18: The Ex

January and Gus spend Sunday recovering together, then fall into a steady work rhythm. Gus invites January over for margaritas, and they write on his porch until nightfall, sharing pizza and watching meteors. Their banter exposes growing ease and attraction.

January notices the blacked-out tattoo on Gus’s arm, prompting him to reveal it once matched his ex-wife Naomi’s Möbius strip. He explains how the symbol morphed from romantic unity to an emblem of separation after Naomi left. Gus admits he avoids “soft” partners, fearing he could hurt them, while January insists he’s gentler than he believes.

Turning the focus to January’s past, Gus asks about Jacques. January describes a relationship that sparkled in public but lacked deep, everyday connection. She realizes that after her father’s death, the illusion of perfection shattered; she never felt overwhelmed by love watching Jacques sleep, and the grief clarified their mismatch.

Later, on Sonya’s couch awaiting pad thai, Gus shares that Pete is his aunt and helped him move to the lake. He asks January why she’s really there, and she reveals the house belonged to her father and his mistress. Gus hasn’t known them and can’t offer memories, which both relieves and disappoints January.

Overcome, January cries, and Gus holds her, tenderly comforting her until the moment turns electric. They straddle the edge of sex—kissing nearly inevitable—before the doorbell interrupts. Afterward, shaken, Gus apologizes; January says he doesn’t need to, but they leave the desire unresolved.