LARA Jean and Peter Kavinsky have come a long way since embarking on their romantic charade in 'To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before'. From dealing with jealous ex-girlfriends and meddlesome sisters to perfect first dates and romantic declarations of love, the young couple has had their share of ups and downs.
Ahead of the release of 'To All the Boys: Always and Forever' this week, let’s take a look back at Lara Jean and Peter’s love story so far.
It all started when Lara Jean’s youngest sister Kitty broke into her secret box of love letters and mailed them to the people they were addressed to. You see, instead of expressing her feelings outright, Lara Jean had been writing private letters to her crushes and never intended for her “most secret possessions” to see the light of day… until now.
To her horror, one of the letters ended up in the hands of Peter Kavinsky, whom Lara Jean once kissed during a game of Spin the Bottle and currently one of the most popular boys in school.
A brief fainting spell and a moment-of-panic kiss later, Peter came to Lara Jean with a proposal to enter a fake relationship. For one, it would make his recently ex-girlfriend jealous, with an added bonus of Lara Jean getting to avoid another recipient of her love letters. With the flourish of a pen on a notebook and a handshake, the deal was sealed.
Turns out, Lara Jean and Peter were really good at the whole “fake boyfriend and girlfriend” thing. Not only did they fool all of their classmates into believing they were dating, even Lara Jean herself had started to catch feelings for Peter.
While chilling in a hot tub during a schoolski trip, they confessed their true feelings for each other, only for the situation to implode when Peter’s ex-girlfriend Gen told Lara Jean that he’d spent the night with her afterwards.
Heartbroken, Lara Jean dropped Peter like a hot potato and refused to listen to his explanations even when he showed up at her house. More drama followed when someone posted a video of the not-actually-a-couple’s steamy moment in the hot tub, culminating in Kitty confessing that she was the one who mailed Lara Jean’s letters.
There is, however, a silver lining to Kitty’s meddlesome ways when she gave Lara Jean a box of love notes Peter had secretly written for her during their “relationship”.
With no time to waste, Lara Jean drove to school and stormed her way across the lacrosse field to read him a new love letter. Peter confesses that he loves her too, and the couple share a kiss before walking off together to live happily ever aft... wait, we’re not quite done with their story yet!
The sequel, 'To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You', introduces a new suitor into our teenage heroine’s life. Initially thought to have gotten lost in the mail, John Ambrose McClaren - Lara Jean’s childhood friend and a recipient of one of her love letters - wrote her back, implying that he may have harboured some feelings for her too.
Meanwhile, though basking in the warm glow of a blossoming relationship, Lara Jean can’t help feeling insecure about her relationship with Peter, especially after finding out that her boyfriend had signed up for a completely different community service project instead of joining her at Belleview Retirement Home. As fate would have it, Lara Jean’s fellow volunteer at Belleview is none other than John Ambrose!
Fast forward to Valentine’s Day, Lara Jean is disappointed when Peter did not send her a singing telegram like he used to do for Gen. Though Peter makes up for it by reading her a poem and gifting her a silver heart necklace on the track field where they first kissed, she later finds out that the poem was not an original, which sparked her insecurities anew.
Cracks began appearing in the couple’s relationship when they had their first fight during a get-together with their childhood friends to dig up a time capsule, though they immediately made up. Just as things seem to be going back to normal, Lara Jean’s best friend Chris showed her a photo of Peter and Gen holding on to each other.
The resulting confrontation revealed that Peter was actually hoping to get back together with Gen on the day the couple had their moment in the hot tub. In light of the revelation, Lara Jean and Peter broke up.
Back in Belleview, the ball that Lara Jean and John Ambrose had planned for the old folks is now well underway. After dancing the night away and playing in the snow, the two young volunteers share a kiss... only for Lara Jean to realise that she does not have feelings for John Ambrose and still loves Peter.
After apologising to John Ambrose Lara Jean rushes outside, only to find Peter already waiting for her. The couple kiss and make up, with Lara Jean realising that she doesn’t need a fairytale romance, only to be satisfied with the love she already has.
So, what does the future hold for Lara Jean and Peter?
In the third and final instalment of the 'To All the Boys' trilogy, Lara Jean may have to make some life-changing decisions as she prepares for the end of high school and the start of adulthood. What will her life look like after graduation? Will the young lovebirds’ relationship withstand the test of time and distance?
Make sure to catch 'To All the Boys: Always and Forever' from February 12 onwards on Netflix to find out! In the meantime, refresh your memory of Lara Jean and Peter’s love story so far with 'To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before' and 'To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You'. – The Vibes, February 11, 2021
