The Unhoneymooners

Olive and Ethan order room service, and she finds herself uncomfortable when she realizes she is staying with him rather than exploring the island. This sense of caring for and about him makes her anxious, until she also remembers their physical proximity and ease while diving. She laughs aloud thinking of the bathroom mishap and Ethan laughs too, hearing her from the other room.

The next day, it rains, spoiling their plans. Ethan suggests they play paintball together as a weather-appropriate diversion. Olive reminds him of her previous bad luck with guns of any kind—she once set a campsite on fire with a flare—but is won over when Ethan reminds her they could compete against each other.

They gather in the woods, and Olive admits that while she looks ridiculous in a uniform and goggles, Ethan looks appealing. The game is two teams trying to eliminate the other. Ethan and Olive meet a paintball obsessive who gives them tips. They are each disappointed with the team assignments, as they are on the same team and their opponents are mostly teenagers. The teenagers and Ethan trade insults, and Olive finds herself amused and entertained by Ethan’s jokes about destroying the other team.

The next scene finds Ethan and Olive mid-game: they are dirty, exhausted, and losing to their much younger opponents. As they stay in hiding, Olive considers trying to make small talk again. She compares what she once thought she knew about Ethan to what she knows now, realizing that the trip has revealed that he can be pleasant, fun, and attractive. She decides to risk asking how he met Sophie, admitting they strike her as an unlikely match.

Ethan describes meeting Sophie near Dane’s office while visiting from out of town, then moving back to Minneapolis and moving in with her. He recalls how all was well, and he proposed on the Fourth of July during the fireworks, hoping to add a grand narrative for them as a couple. His hopes were high until he came home and found her gone leaving only a farewell message on a whiteboard. Olive empathizes, and Ethan admits, “I think I grand gestured for the wrong person. I realize I need someone I can talk to, and she doesn’t really like to go too deep” (176). Olive realizes this shows new depth to Ethan, that he is capable of real care and a desire for love. He confesses that he had once hoped they would get back together, until her arrival at the resort showed how quickly she had moved on. They are interrupted by paintball shots. They run for more cover, seeing one of the teenagers all alone. They decide to ambush him, but they quickly find themselves surrounded and lose the game.

In the aftermath, Olive and Ethan visit the spa to recover from their physical injuries, knowing the visit includes a couples’ massage. Though they briefly hesitate, they get in the hot tub together, nude, too sore to be modest. Once they are both in, Ethan asks Olive if she enjoyed the day. She admits she did, and he says the vacation has turned out to be more companionable than he expected. Olive is briefly offended, but agrees, making him promise that he will not tell Ami.

He asks what having a twin sibling is like, and if they have always been such opposites. Olive says yes and explains that it suits her fine and that she is happy for Ami and Dane. She appreciates Ethan’s sincere interest in her and asks what he does for a living. He explains he works on the statistical side digital advertising and loves his work. Olive reflects that she herself has never been this passionate about the pharmaceutical industry. They exit the hot tub.

Ethan and Olive are stunned to learn that their couples’ massage involves them being taught how to massage one another, not two therapists working on each of them. They cannot agree on who will go first, and Olive tries to break the tension by declaring, “get in the sheets, Elmo” (189). Ethan reluctantly admits that he doesn’t want to risk becoming aroused during the session, and Olive is touched by his honesty, so she agrees to go first. She makes him promise not to mock her appearance; he is horrified and confused when she says he has done so before. Olive finds the whole experience intimate and arousing. She tells him not to let her enjoyment inflate his ego, and he says, “Oh, Olivia. I just had my hands all over you and you’re so relaxed you can barely speak...you’d better believe I will be smug as hell” (195).

Olive and Ethan wake up sore and covered in bruises. Olive checks in with her sister over text message, dismayed to find she is still ill and alone while Dane is out amusing himself. Ethan knocks and asks Olive for a day alone with her so he can recover from the paintball adventure. She agrees, marveling at how things have changed, especially the extent of her attraction to him. She admits this, and Ethan jokes that he will do his best to be insufferable. They decide to take a drive alone to see the island’s coast. Olive finally admits she resents Ethan for taking Dan on vacations when Ami would have liked to make plans. Ethan, surprised, admits that the trips were never his idea and that Dane would never be intentionally thoughtless. Olive disagrees but decides not to argue, knowing her sister’s relationship is not hers to manage. She senses Ethan now understands her earlier animosity.

On the drive, Olive embraces the adventure, admitting it is strange not to be arguing. Ethan responds by teasing her about the massage, but she finds she cannot be irritated. They stop for tacos and review photos of their day, flirting as they exchange pictures. Ethan suggests drinks, but Olive demurs, calling it “dangerous.” Ethan asks if she means “dangerous, like we’d end up either naked or dead?” (209), and Olive silently agrees, admitting the idea of taking that step toward intimacy has her skittish.

They stop at a bar filled with garish sea-themed decor, and Ethan tells Olive he wants to have a real, sincere conversation. After determining she is having a good time, he asks about her dating life and is supportive when she tells him she broke up with her last boyfriend for defending his company’s poor environmental record. As more drinks kick in, Ethan admits that his relationship with Sophie was not genuine; she was so conflict averse they rarely had substantive conversations. Olive admits she has been in similar situations. Ethan catches her gazing at him warmly, asking if he has at least reached a lower stage on her dislike scale. He is still drunk when they return to the hotel, and confesses, “it’s so exhausting pretending to hate you” (219). He explains that she seemed to hate him from the first, and Dane told him not to pursue her. Instead of explaining further, he kisses Olive. They fall asleep in the hotel bed together.