Tropes Athena & Caleb fall under

1. Second Chance Romance
This is the primary engine of the script. After a four-year separation following a mysterious and abrupt breakup, the two are forced back into each other's lives. The tension comes from resolving the "unfinished business" of their past.

2. Forced Proximity
By hiring Athena to plan his wedding to another woman (Lily), Caleb creates a situation where they must spend hours together discussing flowers, venues, and vows. This "workplace" setting forces them to confront their lingering feelings under the guise of professional necessity.

3. Right Person, Wrong Time
Their initial 2017 meeting on a sidewalk is framed as a "meet-cute" where the chemistry is instant, but external circumstances and misunderstandings eventually pull them apart, suggesting that they were always meant for each other but needed to grow before they could truly be together.

4. The "One That Got Away"
Throughout his engagement to Lily, Caleb is haunted by the memory of Athena. This is highlighted by him keeping sentimental items, like the 2006 Daughtry CD she gave him, symbolizing that he never truly moved on.

5. The "Runaway Groom" (Emotional & Literal)
Caleb fulfills this trope when he realizes during the rehearsal dinner that he cannot go through with the wedding. His decision to choose Athena over a safe, expected marriage provides the story’s climactic emotional payoff.

6. Grumpy vs. Sunshine (Subverted)
Initially, Athena plays a "grumpier," more guarded role due to her heartbreak, while Caleb attempts to use his wit to break down her walls. As the story progresses, they balance each other out, eventually reaching a point of mutual vulnerability.



  
Character Profiles
Athena Thorpe: The Romantic Professional
Athena is a determined and organized wedding planner who, despite her cynical start following a painful breakup, remains a "closet romantic."

Traits: Ambitious, nostalgic, and emotionally resilient. She is a "Type A" personality when it comes to her career, which contrasts with the chaos of her personal feelings for Caleb.

Motivation: She seeks professional success to prove she can handle the industry that reminds her of her greatest heartbreak.

Caleb Stewart: The Charming "Endgame"
Caleb is depicted as a witty, sincere, and somewhat impulsive man who realizes too late that he let "the one" get away.

Traits: Charismatic, observant, and persistent. He is someone who values deep connection over the superficial expectations of his family or social circle.

Motivation: His journey is one of correction—moving from a hollow engagement with Lily to fighting for the genuine love he shared with Athena.

Key Tropes
The story utilizes several popular tropes to drive their narrative arc:

1. Second Chance Romance
This is the primary engine of the script. After a four-year separation following a mysterious and abrupt breakup, the two are forced back into each other's lives. The tension comes from resolving the "unfinished business" of their past.

2. Right Person, Wrong Time
Their initial 2017 meeting on a sidewalk is framed as a "meet-cute" where the chemistry is instant, but external circumstances and misunderstandings eventually pull them apart, suggesting that they were always meant for each other but needed to grow before they could truly be together.

3. Forced Proximity
By hiring Athena to plan his wedding to another woman (Lily), Caleb creates a situation where they must spend hours together discussing flowers, venues, and vows. This "workplace" setting forces them to confront their lingering feelings under the guise of professional necessity.

4. The "One That Got Away"
Throughout his engagement to Lily, Caleb is haunted by the memory of Athena. This is highlighted by him keeping sentimental items, like the 2006 Daughtry CD she gave him, symbolizing that he never truly moved on.

5. The "Runaway Groom" (Emotional & Literal)
Caleb fulfills this trope when he realizes during the rehearsal dinner that he cannot go through with the wedding. His decision to choose Athena over a safe, expected marriage provides the story’s climactic emotional payoff.

6. Grumpy vs. Sunshine (Subverted)
Initially, Athena plays a "grumpier," more guarded role due to her heartbreak, while Caleb attempts to use his wit to break down her walls. As the story progresses, they balance each other out, eventually reaching a point of mutual vulnerability.

Athena Thorpe

Backstreet Boys: While waiting for a client at a cake tasting, Athena tries to entertain herself by humming along to a Backstreet Boys song.

Wicked (Musical): Athena has a "Wicked Broadway poster" in her bedroom, which she looks at fondly after a friendly text exchange with Caleb.

Tres Leches Cake: When discussing her professional role in cake tastings, she mentions that while she generally dislikes cake, she does like Tres leches.

Caleb Stewart
Daughtry: Caleb is a significant fan of the band Daughtry. He keeps a 2006 Daughtry album on his living room bookshelf. It is revealed that Athena originally surprised him with this CD as a gift when they were dating because she knew he would love it.

Shared Dislikes
Devil's Food Cake: Both Athena and Caleb notably dislike Devil's food cake. This becomes a point of tension (and secret amusement for Athena) during a tasting where Caleb's then-fiancée, Lily, insists on choosing it for their wedding, despite Caleb's clear disgust.



  
While they share some of the friction found in the enemies-to-lovers trope, the core of their story is built on a different dynamic:

Why they aren't traditional "Enemies To Lovers"

1. A Foundation of Love: In a true enemies-to-lovers story, the characters start with genuine dislike or opposing goals. Athena and Caleb, however, started with a "meet-cute" in 2017 and were deeply in love before their breakup.

2. The "Secret" Longing: Even when they are at odds, both characters still harbor deep feelings for each other. Athena keeps old photos and his number, and Caleb keeps the Daughtry CD she gave him.

3. Lack of Malice: Neither character wants to hurt the other. Their conflict arises from the awkward and painful situation of Caleb hiring his ex-girlfriend to plan his wedding to someone else.

Tropes that fit them better
Second Chance Romance: This is their defining trope. They are two people who were once "everything" to each other, lost their way for four years, and are forced to rediscover why they fell in love in the first place.

Exes to Lovers: They navigate the "ex" phase throughout the book and script, moving from the bitterness of the past back into a romantic relationship.

The "One That Got Away": The script & book frames their separation as a mistake (largely due to the letter sent by Caleb's brother, Iago), making their reunion feel like destiny correcting a wrong.

Forced Proximity: They are "enemies" only in the sense that their professional roles (Wedding Planner vs. Groom) put them in an uncomfortable, high-stakes environment that creates natural tension.

The "Enemies" Element (The Bittersweet Friction)
There is a slight "enemies" flavor at the beginning of the planning process because Athena is understandably guarded and resentful about how things ended. She uses a professional mask to keep Caleb at a distance, and their early banter has a sharp, biting edge. However, this is "hurt to lovers" rather than "enemies to lovers"—the friction comes from a place of broken hearts rather than genuine animosity.





How *Wicked* helped inspire me for the plot in *EX-Wedding Planer.* 

Fiyero is engaged to Glinda (Galinda), the popular, beautiful, and "perfect" blonde who is the darling of Oz.

Caleb is engaged to Lily, a woman whose parents are wealthy and influential, and whose wedding is treated as a major social event (held at The Plaza).

In both cases, these engagements are more about social performance and "doing what is expected" than genuine emotional connection.

2. Seeing Beyond the Surface
Fiyero is famously "brainless" (or pretends to be) until he meets Elphaba and realizes there is more to life than appearances. Caleb undergoes a similar transformation.

Fiyero is the only one who truly "sees" Elphaba and appreciates her for her mind and her green skin, rather than fearing her.

Caleb is the only one who truly understands Athena’s "closet romantic" nature and her professional drive. He remembers the small details—like her hatred for Devil's Food cake—while his actual fiancée, Lily, remains oblivious to his own preferences.

3. The Moral Awakening and the "Runaway" Groom
Both men reach a breaking point where they can no longer live a lie for the sake of comfort or family pressure.

Fiyero ultimately abandons his post and his status to run away with Elphaba, choosing a life as an outcast over a hollow life as a prince.

Caleb chooses the rehearsal dinner—the moment of maximum social pressure—to announce he cannot marry Lily. Like Fiyero, he accepts the fallout (promising to pay back the angry parents) to pursue the woman he actually loves.

4. Shared Wit and Charm
Both characters lead with a specific type of playful, self-deprecating humor.

Fiyero’s introduction involves his "Life of the Party" attitude and witty banter.

Caleb’s very first interaction with Athena (the "meet-cute") is defined by his wit. When Athena accidentally finishes his sentence, he immediately uses humor to put her at ease, saying it’s a "big turn on."

5. The Symbolism of *Wicked*
The script explicitly links the two through the Wicked Broadway poster in Athena's room. Because Athena is a fan of the show, Caleb effectively steps into the "Fiyero" role in her life—the man who was "spoken for" by a Glinda-like figure (Lily) but ultimately realizes that his "endgame" is the woman who challenged him and knew his heart.



How Athena & Elphaba are similiar. 
In the context of the story *EX-Wedding Planner,* Athena Thorpe and Elphaba share several character parallels that explain why Athena might find the musical Wicked so resonant.

1. The "Misunderstood" Professional
Both women are highly competent in their fields but are often misunderstood or judged by those around them.

Elphaba is a brilliant sorceress whose talents and intentions are constantly misread by society and the Wizard, leading her to be labeled as "wicked" when she is actually following her conscience.

Athena is a top-tier wedding planner who has to maintain a cold, professional exterior. After her heartbreak, she is perceived as cynical or "all business," but deep down, she is a "closet romantic" who still believes in the magic of love, despite the walls she has built.

2. Guarded Hearts and Vulnerability
Both characters use a "tough" exterior as a defense mechanism against a world that has hurt them.

Elphaba uses her sharp wit and aloofness to protect herself from the rejection she faces due to her appearance and her power.

Athena uses her career and her strictly professional demeanor to avoid getting hurt again. She tries to treat Caleb as "just another client" to prevent her true feelings from surfacing, much like Elphaba tries to resist her feelings for Fiyero because she doesn't believe she is the type of girl who gets the "prince."

3. Integrity Over Convenience
A defining trait for both women is their refusal to take the easy way out when it comes to their values.

Elphaba refuses to work with the Wizard once she realizes he is a fraud, even though it costs her her reputation and her safety.

Athena maintains her professional integrity throughout the planning of Caleb and Lily's wedding, even though it is emotionally agonizing for her. She does her job perfectly, not for the money, but because she takes pride in her work and her word.

4. The "Outsider" in the Romance
In their respective stories, both women start as the "outsider" looking in on a more conventional, socially accepted couple.

Elphaba watches from the sidelines as Fiyero and Glinda are positioned as the "perfect" couple.

Athena is literally the architect of the wedding for the "perfect" couple (Caleb and Lily), forced to facilitate a union between her soulmate and another woman.

5. The "Endgame" Transformation
Ultimately, both characters find their power by embracing their true selves and the person who truly sees them.

Elphaba finds freedom when she stops trying to fit into Oz's expectations and accepts Fiyero’s love.

Athena’s arc concludes with her letting down her guard and finally speaking her truth during her own vows, moving from the woman who was "left behind" to the woman who is "the endgame."

By keeping a *Wicked* poster in her room, Athena identifies with a protagonist who is unconventional, fiercely intelligent, and eventually finds a deep, soul-level connection with someone who looked past the "popular" choice to find her.

Plus Thropp and Thorpe are similar last names and in the book cover there is a green & pink theme.



This book did start out as a Reylo fqnfic but I was also inspired by my all time favorite musical and films. 

Fun facts about my book EX-Wedding Planner