I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that for a lot of people, the best thing about a fictional romance is the build-up. For me, the longer the build-up, the slower the burn, the more y e a r n i n g I get to read, the more I squeal when the couple finally gets together. That’s why I think enemies-to-lovers is a prime element of a satisfying romance: there’s so much potential for angst, and the pure joy when the couple gets together is unrivaled!
Enemies-to-lovers is a popular trope in books, television and film, in which two people on opposite sides of an issue begin to catch feelings for each other. Picture Romeo and Juliet, but instead of them falling instantly in love, the people in an enemies-to-lovers story start out disliking each other before realizing they just can’t resist the ways the other person makes them feel complete (*heart eyes*).
Enemies-to-lovers is a popular trope, and while I think it is peak romance, there are restrictions: for an enemies-to-lovers relationship to work, there need to be some limits to the degree of animosity two characters feel for each other, as well as the actions one character takes against another before the romance begins. For example, my family owns a small bakery and your family runs a massive cookie corporation that’s trying to put us out of business is a fertile opportunity for development, growth and cookie-scented love, but you came in and raided my village and now I’m literally your slave is not only unromantic, but it’s also abusive and harmful to young readers who might be influenced by this type of romance being portrayed as healthy. Basically, what I’m saying is that enemies-to-lovers is risky because there are a lot of ways to use this trope to promote unhealthy relationship standards, but when used correctly, my god can it be just about the most romantic stuff you’ll ever wish would happen to you.
Now, to get to my point: I’ve compiled a list of why, exactly, the enemies-to-lovers trope can be so successful when done correctly. Prepare to be blown away by the hypotheticals of a prime romance.
The witty banter
Listen, nothing makes two people more clever than a burning hatred and attraction towards each other. You can tell two enemies are destined to become lovers based on the ways they roast the shit out of each other when they first meet. It’s an excellent way for two characters to build up a rapport, and leads to…
The sexual tension
There’s a thin line between love and hate, and that line is danced on by enemies-to-lovers characters. The witty banter is just the beginning, as these two characters constantly find themselves drawn to each other. Because of their opposing positions, the characters are often forced together by circumstances, which presents the perfect opportunity for tension as they begrudgingly realize they like each other’s faces, and is an excellent chance for both characters to learn about the other’s point of view, developing begrudging respect for each other that they hate to acknowledge because it feels like a betrayal. That’s when you get…
The denial
“There’s no way I could love Damian, he’s pompous and arrogant and handsome and hilarious and always smells like cookies—but his family is running mine out of business! There’s no way I could ever fall for anyone that spoiled who understands me like no one else does!”
Honestly, this is The Best, when you in the audience can see all the ways they’re slowly falling for each other but neither of them will acknowledge it because it goes against everything they believe in. Sure, they’re spending a lot of time together, and yes, they make each other feel things no one has ever made them feel, but they hate each other—don’t they? And then when they finally realize they’re in love, it’s always in a dramatic explosion of emotion that just *clenches fist* gets me right in the feels every time. But of course, since it’s forbidden, this leads to…
The y e a r n i n g
“Yes, okay, maybe I do love Michelle, but, no, don’t be ridiculous, it’s impossible she feels the same way about me! Our company is putting her family’s bakery out of business! How could she ever forgive me for that?”
Ugh, it’s just so angsty and good! Here you really get to see all the ways the two characters are soft for each other, though they try to hide it because they assume the other person could never feel the same way, and that’s when someone else sees their love and decides to take advantage of it, causing…
The betrayal that’s not really a betrayal
OH MY GOD, THIS IS MY FAVOURITE PART. Okay, so the characters are being all soft towards each other, bonding and sharing cookie recipes and just when they think the other person might share their feelings, BOOM! Plot twist! Michelle was actually spying on Damian to learn secrets that would cause his family’s company to have to close their store, leaving her family’s little bakery to survive. Oh, the betrayal! The angst! Damian is so hurt, because he was working to find a way to keep her family in business, and now Michelle’s betrayed him!
Often this is a misunderstanding: either they originally agreed to spy but stopped once they fell in love with the other person, or they were never really a spy, but someone on their side manipulated them into betraying the other person and then reveals that betrayal for Maximum Emotional Destruction. Of course, the betrayer is devastated, and tries to make up with the other person, which brings us to…
The angst-filled confession
“It was before I knew you! It was—it was before I fell in love with you!”
This is the perfect type of romance for a dramatic fight in the rain, where the characters finally scream their love to each other but it’s too late, they’ve been torn apart by their families, by their own distrust for each other, by the inevitability of their opposing sides. It seems like it’s too late. They love each other, but love isn’t enough to save them when things are bigger than the two of them. Luckily for us, this is a romance, not a tragedy, and so we get…
The reconciliation
There’s always a dramatic gesture. The betrayer either goes against their family or finds a way to restore the balance and allow the two opposing sides to live in peace. Or, if peace isn’t an option, they turn their back on their side, choosing love over hate. And in a dramatic show of how love conquers all, the two manage to find their way back to each other, the bakery is saved and both families come together to bake a wedding cake in the shape of a giant cookie.
The End.
Okay, yes, this article got away from me a little bit, but can’t you see the potential? The sheer romantic promise that comes from two people who hate each other too much to ever be together, except that deep down they don’t hate each other at all? Ugh, it’s just perfect.
(Also, no one steal my competing bakeries idea, Damian and Michelle are MINE.)
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