Twisted Hate: An Enemies with Benefits Romance

services to the building’s owner every month to make up for their ridiculously
cheap rent and finding none, we signed on the dotted line.
Pam signed after us, and it was done.
We were officially tenants of The Mirage, effective in five weeks.
Unreal.

---

“I’m glad we could make it work.” A half-smile touched Christian’s
mouth. “I have a meeting I’m running late for, so I’ll leave you in Pam’s
capable hands. I’m sure I’ll see you both around.” He slid a brief glance in
Stella’s direction before leaving.
After his tall, lean frame disappeared into the hall, Pam released a sharp
sigh. “Congratulations,” she said tightly. “You just secured one of the city’s
most coveted apartments for pennies.”
“Lady Luck has always smiled on me.” It wasn’t true, but it was worth
seeing her eye twitch.
We exited the apartment and rode the elevator down to the lobby in
silence. Once we hit the ground floor, Pam left us with the world’s most tepid
goodbye, but I didn’t care.
“We did it!” I waited until Stella and I stepped outside The Mirage before
I threw my arms around her in an impromptu hug. I couldn’t hold back my
giddiness anymore. Between the lease and LHAC, today was the best day
ever. Period.
“We got our dream apartment!” I sighed, starry-eyed at the possibilities.
Late night drinks on the rooftop. Morning swims in the pool. Diving into
a pile of clothes in my walk-in closet just because I could.
“Pinch me,” I said. “I think I’m dream—ow!”
“You said to pinch you,” Stella said innocently. She broke into a laugh
and dodged my playful attempt to swat her. “Seriously, though, I’m so happy
it worked out, but…”
“But?”
“You don’t think it was too easy? The way he just agreed to our price?”
Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth while a small crease formed
between her brows.
“It was too easy,” I admitted. “But we both looked over the lease twice.
There was nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe Christian was just being nice
because we’re Rhys’s friends.”
“Maybe.” Doubt lingered in Stella’s eyes.
“We’ll be fine.” I linked my arm through hers and guided her to the
Crumble & Bake a few streets over for celebratory cupcakes. “And if we
aren’t, I happen to know plenty of lawyers.”

---

8
JOSH
A
S
AN
ER 
RESIDENT
, I 
SAW
SOME
CRAZY
SHIT
, 
AND
THE
LAST
WEEK
WAS
NO
exception.
A man whose car collided with a fence and arrived at the hospital with the
fence post stuck through him? Check. (He was currently in the ICU, but
chances were, he’ll survive).
A patient who stripped off all their clothes and ran around the ER naked
before two nurses finally caught them? Check.
Someone with a broken-off cucumber stuck in their rectum? Check.
Total insanity, but that was why I’d chosen emergency medicine over
surgery, which my father had pushed for. He wanted to brag about having a
heart surgeon for a son, but I thrived on chaos. On the thrill of coming into
work every day and not knowing what challenges lay ahead. It kept me on
my toes, though I could do without removing vegetables from other people’s
orifices for a long, long while.
“Get some rest,” Clara said as I clocked out after another grueling night
shift. “You look like a zombie.”
“False. I always look perfect. Right, Luce?” I winked at Lucy, another
nurse. She giggled in agreement while Clara rolled her eyes.
“See you tomorrow. Try not to miss me too much.” I rapped my knuckles
against the counter on my way out the door.
“We won’t,” Clara said.
At the same time Lucy chirped, “We’ll try!”
A chuckle rose in my throat, but by the time I stepped outside, it’d
already faded, crushed by bone-deep exhaustion. However, instead of
heading home for some much-needed shuteye, I made a left toward the north

---

side of the hospital campus, where the Legal Health Alliance Clinic was
located.
I’d somehow misplaced my charger before my shift and my phone was at
eight percent, so the backup charger I kept at LHAC was my only hope of
keeping my all-important cell alive.
When I arrived at the clinic, Barbs’s car was the only one in the tiny
parking lot squished next to the building. Most of the staff didn’t trickle in
until half past eight, but she opened and closed the office every day, so she
kept longer hours.
“Hey, beautiful,” I quipped when I entered the reception area.
“Hey, handsome,” she said with a wink.
When I’d volunteered at LHAC as a med student, Barbs kept me supplied
with home-cooked pastries and sage advice like when life gives you lemons,