Chapter 38 Summary: 2010

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens in March 2010, when Jet arrives at Kendi's Houston apartment on a Friday afternoon before photographing a wedding rehearsal dinner. She barely has time to drop her bags before rushing out to the shoot, and Kendi gives her a spare key for the late night ahead.

At the rehearsal dinner, Jet photographs the event while observing the guests. She notices the groom's parents speaking in clipped sentences and abrupt gestures when they think no one is watching. Late in the evening, while searching for a misplaced lens cap, she overhears them arguing—the mother upset that her children are all getting married and leaving her—only to see them reconcile moments later in an embrace. Jet is struck by the contradiction, wondering whether family is worth it or not.

Returning to Kendi's apartment, Jet takes in his space for the first time: a model plane, a photo of his dad, a potted cactus, the first film photo she ever took of him, and shelves of books. When she asks about a phone call, Kendi says it was Jerome, not Anna. Their conversation turns to his work in aerospace engineering, and Jet learns he holds a pilot's license. She admits she has never flown and is afraid of flying. Kendi is astonished they've never discussed this, and he tells her flying is life-changing—that you feel small and strong at once. He offers to take her someday; she privately resolves never to go.

That night, Jet has a vivid, romantic dream about Kendi. Waking confused and frustrated, she whispers to herself that he has a girlfriend, using that as a shield against her feelings.

The next morning, Kendi makes breakfast, and they talk about the Grammys. Jet locks her dream away and heads to the wedding. During the ceremony, the bride's vows stop Jet cold. The bride admits she had sworn off marriage, that her past taught her not to trust anyone, and that her greatest fear is losing her groom. But she declares that love is not a risk to eradicate but a risk to embrace—that love is worth the losing of it. Jet is deeply shaken. She has always believed she holds a secret truth: that most couples won't make it, and that loss is inevitable. But the bride's words dismantle her cynicism. Jet suddenly sees Kendi everywhere—in the groom, in the dancing, in her own mind—and realizes she wants in on the secret of choosing love anyway.

Returning to Kendi's apartment near midnight, Jet finds him asleep. She settles on the couch, restless, and he wakes and joins her. When he asks about the wedding, she instead demands he tell her about Anna. He confesses there is no Anna—he invented her to protect their friendship, afraid that if Jet knew he was single, they wouldn't remain close. Jet is hurt by the deception, comparing it to her father's lies, but Kendi insists it's different: he's not her dad, and he's never lied to her otherwise.

Kendi asks how long she has felt this way. Jet admits she's been lying to herself, telling herself it was nothing, terrified of losing him. She explains that his words about fear and trying new things, combined with the bride's vow that love is worth the losing, pushed her toward honesty. Kendi reveals he's loved her for years—since they went to dances with other people, since the New Year's they practiced kissing, since kids called them lovebirds, since she slept on his couch, since she brought ice cream to the park, since the night in the tent. He describes the many small moments that built his feelings.

The chapter ends with the two of them finally giving in to their long-suppressed attraction, moving from the couch to his bedroom, with Jet describing the moment as taking Kendi flying—a reversal of her fear of flight.

Key Events

Jet photographs a rehearsal dinner and witnesses the groom's parents argue and reconcile
Jet learns Kendi has a pilot's license and works in aerospace engineering; she admits she's never flown
Jet has a romantic dream about Kendi and suppresses it
The bride's vows about embracing risk and loss profoundly affect Jet
Jet confronts Kendi about Anna; he confesses Anna never existed
Both admit their long-held feelings and become intimate

Character Development

Jet confronts her deepest fears in this chapter—not just the literal fear of flying, but the emotional fear of loss that has governed her relationships. The bride's vows dismantle her cynical worldview, and she moves from self-deception to vulnerability, finally admitting her feelings for Kendi.

Kendi reveals his own vulnerability by confessing the lie about Anna. His admission shows he's been protecting himself and Jet from the risk of changing their friendship, and his detailed account of how long he's loved her demonstrates the depth of his patience and devotion.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Fear of flying as a metaphor for fear of love. Jet's terror of airplanes parallels her terror of emotional commitment. Kendi's offer to take her flying mirrors his willingness to take the risk of loving her.

Love worth the losing. The bride's vow becomes the chapter's central thesis—that love's value isn't diminished by the certainty of eventual loss.

Deception and trust. Kendi's lie about Anna, however well-intentioned, forces Jet to confront her own history with her father's deception. The chapter explores whether protective lies are ever justified.

Observation and hidden truths. Jet's profession as a photographer—someone who notices what others hide—mirrors her own skill at hiding her feelings from herself.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is the emotional climax of Jet and Kendi's relationship arc. After decades of friendship, unspoken feelings, and a rejection at Palo Duro, the chapter finally resolves their romantic tension. It also marks a turning point in Jet's character: she chooses vulnerability over self-protection, embracing the risk of love that the bride articulated. The chapter's title, 2010, signals a new era for Jet—one where she begins to confront rather than avoid her fears.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the bride's vow function as a turning point for Jet?

The bride's words—that love is not a risk to eradicate but a risk to embrace, and that love is worth the losing of it—directly challenge Jet's belief that she holds a secret truth about the inevitability of relationship failure. Jet realizes she's been using cynicism as protection, and the vow makes her want to choose love despite the risk.

2. Why does Kendi lie about Anna, and how does Jet's reaction reveal her character?

Kendi lies because he's afraid that if Jet knew he was single, their friendship would become complicated or end. Jet's hurt reaction—comparing it to her father's deception—shows how deeply her father's betrayal shaped her trust issues, but also how she's beginning to distinguish between different kinds of lies.

3. What does the chapter's final image—Jet taking Kendi flying—signify?

It reverses the chapter's central metaphor. Jet, who fears flying and has never been on a plane, describes her intimacy with Kendi as flight. It suggests that love, like flying, requires surrendering control and embracing risk—and that with Kendi, Jet is finally willing to do so.