I highly recommend rereading this with an open mind because I think from the beginning, the story is rife with subtext and symbolism that will fly over one's head and takes on new meaning after knowing the endgame. I say this as a person more invested in narrative than the pairing itself, it's quite significant and established early on that Jo is going through a bit of a phase where he's deciding on the direction of his life. He recently quit his job on impulse to change careers and I believe his relationship with Ian should also be viewed through the lens of him thinking about what it is he wants out of life. The lengths he's willing to go for Ian and flirt with danger ultimately help him realize he's not cut out for the world that Ian was brought up in and trying to escape from, so their entanglement is extremely meaningful despite not bridging the gap and exploring a future together.
This is not a story about who's objectively better and healthier for Ian because that's not how love works. People have choices and all the main characters make them. I love Ian's reflection on the fact that he is not the only one making choices. Some chances will slip by. That's life. In a different timeline, Jo and Ian could have had a future. The text acknowledges that the chemistry was there for it to happen, but it didn't. In a universe as vast and unpredictable as ours, there can't only be one soulmate for everyone. Love is a series of choices through which some memories get to stay forever and there's no rhyme or reason to it other than two souls forming a connection neither wants to let go of.
I highly recommend rereading this with an open mind because I think from the beginning, the story is rife with subtext and symbolism that will fly over one's head and takes on new meaning after knowing the endgame. I say this as a person more invested in narrative than the pairing itself, it's quite significant and established early on that Jo is going through a bit of a phase where he's deciding on the direction of his life. He recently quit his job on impulse to change careers and I believe his relationship with Ian should also be viewed through the lens of him thinking about what it is he wants out of life. The lengths he's willing to go for Ian and flirt with danger ultimately help him realize he's not cut out for the world that Ian was brought up in and trying to escape from, so their entanglement is extremely meaningful despite not bridging the gap and exploring a future together.
This is not a story about who's objectively better and healthier for Ian because that's not how love works. People have choices and all the main characters make them. I love Ian's reflection on the fact that he is not the only one making choices. Some chances will slip by. That's life. In a different timeline, Jo and Ian could have had a future. The text acknowledges that the chemistry was there for it to happen, but it didn't. In a universe as vast and unpredictable as ours, there can't only be one soulmate for everyone. Love is a series of choices through which some memories get to stay forever and there's no rhyme or reason to it other than two souls forming a connection neither wants to let go of.