The novel explores the complexities of love, depicting both the joyous and challenging aspects of romantic relationships. It does this in two main ways—first, by contrasting Gabby’s faltering relationship with Kevin with the intense and passionate relationship she discovers with Travis.

Gabby’s relationship with Kevin, her long-term boyfriend of many years, has become stale and distant by the time the novel begins. She feels this disconnect, but at the same time, her guilt and insecurities outweigh her ability to trust her feelings. She wonders why Kevin hasn’t proposed but does not succeed in getting an answer from him. Though she values loyalty and her family’s expectations for her to remain with Kevin, her feelings are tested when she meets and eventually falls for Travis.

Gabby’s guilt about her relationship with Kevin follows her throughout most of Part 1. Even as she develops a closer bond with Travis, she is afraid to break things off with Kevin. At this point, she is more afraid of losing the vision she had of her future with Kevin than she is of losing the relationship itself. As her hopes of marrying Kevin slip away, she is confronted with the uncertainty of her present situation.