How to End a Love Story

Back at work in Los Angeles, Helen tries to tell herself she should remain professional with Grant, who seems to be ignoring her as the others tease her about her upcoming date with Greg, the show’s casting director. Helen goes to see Grant in his office before leaving on her date, and he surprises her by telling her to close the door and then drawing her close to him. As he kisses her head and gently teases her for her obvious indecision about their connection, Helen expresses frustration at her inability to stay away from him. Grant tells her he can’t seem to stop looking at her and asks her how much of her he is allowed to see. In response, Helen unties her dress and Grant performs oral sex on her, gently complaining that she never seems to be as focused on him as he is on her. He brings her to orgasm and then writes his address on her leg, telling her to stop by after her date.

Helen senses their deepening bond and is disconcerted. She goes on her date but thinks only of Grant. Afterward, she drives to his house, promising herself she will leave if she cannot find a parking spot. However, she quickly finds a space and rings his doorbell.

Grant surveys Helen on his porch, asking about her date. She tells him she will probably not see Greg again and asks if Grant will let her in. He watches her enter and take in his space and tells her he makes wooden frames for his art and poster purchases as a form of relaxation. He realizes he does not have space to hang her coat, which proves important later. They eat the beignets Helen brought, but Grant impatiently asks her why she came. Helen tells him she wanted to see his house.

All the while, Helen is bracing herself for rejection and is uncertain of her own motives. Grant surprises her by suggesting they play the boardgame Connect Four, getting out a personalized set. Helen remembers playing the game at a camp where she took a poetry workshop. Grant confesses he wrote poetry about her in college. Helen asks about his ambitions to work on his own show someday, with Helen assuring him she has confidence in his talent. When Grant wins the game, they banter about the prize, and Helen climbs into his lap, intent on resuming their intimacy. Helen finally kisses Grant and is soon overcome by the intensity of her emotions. Grant tells her he is willing to take it slow, if that is what she prefers. He says he wants to give them a chance.

He then asks her why she left his house so suddenly the last time. Helen says she didn’t want to stay in case she behaved foolishly. Grant is amused, asking her to stay the night and assuring her they do not have to have sex. Helen is trying to come to terms with the fact that sexual intimacy with Grant now seems inevitable. She touches his bare chest, fascinated by his muscles. Grant tells her he works out to manage his anxiety. When she expresses doubts about a lasting relationship, Grant offers to be a pleasant diversion. She falls asleep as Grant watches his woodworking videos beside her.

When Helen wakes up, Grant brings her to orgasm with his hands, and Helen jokes that he has saved her from her anxieties about kissing before brushing her teeth. Grant says she is funnier than he expected, which makes Helen think of her younger self and her reputation for being overly serious. Grant senses her discomfort and apologizes. She assures him she is not offended and is suddenly struck by their unlikely reunion. Grant laughs when Helen admits that he hinders her train of thought. He tells her to come shopping with him, as he is hoping to buy a coat rack.

Helen returns to her apartment to shower, relieved that the flea market is closer to her home than Grant’s so that she has a chance to retreat. She is torn between her feelings for Grant and her belief that she is betraying her family by being with him. She insists to herself that her parents would never accept the relationship and that it would only remind them of painful memories that Helen tries very hard to protect them from.

Grant pulls up in his car, and Helen is once more lost in her emotions when he kisses her hello. As they shop, Helen admits that she likes California, especially the space from her parents. When they stop for lunch, Helen’s parents call her, and Grant feels newly doubtful of his place in her life. She tells him her parents do not know they work together, as she avoids raising sensitive topics. Helen describes hiding her vibrator from her parents in college, and Grant reminds her that she is older now. She says that she still doesn’t want to hurt them. She tells him about how her family does not express affection, and she feels that this has influenced her own relationships. Grant assures her he believes in her emotional authenticity, though he increasingly sees the coat rack between them as an expression of emotional distance.

Grant returns home alone. He realizes Helen will likely treat their relationship as temporary because he is not the partner she deserves and his presence in her life is imbued with past tragedy and present grief. He has a near panic attack at the thought of losing her and suddenly regrets buying the coat rack, which he primarily wanted because she would have a place to hang her coat. He thinks this attempt at making space for Helen in his home may prove futile.

Helen hosts her coworkers Nicole and Saskia for a sleepover at her apartment. The two are eager to discuss her dating life. Helen reluctantly admits that she and Grant are seeing each other. Nicole tells her that if she is afraid of getting hurt, she needs to set a clear agenda with Grant. Helen has been avoiding seeing him until he has finished writing his episode of the show, but he has now completed it and sent it in, ending the impasse.

Helen goes to see Grant the next day. Between passionate kisses, she confesses that she is concerned that they have not defined their expectations. Helen insists their relationship must be temporary and relatively private, ending for good when she returns to New York, to avoid emotional entanglement. Grant suspects it is too late for his own heart to be fully protected. After they agree on the terms, Helen takes off her shirt. Grant tells her that he wants exclusivity and honesty from her, and he insists that he doesn’t want to think or talk about how their relationship will end.

Helen and Grant have passionate sex on the writers’ room table. Afterward, Helen thinks about Grant’s writing and how much she has come to admire his skills. Helen is intimidated by the idea of reading his work, which features her beloved characters. She tells him she will read the script at another time and suggests they go back to his place. Grant pulls her into an embrace, noticing her rapid heartbeat, which Helen admits he caused.

Helen talks to her mother on the phone and hears all about a recent family wedding. Mrs. Zhang is upset that the wedding seemed overly Canadian and makes Helen promise her own wedding will incorporate more Chinese culture. She switches to discussing Helen’s single status, and Helen, annoyed, reminds her mother that for most of her life, her parents told her to focus only on academics. Helen recalls a lifetime of being pressured to be a “good girl” and even now envies Michelle for her ability to rebel. Helen ends the call frustrated.

Later, Grant comes over for dinner, and he watches her cook dinner while they discuss their upcoming workload. Helen is nervous about dealing with the studio and directors. After they eat, Helen reclines in Grant’s arms and wonders aloud why he is still single. Grant attributes his single status to his anxiety and lack of self-worth. As they kiss passionately, Grant emphatically insists that he has no interest in discussing a different romantic future for either of them. They spend the rest of the night in bed.