Peter Kavinsky Was Into Lara Jean The Whole Time: An Analysis

Peter Kavinsky Was Into Lara Jean The Whole Time: An Analysis

Literally from the very beginning Peter was… so very obviously into Lara Jean Covey, and so here is like, a moment by moment look into that! (With gifs, because obviously. Credit is in each bullet point, with a hyperlink to the gifsets i got them from!)

1. Literally every time he calls her Covey I just… melt. Soft nicknames that aren’t really nicknames (using a last name insead) is so endearing. this isnt really a Thing™ but i wanted to just … gush about it for a hot second.

2. Literlaly starting in 7th grade, i’d say he noticed her and probably had a mini crush on her. When she spun the bottle and landed on him, he wouldn’t let her spin again. According to LJ, him and Gen “only wanted to kiss each other” but given the chance to kiss her, he took it. Now that may just be 7th grade crush cuteness, but he also remembers the kiss 4 years later, which means it was just as memorable for him as it was for LJ.

3.When he comes up on Gen teasing LJ, he tries to make an excuse for her, and then he checks her out and leaves. We later find out that he actually really liked her outfit and remembered the encounter, and thought the way Gen treated her was shitty. His attempt to go out of his way to linger back and make LJ feel better, and the fact that he totally noticed her outfits and how cute she was BEFORE the letter.

4. When LJ almost runs Peter over with her car, he comes up and stops to talk to her. He could have just rolled his eyes and walked off but instead he comes up and leans in, is decidedly flirty and sweet, with some light teasing. Later we hear Kitty say that “she could tell Peter liked her”,  which… man little sisters right? (Gif Credit: @leagueicons)

5. When he gets the letter, he comes up to her to let her down easy, clarifying the whole time that he’s flattered, that he remembers the kiss, but that “him and Gen are in a weird place”. He never outright tells her he isn’t interested in her, or anything (other than to say it “wasn’t going to happen” which is kinda whatever), which isn’t definitive but I think it’s kind of telling that he isn’t just like “I don’t see you that way” or anything like that.

6. He is then COMPLETELY FLOORED when she Attack Kisses™ him on the track. He just sits there, totally fucking in awe of her. She gets up (and thanks him? God she’s so cute.) and then runs away and he tries to get her to stop and then is just like “holy. Shit.” (Gif Credit: @peraltas-jake)

7. THEN HE GOES TO HER HOUSE? Like boy REALLY wants this to be a conversation, because she LIKES him and he needs clarification, I love a soft boy. But then he’s at the diner and he’s like, almost offended that she DOESN’T like him, and then he finds out she wrote other letters and he’s so ‘curious’ like he has to know who stole her heart? And then he finds out that she wrote love letters to people she loved in elementary school and he’s just WILDLY endeared by her like the look on his face is just like “omg she’s so cute”. AND THEN HE DRIVES HER HOME IM A MESS. his face when she admits it’s her bike is hysterical. He’s just like “oh good lord what am I gonna do with her” (Gif Credit: @hazystrangers)

8. Then he drives her home, and is like… way over invested in whether she likes Josh and she tells him it’s not his problem and he’s like “wait but…” and then SUGGESTS THEY FAKE DATE?!? lol boy is …. already deep in it. And then she goes inside and josh sees and he plays it up before she’s even said anything. I love a protective boy. His little “looks like it” is so SMUG. (Gif Credit: @leagueicons)

9. When she shows up on the lacrosse field and agrees to their crackpot plan, he looks THRILLED and just kisses her? Right there? He just wanted to kiss her so bad you can not convince me otherwise. And then he just lets her be dorky and is so endeared. (Gif Credit: @itsbettyjughead)

10. Then they make a CONTRACT? And she says no kissing and he’s just… so upset. He totally loves smooching her and was excited to keep doing it and was super disappointed when he wasn’t going to get too. Then he immediately says there needs to be some way he can touch her … boy… you LOVE HER. and then they plan a fucking double feature and he pretends to be annoyed but he so isn’t. (Gif Credit: @hufflvpuff)

11. THEN PETER IS SO SOFT AND SINCERE ABOUT OFFERING TO WRITE HER NOTES?? And then he tries to backtrack but boy we see you. And then he says she has to come to parties and stuff, because he wants to spend time with her? And then puts in a “contingency” for the ski trip because you know he was SUPER hopeful that they would be still together. (And then they shake hands and he’s just… enamoured) (Gif Credit: @stydixa)

12. He actually WRITES her notes? Like he could have just been handing her pieces of blank paper but instead he wrote sweet and super specific Little notes about how much he likes her. Boy did NOT have to do that, there was no need to do that.  He noticed her intelligence, he noticed how pretty she was, he talked about their real connection. He wrote her loves notes from day 1.

13. Um he’s super nice and sweet with her little sister which was entirely unnecessary to their fake dating but it was certainly a good way to impress her I mean idk just a thought

14. HAND. IN. BUTT. POCKET. SPIN. (Gif Credit: @herbookstacks)

15. He writes her ACTUAL notes?? I’m sorry i literally cannot get past this. he wrote her actual love notes.

16. His little soft check in about seeing her later after he gives her the note? He is just so sweet and soft and concerned about her. Like boy YOU LOVE HER. we see it. (Gif Credit: @clarklois)

17. He’s also nice to her dad, see number 13

18. He wants her to go to that party so bad, i die, and then when he gets her there he just… is so pleased and happy. (Gif Credit: @pearlmackie)

19. Ummmm he takes her scrunchie because her likes her hair down? And puts it on his wrist? And takes photos of her? And makes them his phone background? Boy did NOT have to go all in on the details but he was FULLY committed. Plus he’s just so… sweet with her at the party, urging her on and bringing her drinks and taking selfies with her. (Gif Credit: @detectivejulesohara, and yes i used two because… the scrunchie moment kills me)

20. (He is also pretty wildly annoyed with Gen every time they interact, including leaving the party almost immediately after she accosts him in the bathroom)

21. He leaves the party kinda early, and takes her to get food, and then spends the whole time just trying to get to know her and complimenting her. Like fake dating does not require post public outing bonding, peter my dear. And they talk about his dad and her mom, and about her fears, it’s so soft, and his just direct willingness to try and open up to her and talk about real stuff is lovely. He feels safe with her.

22. He remembers that someone else asked her to homecoming a YEAR ago, like he paid attention to her before any of this.

23. He is wildly endeared that she seems comfortable being with him even though she’s scared of love, like for a second he forgot they were just faking. (Gif Credit: @leagueicons )

24. When LJ tells him they’re just pretending he is visibly upset, enough so that LJ notices it. Him forgetting + him being upset when she reminds him? Incredible. (Gif Credit: @leagueicons)

25. I’m sorry but … movie nights with her sister? Dinner with his family? IF THEY’RE FAKE DATING WHY DID THEY NEED TO DO ALL OF THAT?

26. He’s so concerned when his mom slips up about her mom, and then they have such a deep and lovely conversation about their parents and he just… feels so comfortable with her? He just opens up with her and you know he wouldn’t do that if he didn’t actually like… love her. He’s also so intent on making sure he’s there for her when it comes to stuff about her mom. He’s so present and he’s so sincere.  

27. He always seems like he wants to touch her. He’s always sort of awkward but very close to her whenever they’re together. (Gif Credit: @sunshineonacl0udyday)

28. Their fight pre-ski trip is just PACKED with Peter Loves Lara Jean vibes. He’s like… jealous Lite when he sees her with Josh, and then he just… won’t let her break up with him. He wants her to come on the trip, he wants them to be together, but he just can’t seem to get it out there. As SOON as she starts talking about ending it he freaks out and tries to stop her. (Gif Credit: @jackpearscn)

29. We find out about all the bus stuff when we find out that he really likes her, but the preparation for that had to have taken a while. Trips all the way across town, talking to kitty in private to get the info he needed, buying snacks for them. He really had feelings well before the trip and was going to make an effort to put it out there on the trip before it got weird.

30. He’s also a little salty that she wasn’t being sweet with him, I love the line in the hot tub when he says “what am I supposed to be sweet to you when you just don’t sit with me on the bus ride up here”. Like he really wanted this weekend with her and is so sad that he didn’t get it, but is so thrilled when she showed up at the hot tub. Boy made so much effort for this girl, it’s lovely. (Gif Credit: @benswhishaw​)

BONUS: Excuse me but… when were they NAPPING together to get that photo? Napping together is so not a Fake Dating requirement.

There’s also all the hot tub stuff, but that’s when we find out he really likes her so there’s no need to Go point by point after that, but THAT LOOK HE GIVES HER IS DEVASTATING. Boy has been strung out since day one. “There’s no one like you Covey” END MY LIFE. He just didn’t want to stop kissing her I can’t handle it.

This has been a scene by scene analysis of how our Soft Boy Peter Kavinsky has been into Lara Jean Covey since the beginning, and all the signs were there.