Funny Story

Peter pulls Daphne aside to speak with her privately while Miles waits at his truck. Peter tells Daphne that Miles isn’t a good person and that his family doesn’t talk to him. Though Daphne admits internally that she barely knows Miles, she tells Peter he’s an “asshat” and storms away. She meets Miles at the car, and as she makes certain Peter is watching, she asks if she can kiss him. At first, the kiss is awkward, but it quickly turns passionate, and Daphne momentarily forgets about Peter as she sinks into Miles’s passionate embrace.

Back at the apartment, sensing the tension, Daphne tells Miles what Peter said about him, and she can tell it hurts him. Miles admits he doesn’t have a good relationship with his parents but is close to his sister, which is all that matters to him. Daphne hugs Miles and enjoys the closeness that comes with comforting him, but she can’t stop thinking about their kiss. They both share how Petra’s and Peter’s perfect families drew them in because they longed to be a part of something stable and complete. Daphne is an only child though she’s not sure her dad doesn’t have children with other women, and her mother never dated after the divorce. She spent all her free time when she wasn’t working with Daphne. Miles wants to know more about Daphne, but she admits feeling lost: “I guess all you need to know is how blank my mind just went” (125). Miles isn’t much of a reader since he has dyslexia, but he wants to understand how books became essential to Daphne’s life. She explains that she fell in love with stories after reading The Chronicles of Narnia and loves the escape books provide.

Daphne can no longer deny her intense attraction to Miles, and she longs to touch and kiss him again. He takes her dune-buggy riding on the beach, which she finds terrifying but thrilling. Afterward, they shop the farmstands and return to the apartment to make pizza. When tasting the pizza, she moans, which delights Miles. Daphne showers and wears her silk pajamas to the table, and she can see Miles notices. After eating, they watch a cheesy action movie that Peter would have never wanted to watch and make plans to do other things they’d never have done with their exes.

On her scheduled call with her mother, Daphne shares about her new friendship with Ashleigh, but she doesn’t tell her about Miles, her “rebound crush.” Daphne’s mother offers again for Daphne to move back in with her or help her with money so she can get a place. Daphne refuses to accept her mom’s help and intends to make it alone. Later, she and Miles have another action movie date, and Daphne notes how the film’s lead characters are opposites, but their partnership works. Miles jokes and notes how much he enjoys hearing her genuine laugh. They banter flirtatiously, and Miles playfully pins Daphne by the wrists on the floor. The mood shifts, and she begins to caress his arms, and soon they are kissing. She says to him that it’s too soon to have sex, but things heat up quickly, and soon, he is unbuttoning her shirt and touching her breasts. They move to the couch, and Daphne knows she won’t be able to resist having sex with him. Miles’s phone rings, but he ignores it as they undress. When the phone rings again, he sees it’s his sister, Julia, and worries something is wrong. He apologizes, but the moment is over, and Daphne gets dressed.

Miles’s little sister has surprised him and showed up to comfort him after the breakup. He explains to Daphne that Julia is 23 and impulsive and asks her to let him know if she’s uncomfortable with Julia staying with them. Miles thinks hooking up is a mistake and might ruin their friendship, but internally, Daphne wants nothing more than to sleep with him. While prepping for their guest, Daphne thinks about how her mother was always a good hostess, even after the divorce. Daphne’s friends always enjoyed staying at her apartment, but once they moved around a lot, the sleepovers became fewer and far between. Eventually, Daphne gave up trying to make friends until she met Sadie in college. After bonding over a shared love of Jane Austen, the pair became inseparable, but Daphne remained introverted. Sadie’s friends became her friends, and “I rarely had to make my own friends or score my own invitations” (152). Daphne fell into her mother’s pattern of being the perfect party host.

Julia enters the apartment like a whirlwind and asks how long they’ve been together. Petra told her about the relationship, but Daphne tells her that she created their fake relationship. Daphne likes Julia’s energy and spunk but turns down her offer to go out and get drunk. Miles says they can’t because Daphne has story time the following day, and Julia says she is coming. Miles also reminds Daphne about their scheduled dinner with Ashleigh on Sunday night, and her heart leaps at the idea that he not only remembered but is looking forward to it. Julia insists that Miles shave his beard, claiming he’s much hotter without it, and Daphne pretends to like it.

Julia and Miles attend story time on Saturday, and Miles has shaved his beard. Daphne thinks it makes him even more handsome, and she knows his new look will make it harder for her not to fantasize about him. While Miles entertains flirty moms, Daphne talks to Julia alone and asks if he’s always been this easygoing. She says yes and that he’s the opposite of their “asshole parents.” The small revelation makes Daphne consider that Julia might be the key to better understanding Miles. Miles introduces Julia to Ashleigh, and they all plan to go to a bar the next night.

Daphne wakes up before sunrise the following day to go kayaking with Miles. When he’s late, she remembers all the times she waited for her dad, who never showed up. Miles arrives back from the coffee shop after remembering that she loves chai. Daphne loves kayaking but feels embarrassed that she’s not physically strong enough and can’t keep up with Miles. While paddling, Daphne shares that when she was little, her father didn’t have much money and would often take her to the library when he visited. Since then, books and the library have reminded her of the good times they shared. They forbid each other from mentioning their exes, but Daphne accidentally mentions Peter, and Miles playfully tips her from the kayak into the water. Daphne pulls Miles into the water, and soon, they’re floating together, their legs touching and fingers intertwined. They playfully joke about snooping in one another’s drawers.

Julia, Ashleigh, Daphne, and Miles go to “BARn,” a bar tucked into an actual barn complete with a petting zoo. Julia is enamored with the country-chic atmosphere, and they all enjoy drinks and dinner from the food trucks parked outside. A group of women at a bachelorette party give Miles a glowstick necklace, and Daphne teases him for catching their eye with his newly shaved face. There’s palpable sexual tension between them as Miles finds ways to touch her hands and waist on the dance floor, and they banter flirtatiously.

Ashleigh notices the spark between them and asks Daphne the next day if she and Miles are sleeping together. Daphne confesses to their one-time hook-up but explains that she doesn’t want to start anything because she’s looking for a new job. Ashleigh understands her reasons but is sad that Daphne is considering moving just as they are becoming closer friends. She encourages Daphne not to let the possibility of leaving stop her from dating Miles. Sadie’s abandonment of her is still painful, but Daphne enjoys the new friendship she’s building with Ashleigh and boldly asks her why she got divorced. Ashleigh shares that she and Duke grew apart after their son Mulder was born. She wanted a more adventurous life, but Duke was happy with the status quo. The final straw was his refusal to attend therapy with her, citing that he didn’t talk about his problems with strangers. Ashleigh’s friends don’t understand her reasons for the divorce, but she appreciates Daphne’s empathy and declares them “official friends” after they both share their secrets.

Daphne runs into Miles in the apartment as he is leaving to pick up Julia from a date, a guy she met at BARn. Miles says he must cancel their Sunday plans because he has to attend something on Saturday night, but he wants Daphne to come with him. Fearful of her growing attraction, Daphne says no because she has Read-a-thon work to complete. Later, when alone, Daphne scrolls social media and sees Peter and Petra visiting Sadie and Cooper in Virginia. She feels sickened that Petra has replaced her and that she and Peter are doing everything Daphne and Peter once did together. She texts Miles and says she can go on Saturday.

Ashleigh takes Daphne to her weekly poker match at Harvey’s house, where Barb and Lenore are. Harvey is in his seventies, but Ashleigh has known him since childhood. Ashleigh’s stepmother, Adara, whom her mother married after her divorce, was the priest at Harvey’s church. She died five years ago from stomach cancer, and everyone agrees that they miss her dearly. After Adara’s death, Ashleigh’s mom moved to Sedona. Ashleigh misses her, and Daphne understands deeply. Daphne is terrible at poker but has a beautiful time with the group and wonders if she could make a comfortable life in Waning Bay. As they wait for their cab home, Daphne thanks Ashleigh for inviting her and being her friend. Ashleigh calls Daphne “a we-girl,” meaning she must be part of a pair or group to do something. Daphne knows she’s right and wants to be more of an “I.”

Daphne wears her engagement party dress again, and Miles keeps their destination a secret until they arrive. It’s a “senior prom”—themed fundraiser for the historical society, and most of the attendees are senior citizens. Miles had initially planned to take Petra, but he invited Daphne, thinking it would be an opportunity for her to gain sponsors for the Read-a-thon. Just as they get a drink, Miles and Daphne spot Peter and Petra arriving, looking like movie stars. They contemplate leaving but decide to stay and enjoy pretending to be a couple.

Seeing Miles at the fundraiser reveals to Daphne how much everyone in town likes him. Through his connections, Daphne makes several new friends with local business owners who pledge to support the library programs. They inevitably run into Peter and Petra, who are uncomfortable with the interaction. Peter and Petra make jokes about Daphne dating her roommate and add a dig about Miles being a bartender and her just a plain librarian. Miles calls Daphne a “hot librarian” and kisses her passionately before sweeping her onto the dance floor. While they dance, Miles says he never felt like he could live up to Petra and her family’s expectations. Daphne concedes that Peter is correct in calling her boring, but Miles says he can tell Peter is jealous. He dips and kisses her again, longer so that Peter can watch. Overcome by her intense feelings for Miles, Daphne runs away.

Miles follows and agrees to take her home but knows something else is wrong. When he pushes her to tell the truth, she bolts from the truck and confesses that she feels confused by their relationship. After they hooked up, he told her he didn’t want to start anything, but he kept kissing her, and she thought he was doing it to make Petra jealous. Miles hugs her around the waist, kisses her, and tells her he always wants to kiss her, not just when Petra is around. They return to the truck, and Daphne removes her dress as they whisper what they want. Just before they have sex, Miles stops claiming that he doesn’t want to complicate their situation further. He confesses that he’s never been good at relationships because of his childhood. His mother was cruel and verbally abused him and Julia. He’s always felt guilty for leaving home and abandoning Julia to endure the abuse alone. Even though Daphne tells Miles that Julia told her how kind he always was to her and how he helped her escape, he still blames himself for his sister’s trauma. Daphne realizes that Miles isn’t emotionally healthy enough to start a new relationship and concedes that she needs to be his friend.