He had no memory of her. He was too young when it all happened.

She clasps the phone to her chest as she waits for the inevitable: Sunny.

He turns in the corner and calls Arav's name. Both Arav and Jaanu turn simultaneously.

Sunny looks at his son with relief before his eyes lock with hers. There's no shock. He walks with determination towards them.

Jaanu's heart pounds in her chest as the love of her life refuses to break eye contact with her. He stops a couple feet away from her.

"Jaanu."

"Sunny," she breathes. Tears are threatening to spill. Seeing him, here, after everything, broke her heart almost as much as ending things with him did.

"I thought my eyes were playing a joke on me when your name popped up on my caller ID," he says. "Arav, buddy, can you please go wait by the cart?" Sunny asks and watches Arav walk to the cart and throw his items inside.

He steps closer. "Oh, Jaan. Has it really been 2 years?"

Jaanu looks up to meet his eyes, praying she won't drown the way she always used to. It's no use. "I guess it has."

They laugh before Sunny steps closer. He's inches away from her. All she really has to do is look up. "Jaanu, thank you. I'm a better man- a saved man because of you." His hands grab her cheeks and tilt her head to look into her eyes. "God, the universe really does get more beautiful with time."

Jaanu blushes at his comments about her eyes.

Sunny continues, "Jaan, I hated you when you broke up with me, but you were right. I needed to work through my issues. I'm a better father to Arav now."

"You were always a great father," Jaanu promises, "But, I'm so happy that you're happy now."

"Are you happy?" He pries.

"How can I be if you are?" Jaanu laughs.

"Jaanu, I've always been a skeptical man, but I know I have to tell you. I still love you," he admits.

"Sunny."

"My Jaan."

"Sunny, we haven't seen each other in two years-"

"Do you still love me?"

"That's doesn't matter. It's been so long."

"Do you love someone else then?"

"No, I can't. I've tried but I can't."

"Say you love me as much as I love you. Say you miss waking up next to me. Say that no one has made you feel the way I do. Say you love me," he pleads. There's no manipulation. It's pure admittance and hope that laces his voice.

"Yeah- yes. Of course, I still love you."

"Then, we best not waste any more time dwelling in Singles Club," Sunny smirks before pulling her up on her toes and kissing her.

And this time, they were really about forever. They were really about coming home to kids and laughingly begging each other not to wake them up. They were really about ending Singles Club. They were really about Sunny and his Jaan. Jaanu and her Sun.