Not to mention, if you sacrifice Chloe as roughly 50% of people did, Chloe never sees Max again... so how can she be the beauty yet to come?
Exactly. The fire and the stars can be read as two metaphors for the same relationship. Like William says, fire can blind you to the world around you, in the same way as, say, the infatuation stage of a new relationship with someone who comes along and changes your whole life. The brain chemistry of people in that stage of a relationship is similar to that of people high on cocaine (a catchy pop song can invoke the same response in the brain, oddly enough. Brains are weird). The other side of that is that fire is cleansing; it clears away old growth in a forest, and some things literally can’t grow without it, but it’s difficult to control where it spreads, and can be dangerous if you get too close.
But stars are also burning. The difference is that we have a healthy enough distance from them that we can admire them without getting destroyed. Once you’re past that initial infatuation stage, the relationship gets put in perspective. Rachel and Chloe’s relationship is growing as they learn more about each other, and the fire is forging them closer together. After a certain point, your eyes adjust and you can see the bigger picture. Love isn’t just a raging inferno; it can also be a quiet night under the stars.
I actually really like Max and what she brings to the story, but that metaphor isn’t about her.