Twisted Hate

Jules feels relief at Josh’s coincidental appearance. Max introduces himself as an old friend before departing. Josh seems suspicious of the encounter, as well as jealous. Jules diverts his attention from Max through verbal sparring. Josh pulls her into a nearby supply closet and they have sex, “hard. Brutal. Unrelenting” (187). The mix of adrenaline and arousal is what Jules wants: “no Max. No secrets. No lies. Just ecstasy in its purest, most undiluted form” (188). Josh asks if she feels better before suggesting they head to his house; Jules agrees.

Josh and Jules continue to have sex at his house. He’s disturbed by his desire for Jules and irritation over her “old friend” Max. Jules teases him for being jealous, which infuriates him more. She prepares to leave, but must break the “no sleepovers” rule when a thunderstorm and flash-flood warning ensue. She changes into Josh’s clothes, and they watch Finding Nemo. Josh’s mood shifts, as he and Michael watched the movie for his birthdays. Josh asks Jules about her biological father, and she reveals he left when she was young. By the end of the movie, the rain has stopped and Jules has fallen asleep; Josh allows her to sleep over.

Josh cooks breakfast in the morning, and Jules worries the act is too intimate. He claims the food is for him, yet only takes a few bites before leaving the rest for her. Jules sneaks out while he’s occupied, resisting the urge to steal his comfortable clothes because “that was girlfriend behavior” (203). She then receives a text from Max, containing an explicit photo from her sex tape. She deletes it, feeling sick and wishing she could return to Josh’s house.

Josh stays in the shower until Jules leaves, concerned about their blurring boundaries. During his shift at the ER, he has one of “Those Days” (206): He loses a patient. Today, it’s 17-year-old Tanya, who dies from a T-bone collision with a drunk driver. Josh barely manages to finish the rest of his shift. Needing a distraction, he goes to text Jules but notices she texted him first. He agrees to meet her in the science library on Thayer University’s campus.

When Josh arrives, he verbally spars with Jules, but she doesn’t have the energy to return his retorts. Josh finally admits to losing a patient; Jules reveals vague reasons for her own mood. This oversharing is a violation of their pact and makes them uncomfortable. They sneak into the stacks, and Josh performs oral sex on Jules. He stops her from returning the favor, worried someone might catch them in the act, and instead asks her to be his fake date to the hospital staff picnic next Saturday so his coworkers stop trying to set him up with women; Jules agrees.

Jules attends the hospital staff picnic with Josh. Since the library incident, Jules has failed to fend off inappropriate thoughts of Josh. Clara greets Jules and Josh, and Jules recognizes her as Josh’s companion from the night she got stood up by Todd; her jealousy diminishes when Josh mentions Clara has a girlfriend. Micah, Josh’s coworker, is surprised to learn Jules is in law school based on her appearance, which infuriates her. Josh defends Jules and insists Micah apologize. Jules asks Josh why he became a doctor. Josh wants to help people the way he wasn’t able to help Ava and their mother. Jules assures him that he’s a good brother and doctor. He returns the question, and Jules admits law helps solve people’s problems while giving her financial security. This vulnerability unnerves Jules, because “hating Josh was one of the core pillars of [her] lifestyle” (232). It unnerves Josh too, and they quickly make excuses to go their separate ways.

Jules and Josh, along with their friends, arrive in Athenberg, Eldorra, for Bridget’s wedding. Within an hour, Jules arrives at Josh’s hotel room for sex. Josh agrees, but feels conflicted, as Jules is quickly becoming the “only person [he] could talk to without fearing judgment” (235). Afterward, Josh invites her to stay for a while. Jules will be going clubbing later for Bridget’s bachelorette party and mentions that Alex will be staying behind. Josh tenses, but Jules continues, mentioning how exhausting grudges can be and that it might be time for him to consider forgiveness. Ava visits to grab her backpack, and is suspicious of her brother’s behavior. Josh ushers her away before she realizes Jules is with him.

While the women go clubbing, Josh drinks at the hotel bar. When Alex arrives, Josh hesitantly agrees to let him join. Josh misses his best friend, so when Alex asks to have a real conversation, he allows it. Alex apologizes for betraying Josh’s trust by becoming his friend to get closer to his father and breaking Ava’s heart in the process. He regrets most of his actions, but not the fact that they brought both Josh and Ava into his life. While Josh is still angry, he appreciates Alex’s apology. He then asks Alex about his relationship with Ava. Hearing Alex describe his love for Ava makes Josh realize he feels similarly for Jules, as much as he tries to deny it. Josh receives a call from an unknown number, which turns out to be Ava. She and her friends have been arrested.

Jules, Stella, and Ava have been arrested over a brawl with a group of men, after one made inappropriate advances on Ava in the club. When Josh and Alex come to bail them out, Jules lies, saying a man groped her and she punched him; she knows Alex might overreact if he learns Ava was the one harassed. Witnessing Alex and Ava’s affection toward each other “triggered a longing so fierce and unexpected” (258) in Jules.

Jules receives another threatening text from Max as the group arrives at the hotel and disperses, which worsens her mood. When Josh pulls her aside, Jules braces for a fight about her bad influence on his sister. However, Josh is genuinely concerned for her. She finally brings up his conversation with Ava that she overheard years ago. Josh assures Jules that he made an assumption about her, and his opinion has since changed. She refuses to believe him, because they’ve hated each other for years. They have sex in the middle of their argument, but it doesn’t distract them. Jules pushes Josh away and returns to her room to cry in the shower.