The Kissing Booth 2 (2020) Ending Explained – Final Scene & Meaning

Noah and Chloe reunite because Chloe finally admits her feelings for him. After seeing Ellie's betrayal with Marco and realizing that Noah was genuinely hurt, Chloe decides to stop competing and instead encourages Noah to fight for Ellie. However, when Noah goes to the airport to find Ellie, Chloe goes with him. The movie then cuts to them embracing in a romantic garden, suggesting Chloe confessed her feelings and Noah reciprocated, choosing Chloe over waiting for Ellie.

Foreshadowing: Chloe's earlier jealousy and her persistent presence throughout the movie hinted at her deeper feelings for Noah.

• noah
• chloe
• reunion
• breakup
• love triangle

Ellie's romantic choice is left unresolved in the ending. She rushes to the airport to stop Noah but arrives too late. The final scene shows Noah with Chloe instead. When asked about her college decisions, Ellie lies and says she's on the waitlist for both Harvard and Berkeley, keeping her options open. Her final choice between Noah and Marco, and which college, remains ambiguous, setting up the story for The Kissing Booth 3.

Foreshadowing: The recurring theme of uncertainty and Ellie's tendency to avoid difficult decisions foreshadows her inability to commit.

• ellie
• noah
• marco
• ending
• love triangle
• sequel

Ellie lies about being on the waitlist for both Harvard and Berkeley because she cannot face the consequences of her choices. She promised Lee they would go to the same college together, but secretly applied to Harvard. She's also torn between her feelings for Noah (Harvard) and her friendship with Lee (Berkeley). By lying, she avoids admitting the truth to both Lee and herself, maintaining the status quo while she figures out what she really wants.

Foreshadowing: Ellie's secret Harvard application earlier in the film establishes her pattern of hiding important truths.

• harvard
• berkeley
• college
• lie
• acceptance
• future

Ellie rushes to the airport to stop Noah before he leaves for Harvard, hoping to confess her feelings and fix their relationship. However, she arrives too late, Noah has already left. Chloe had told Ellie that Noah left for the kissing booth, which was a misunderstanding or deliberate misdirection, causing Ellie to miss her chance to reach him in time.

Foreshadowing: The mounting tension between Ellie and Noah throughout the film builds to this climactic missed connection.

• airport
• noah
• confession
• miss
• chase

Finding Chloe's earring under Noah's bed triggers Ellie's jealousy and insecurity. It suggests Chloe has been in Noah's room, though the movie never explicitly confirms what happened. This discovery fuels Ellie's emotional distance from Noah and contributes to her growing attraction to Marco, who has been supportive during this difficult time.

Foreshadowing: Chloe's earlier visits to Noah's dorm and her lingering glances hint at her continued interest in him.

• earring
• chloe
• noah
• evidence
• jealousy
• suspicion

Lee and Ellie do reconcile after their heated argument about the secret Harvard application. They apologize and promise to support each other no matter what colleges they attend. However, the emotional damage from her betrayal lingers, and their friendship remains strained heading into the ending. The reconciliation shows maturity but doesn't fully heal the wound.

Foreshadowing: Their earlier promise to attend college together made Lee's hurt betrayal feel more significant.

• lee
• harvard
• forgiveness
• friendship
• argument
• promise

Chloe's motivations are complex. She genuinely cares for both Noah and Ellie as friends. When she sees Noah hurting from Ellie's betrayal with Marco, she decides to stop competing for his affection and instead encourages him to fight for what he has with Ellie. However, when that fails and Noah leaves for the airport, Chloe goes with him and ultimately decides to confess her own feelings, leading to their reunion.

Foreshadowing: Chloe's conflicted behavior throughout the film, torn between loyalty and her own feelings, prepares for this resolution.

• chloe
• noah
• ellie
• friendship
• jealousy
• confession

The ambiguous ending reflects the film's theme of growing up and facing uncertain choices. Ellie hasn't resolved whether she wants to pursue her relationship with Noah, explore things with Marco, or focus on her academic future. By lying about the waitlist, she's delaying accountability. This leaves her journey incomplete, emphasizing that sometimes in life, decisions aren't made neatly and consequences must be faced later.

Foreshadowing: The recurring motif of Ellie's indecision and fear of commitment builds toward this unresolved conclusion.

• ambiguous ending
• choice
• growing up
• uncertainty
• future

Ellie and Lee reconcile after their argument about the secret Harvard application, but their friendship remains strained. They promise to support each other regardless of which colleges they attend. At the charity fair, Ellie helps Lee and Rachel get back together, showing their bond is still strong. However, the betrayal and the open-ended conclusion leave their future friendship uncertain, depending on what choices Ellie makes next.

Foreshadowing: The foundation of their childhood friendship, tested throughout the film, reaches a fragile state by the ending.

• lee
• friendship
• reconciliation
• promise
• harvard
• berkeley

Ellie kisses Marco because her feelings for him have grown genuine, and Noah's apparent betrayal with Chloe (based on the earring and phone evidence) has created emotional distance between them. Marco has been supportive and attentive throughout her senior year, making her question whether her feelings for Noah are still strong enough. The kiss is a turning point that forces her to confront her conflicted emotions.

Foreshadowing: Ellie's growing closeness with Marco during dance practices and study sessions builds to this moment.

• marco
• kiss
• dance competition
• feelings
• betrayal
• turning point

The movie never confirms whether Ellie's claim of being on waitlists for both Harvard and Berkeley is true or another lie. She's already been accepted to Berkeley with Lee, and her Harvard application was secret. The lie could be a way to buy time, or it could be true, the ambiguity is intentional. This uncertainty sets up the central conflict for The Kissing Booth 3, where Ellie must eventually make a concrete decision about her future.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish that Ellie was accepted to Berkeley early in the application process.

• waitlist
• harvard
• berkeley
• acceptance
• lie
• college