Page 118 of Kissing is the Easy Part

She nods. “Exactly. You offered logic, structure, and a plan, but she needed empathy. Not everything is yours to fix, but let’s be real—you’re Sean. You couldn’tnotcare if you tried. Did you ever ask her how she felt about all this?”

“No, it was more like,Here’s what we’re going to do, please trust me on it and agree.” I cringe, realizing how it sounds. “I genuinely believed I was doing what was best, but in hindsight, I never checked if she was truly on board. Part of me was even a little proud of my talent for persuasion. And when she started pulling away, instead of addressing it, I’d smooth it over. Turns out, keeping the peace meant avoiding the deeper stuff. Guess I won the battles but lost the war.”

“In a way, you were still avoiding confrontation,” Josie says.

“Yes. Even during the breakup, I tried to be respectful by accepting without protest, but I didn’t ask any questions either. I never pushed to understand what she needed from me. Maybe I was afraid to ask, because I couldn’t give it to her.”

She’s quiet for a moment. “Even knowing all that, your fundamental differences are still there. So these realizations wouldn’t necessarily have saved the relationship. It still might’ve ended like a Shakespearean tragedy. You see the end coming, but you can’t stop it.”

“True. So we were doomed, huh?”

“No. Then you have no regrets. You both gave it your best shot. You cared, you tried, and both your lives are better because you met each other. The best thing you can do now is give it space, let her figure things out on her own, and do the same for yourself.”

It puts a positive spin on things, makes them less pointless. And besides, I’ll never forget a single moment with Flora. Those sparkling memories are snowflakes in a snow globe, perpetually preserved. I can shake them up and watch them fall whenever I want.

“And I think the problem is, you’re treating this like a physics test. You thought if you put in enough effort, you’d get the result you wanted. But relationships don’t follow a formula. Even if you do everything right, you canstillfail.”

The words hit somewhere deep. I’ve spent my life believing hard work guarantees success—grades, MIT, basketball—every step is a calculated input for a predictable result. But Flora was never a problem to solve.

“J, maybe youdoknow more about relationships than I do.”

She raises her eyebrows and holds one hand out, as if to say, You think?“Maybe it won’t last forever, no matter what you do. But the feeling of doing the right thing will last.”

“And I guess an NYU diploma will last forever too.”

“Exactly.” The engine hums as she steps on the gas. Halfway to our destination, she stops at a red light. “It takes time, you know.”

“To get to the concert?” I ask, even though I know better.

“Yeah, to the concert.” She smiles. “You’ll be okay.”

* * *

Not long after, prom rolls around the corner.

“I assume you’re not going with Flora,” Josie says as we sit on the lawn, waiting for class to start.

“That’s right. Who’s she going with?”None of my business.

“She’s making a statement and going solo.” Josie looks at me. “How about you?”

Dances were never a big deal to me, but senior prom’s different. It’s important. And going with someone random doesn’t sound right. “I don’t know. No one comes to mind.”

“How about we go together as best friends?”

I laugh. “You want to go with me? You should go with Brian.” She’s offering because she’s worried about me. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”

“Dude, I’m serious. My UW boyfriend’s already done his senior prom. No need to drag him to mine.”

“But don’t you want him to pick you up in a limo?”

She snorts. “That’s so lame. We’re too cool for that.”

“Don’t expect a limo from me either.”

“Take it easy. We’ll just hang out.”

“Are you sure Brian won’t mind?”