beta
I always think about the fact the author thinks Ian is the worst out of all their characters. The more I read the story the more I understand why. Not only is he emotionally unavailable to Jo and playing a facade of being romantically involved without knowing what he wants. He's also trying to run after TJ who has explicitly given him multiple opportunities to achieve what Ian himself has always wanted (a normal life). Ian is a walking contradiction and someone so corrupted from his past that he fails to establish what he wants in life. Jo and Tj both have goals and aspirations in life while Ian tried to mold himself in whatever way fits. Whether it's to be TJs side piece OR Jo's fake lover, he's leading these two individuals on continuously. I feel as though he doesn't know what he wants and is dragging multiple people down in order to figure it out. Trauma can't always be used as an excuse but rather an explanation, it becomes inexcusable once it starts to harm other people.