What is the HEA, happy ever after? The last time I talked about whether leads should end up a romantic pair, today I’m asking about the HEA. What is it? Why is it wanted?
Okay that’s easy – most everyone wants a happy ending. Wants the good to win.
The happy ever after is routinely thought of as the two leads falling in love and finally realize it or overcome everything that has been keeping them apart. Someone or both are saved. True love, soul mates, find each other. They’re the perfect example of what any relationship should be.
The couple that never argues over laundry or toilet seats being left up or down. These two have weathered being torn apart, wrongly accused, lied to and driven apart. They’ve cleared someone’s innocent name. He’s protected her or she’s protected them. Or any combination. They’ve fought bigger things than dirty dishes.
But that’s not our reality. We do fight over dirty dishes and toilet seats. And we still have our happy ever endings.
The HEA is what the story and characters dictate. And sometimes that means being together and other times knowing they’re better apart, romantically that is.