This Is a Love Story

During the next class, Abe has his students write down a confession. Alice shares hers, but Abe still thinks that she’s writing around something. After class, she sits on her bed, reading Abe’s work and writing about him.

A few weeks later, Alice visits Abe during office hours and tells him that she’s finally working on the story she’s been wanting to work on. He says that he’s happy for her but seems distracted. She starts telling him about her estranged father, ex-stepfather, and mother instead.

The weeks pass, and Alice continues attending Abe’s class and visiting him during office hours. One day, she shares part of the story she’s been working on in class. It’s about a young woman who’s having an affair with an older married man. Abe applauds her work but encourages her to develop the male protagonist.

Afterward, she visits his office, but he gets distracted by a phone call with his wife. Alice realizes that he’s upset and touches his shoulder. The moment ends when they both notice a balloon drifting past the window. In the classes following, Alice feels like Abe finally sees her.

Alice visits Abe in his office again. They’re talking about language when Abe drifts into thought. She wonders if he’s thinking about his wife and child.

Alice and her roommate, Margaux, go lingerie shopping. They don’t discuss Abe, but Margaux knows that Alice has feelings for him. One day, Alice’s mother comes to visit because she’s gone through another breakup. Alice realizes that she can’t tell her about Abe but thinks her mother would approve because they’re making memories together.

One day, Abe invites Alice to take a walk in Central Park. They talk about books, family, and life. She tries asking about his wife, but Abe doesn’t respond. When she changes the subject to a book she read, Abe seems amazed. They continue walking and talking until dark, and Abe doesn’t want her to go. He studies her face and remarks on how special she is.

Over the weeks following, Alice can’t stop thinking about Abe. She imagines him by her side or watching her do mundane things. She buys new clothes and dresses carefully. She writes about Abe, listing everything she wants to do with him. Then, one day, Abe asks her to meet him at Grand Central Station, where he gives her a stack of napkins to commemorate her recent story.

Alice is elated but soon grows despondent when she doesn’t see Abe outside of class for several weeks. Then, one day, she runs into him on the street. They get a coffee and talk about their writing. In his office afterward, Alice notices the framed photo of his wife. She tries to ignore it and starts imagining a life with him instead.

Near the end of the semester, Alice invites Abe to her apartment. They sit and talk for a while before sharing a passionate kiss. However, Abe soon pulls away and tells Alice that he can’t do this. He leaves without saying goodbye.

Alice stops seeing Abe outside of class. The semester ends, and he goes on sabbatical. Feeling lost and alone, Alice visits the Museum of Natural History one day and sees Abe’s wife. Alice follows her through the museum until Jane says hello. Panicking, Alice flees.

The months turn into years, and Alice tries to forget Abe. She meets and marries a man named Fred, and they have twins and build a life. Alice stops writing altogether. Sometimes, she googles Abe but reminds herself that she has a good life with Fred. The only time she contacted Abe after their kiss, she left her finished short story about their relationship in his office mailbox. Months later, the school mailed it back to her. There was a cut on the page that described the picture of Jane and two annotations at the story’s end. Alice wonders if she actually loved Abe and if any of this would’ve happened without writing.

The third-person narrator describes all the people and activities in Central Park.

A third-person narrator depicts Max’s story. Max works as an art dealer in New York. He makes good money and sleeps with countless women. He never wanted to be an artist like his mother or get married like his parents. The only woman he really loved was his late grandmother Bubbe. One day, he meets Jaclyn at an art show. He introduces himself, but she seems disinterested. Throughout the following weeks, he continues sleeping with other women and thinking about Jane’s illness, but Jaclyn stays on his mind. He starts running into her around the city. Meanwhile, he ignores calls from Abe about Jane’s condition and attends yoga classes.

One evening, Max and Jacyln finally go out on a date. They have dinner and walk in Central Park. Over the following weeks, they continue seeing each other. In the meantime, Max silently talks to his late grandmother; puts off visiting his parents outside the city in Orient, New York; and attends yoga. One day, Max finally calls Jane, but she is distant on the phone.

Max and Jaclyn continue dating. Max feels attached to her but doesn’t understand his feelings. He decides not to invite her to the Biennial because his parents will be there, and he assumes that she’s going anyway. He feels uncomfortable seeing Abe and Jane and annoyed that Jaclyn doesn’t show up. The next time they see each other, Max and Jacyln pass a woman with a stroller, and he asks if she wants children. She admits that she can’t have children, and Max feels relieved. Not long after, however, Jaclyn reveals that she was in a car accident that damaged her uterus.

Jaclyn goes overseas with her boss. She doesn’t call Max while she’s away and doesn’t contact him for weeks afterward. Feeling lonely one day, Max digs through his closet and finds an old card from Bubbe encouraging him to be kind. He’s overcome by guilt.

Not long after, he sees Jaclyn eating ice cream in sweatpants in Central Park but walks past her without saying hello. A few days later, he sees her there again and realizes that she’s talking to her stomach. He panics and flees.

Max talks to Jane on the phone one day, but she’s on morphine, and the conversation is confusing. A few days later, Jaclyn calls, and they meet up. She reveals that she’s pregnant but says that it probably won’t be viable. Not long after, Max accompanies Jaclyn to her appointment, and the doctor confirms that the fetus isn’t healthy. Max sends her flowers afterward, but they stop seeing each other. He goes back to ignoring Abe’s calls and sleeping with various women. During one encounter, Max rapes his yoga instructor.

Finally, Max visits his parents in Orient. He’s overcome with childhood memories upon seeing Jane. Everyone thinks that he’s lucky to have her as his mother, but they’ve never been close. She was sick when he was a baby and was diagnosed with cancer when he was young.

After returning to the city, Max visits Jaclyn. She apologizes for their misunderstanding. She didn’t think that he’d want to be a father because of his relationship with his parents.

Max goes about his life but starts imagining Jaclyn’s future with another man. One day, he hangs out with a friend, Todd, who shows him a story that Jaclyn published about her pregnancy. Todd tries to sympathize because his wife lost a pregnancy, but Max is offended.

Shortly thereafter, Max returns to Orient to see his parents. Watching Jane sleep, he remembers how she would talk about art. Max realizes that the best memory he has of Jane is when he woke up one night to find her staring at him with love.

The third-person narrator describes more sights and scenes from Central Park. Animals, tree carvings, and litter fill the park. While it seems like an ordinary park, it means something different to everyone.