Twisted Hate: An Enemies with Benefits Romance

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. I could not be jealous over Josh. 
Scratch that. I wasn’t jealous over Josh. I probably ate expired yogurt for
breakfast or something. That was the problem with lemon-flavored foods—
they tasted tart whether they were supposed to or not.
Clara burst into laughter. “Oh no, I wasn’t his date. Just his coworker. I’m
a nurse in the ER.”
“She has a girlfriend.” Josh assembled a hot dog on a plate. “The
bartender from The Bronze Gear. Speaking of, where’s Tinsley?”
“She’s not my girlfriend. We’re just dating, and she’s working, so she
couldn’t make it.” Clara eyed me with a speculative gleam in her eyes. “If
you’re not his date…”
“She’s my fake date,” Josh said before I could answer. “Remember last
year’s picnic? I could barely breathe with all the people shoving their
daughters in my face. I wanted to avoid a repeat.” 
“It must’ve been traumatizing,” Clara said.
I smirked at her dry sarcasm. I liked her already. Any woman who called
Josh out earned an A-plus in my book. 
“It was. Here.” Josh finished assembling his food and handed it to me
before replicating his efforts on a fresh plate.
A hot dog with ketchup, mustard, and relish. A side of salad. A handful of
chips and a chocolate chip cookie to top it all off. 
“Do you really need two plates?” I gestured at the one in my hand.

---

“That’s excessive, even for you.”
He stared at me like I was dumb. “That plate is for you,” he said. “This is
mine.” He added a hamburger and coleslaw to his bounty.
Thank God he didn’t do that for mine. I hated coleslaw. The texture
grossed me out.
“Oh.” I shifted my weight and tried to ignore the buzz of warmth beneath
my skin. “Thanks.”
Instead of responding, Josh turned his back on me to greet another
coworker.
Trust him to do something semi-nice and act like a jerk again
immediately after. 
I took an annoyed bite out of my hot dog and caught Clara watching us.
She turned away when she noticed me staring, but her shoulders shook with
what looked suspiciously like laughter.
Since LHAC wasn’t officially part of Thayer Hospital, no one else from
the clinic was here, which saved me and Josh from having to explain our fake
date to Barbs and company. I also wasn’t worried about my friends finding
out. None of them knew anyone who worked at the hospital except Josh. 
For the next few hours, I accompanied Josh as we circulated the park and
played the dutiful part of his date whenever someone tried to introduce him to
their sister, daughter, or granddaughter. He hadn’t been lying when he said
everyone wanted to set him up—I counted a dozen matchmaking attempts,
even with me by his side, before I gave up.
“I don’t understand the appeal,” I grumbled after a nurse and her daughter
walked away, looking disappointed. “You’re not even that great a catch. A
trout, at most. Maybe a largemouth bass, emphasis on the largemouth.”
“You liked my mouth just fine in the library.” Josh’s silky response sent
flames licking over my skin.
“It was okay.”
I sucked in a gasp when he tugged me to his side, his whisper a dark
warning in my ear. “Don’t provoke me, Red, or I’ll spread you out on the
picnic table and tongue fuck you until you have to fucking crawl home
because your legs don’t work anymore.” 
He released me and smiled at the man approaching us. “Hey, Micah,” he
said, like he hadn’t just threatened to make me come my brains out in front of
a thousand people a mere second ago. “How’s it going?”
After they greeted each other, Josh introduced me to Micah, who offered

---

me a perfunctory smile.
“So, Jules, what do you do? Are you a student?” The other resident was
around Josh’s age, but he oozed pretentiousness in a way that was completely
at odds with Josh’s easy charm. Josh may be arrogant, but at least he was
self-deprecating about it. Micah looked like he believed his own hype a little
too much. 
“Yes, at Thayer Law. I graduate in a few weeks.” 
Micah’s eyebrows popped up. “Law? Really?”
I stiffened at his obvious skepticism.
“Yes, really.” I dropped my polite tone and adopted one so icy I hoped it
froze his balls off. Some people might give Micah the benefit of the doubt,
but I recognized judgment when I saw it, and I had zero obligation to be nice
to someone who didn’t bother hiding his condescension. “Surprised?”
“A little. You don’t look like a law student.” Micah’s eyes dropped to my
chest, and tiny prickles of humiliation stabbed at me. 
Beside me, Josh stilled, his easygoing manner giving way to a dark,
volatile tension that roiled the air around us. 
“I didn’t realize law students had a universal look.” I resisted the urge to
cross my arms over my chest. I wouldn’t give Micah that satisfaction. “How
are they supposed to look?”
He laughed, not even having the decency to look embarrassed by my
callout. “You know what I mean.”
“I don’t.” Josh spoke up before I could respond, his tone deceptively
light. “What do you mean, Micah?”
Discomfort crossed his coworker’s face for the first time as Micah finally
realized the conversation wasn’t heading in the direction he’d intended. 
“You know.” He waved a hand in the air, trying to play it off. “It was a
joke.”
Josh’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Jokes are supposed to be funny.”
“Lighten up, man.” Micah’s frown of discomfort morphed into
annoyance. “Look, all I’m saying is, I was surprised, okay?”
“That’s not what you’re saying. What you’re saying is you made
assumptions about her intelligence based on her appearance, which is quite
unfair, don’t you think?” A lethal edge ran beneath Josh’s otherwise pleasant
voice. “For example, if I were to make an assumption about you, I would
think you were a pompous jackass based on the Harvard-branded clothing
you wear at any opportunity despite the fact you only got in because your last

---

name is engraved on their newest science building. But I’m sure that’s not
true. You did graduate from Harvard Med—near the bottom of the class, but
you graduated. That counts for something.” 
Micah’s mouth fell open while a ball of emotion curled up in my throat
and refused to budge.
I couldn’t think of the last time someone stood up for me. It was a strange
feeling—warm and thick, like honey sliding through my veins. 
“Regardless, I do not appreciate your rudeness toward my date.” Josh’s
voice hardened. 
“This is a work event, so apologize, walk away, and we’ll leave it at that.
But disrespect Jules again, and I’ll put you in the emergency room myself.”
Micah’s nostrils flared, but he wasn’t dumb enough to argue. Not when
Josh looked like he was actively hoping the other man would step out of line
so he could deck him. 
“I’m sorry.” Micah’s stiff apology contained as much sincerity as a
crocodile’s tears. He spun on his heels and stalked away, his reedy body
quivering with outrage.
A heavy silence descended in his wake.
Some of the tension drained from Josh’s body, but the line of his jaw
remained a hard slash. 
I tried and failed to swallow the persistent lump in my throat. “You didn’t
have to do that.” 
“Do what?” He unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and took a sip. 
“Defend me.”
“I didn’t defend you. I called out an asshole for being an asshole.” He slid
a sidelong glance at me. “Besides, I’m the only one who gets to be a jerk to
you.” 
I huffed out an embarrassingly watery laugh. I was so used to fighting my
own battles I wasn’t sure how to handle having someone by my side.
Josh was supposed to be my nemesis, but he turned out to be my ally. In
this particular instance, anyway. 
“Well, if there’s one thing you excel at, it’s being a jerk.” I rubbed my
skirt between my fingers. The smooth cotton calmed my racing nerves.
“I excel at everything, Red.” Josh’s languid drawl settled over me like a
warm blanket.
Our eyes locked and held. An electric charge flared in the air between us
and buzzed down my spine.

---

I’d known Josh for years, but this was the first time I saw him in such
bold, painstaking detail.
The sharp curve of his cheekbones tapering down to a strong jaw. The
rich, dark eyes like melting chocolate, fringed by lashes so long it should be
illegal for men to have them. The arch of his brows and the firm, sensual
curve of his lips.
How had I never noticed how incredibly, devastatingly gorgeous Josh
Chen was? 
I’d known it on an intellectual level, of course, the way I knew the earth
was round and the oceans were deep. It was impossible for someone with
those features, arranged in that way, to be anything except beautiful. 
But this was the first time I’d experienced it. It was like peeling back the
transparent sheet cover on a famous art piece and finally seeing it in its full
glory.
Josh’s hands curled into loose fists by his side before he unclenched
them.
“Last call soon.” The words came out rough and scratchy, like it hurt him
to speak. “If you want more food, we should grab it now before the picnic
ends.”
The electric charge dissipated, but its effects lingered as a film of tingles
on my skin.
“Right. More food.” I cleared my throat. “I’m always down for more
food.”
We fixed our plates in silence before settling beneath one of the large oak
trees bordering the park. Most of the food had been picked clean, but we’d
managed to snag the last of the burgers and a chocolate cupcake to share.
“Your coworkers seem to like you a lot, Micah the Dickhead
notwithstanding.” I sliced the cupcake into neat halves with a plastic knife
and handed Josh his portion.
He took it, his mouth quirking. “Don’t sound so surprised. I’m a likable
person, Red.”
“Hmmm.” I snuck a glance at him while we ate. We’d fought, we’d
fucked, but there was still so much I didn’t know about him. 
How was it possible to know so little about someone after seven years?
“Did you always want to be a doctor? Don’t bother making a joke about
playing doctor as a kid,” I added when I noticed the gleam in his eyes. “If I
can preempt it before you say it, it’s lame.”

---

A deep laugh rumbled from Josh’s chest. “Fair enough.” He leaned
against the tree trunk and stretched out his legs. A thoughtful expression
crossed his face. “I’m not sure when I decided to become a doctor. Part of it
was expectations, I guess. Doctor, lawyer, engineer. The stereotypical careers
for a Chinese-American kid. But there was another part that…” He hesitated.
“This is going to sound cheesy, but I want to help people, you know? I
remember waiting in the hospital when Ava almost drowned. It was the first
time I realized the people around me wouldn’t live forever. I was fucking
terrified. And I kept thinking...what if I’d been with her by the lake that day?
Could I have saved her? Would the drowning have even happened? And my
mom. What if I’d noticed something was wrong earlier and gotten her
help…”
A deep ache spread through me at the tiny crack in his voice. 
I placed a tentative hand on his knee, wishing I was better at comforting
people. “You were just a kid,” I said gently. “What happened wasn’t your
fault.” 
“I know.” Josh stared at where my hand rested against the blue denim of
his jeans. His throat bobbed with a hard swallow. “But that doesn’t stop me
from feeling like it was.” 
The ache intensified. 
How long had he lived with his guilt and kept it to himself? I doubted
he’d told Ava, not when it was guilt over her. Perhaps he’d told Alex when
they were friends, but I couldn’t picture stiff, icy Alex being particularly
reassuring. 
“You’re a good brother, and you’re a good doctor. If you weren’t, I
would’ve heard about it. Trust me.” I imbued my smile with mischief. “I’m
plugged into all the gossip.”
That earned me a small laugh. “Oh, I know. You and Ava wouldn’t shut
up whenever you got into one of your rants.” 
My heart jumped into my throat when he covered my hand with his and
twined our fingers together. He squeezed, that one action saying more than
words ever could. 
Three months ago, I would’ve never willingly touched him, and he
would’ve never willingly turned to me for comfort.
Yet here we were, existing in the strangest iteration of what our
relationship could be. Not quite friends, not quite enemies. Just us. 
“And you? Why’d you become a lawyer?” Josh asked.

---

“I’m not a lawyer yet.” I remained still, afraid any movement would
shatter the fragile, therapeutic peace between us. “But, um, Legally Blonde is
one of my favorite movies.”
I laughed when his eyebrows shot toward his hairline. “Hear me out,
okay? The movie was the jumping-off point. I looked up law schools out of
curiosity, and I fell into a rabbit hole. The more I learned about the field, the
more I liked the idea of…” I searched for the right word. “Purpose, I guess.
Helping people solve their problems. Plus certain types of law pay well.”
Warmth suffused my cheeks. “That sounds shallow, but financial security is
important to me.”
“That’s not shallow. Money isn’t everything, but we need it to survive.
Anyone who says they don’t care about it is lying.”
“I guess.”
We fell into companionable silence again. The golden spring afternoon
cast a soft haze over the scene, and I felt like I was living in a dream where
the rest of the world didn’t exist. No past, no future, no Max, exams, or
money worries.