Chapter 5

After more toasts, Wyn whisks Harriet upstairs, where Sabrina informs them they have the big bedroom since they “rarely see each other.” Forced into intimacy, Harriet and Wyn close the door and confront the situation. They agree the timing is terrible but decide to keep up their engagement act for one more night and tell their friends the truth afterward.

They debate a cover story—growing apart—and Harriet’s hurt resurfaces, echoing Wyn’s original breakup rationale. The tension escalates as their physical closeness triggers old chemistry. To manage appearances, they establish rules: no touching in private; limited, acceptable public contact (hands, back, hips, arms, stomach), leaving kissing ambiguous.

Harriet reflects on the aftermath of their breakup: she blocked Wyn’s number, they exchanged boxes of belongings, and mailed the engagement ring back and forth before Wyn urged her to keep it. Both delayed telling their friends due to distance, careers, and Wyn’s mother Gloria’s Parkinson’s and guilt about his move home to Montana.

A brief, vivid memory surfaces of their first trip, when Wyn gently gave Harriet his sweatshirt, underscoring their early chemistry and her restraint for the sake of their friend group. Back in the present, they find Sabrina’s hyper-detailed itinerary—a keepsake that even schedules bathroom breaks—highlighting the weekend’s structure and limited privacy. Wyn leaves Harriet to “relax,” though she remains on edge.