In the Novel Magnolia Parks, by Jessa Hastings, Magnolia and BJ are written in the stars, just suspended in a strange kind of love that looks like hurting each other a lot of the time. But at the end of each of their sad efforts to get over one another, it’s always each other that they crawl back to. As the “nanny” Marsaili reads the paper she sees BJ and Magnolia on the headline saying:
“On-again-off-again” couple Magnolia Parks and BJ Ballentine caused quite a scene last night at Annabel’s as the pair ran into one of Park’s many ex-lovers—unnamed—“
[…]
“Jealous Ballentine appeared ready for fisticuffs, but the situation was diffused before it went any further.”
“Beej shrugs. “Not bad.”
“Fisticuffs,” I muse.”
“And then there are several photos where it looks like the two of you are together—“ (p.33)
When I read this scene I had to think about the author’s key question “How many Loves do you get in a lifetime”. The situation made clear that the two of them are drawn to each other but can’t properly show it, as they keep hurting each other but also care for each other at the same time. A complex chaos of feelings mixed up in wrong actions and bad timing.