While Charlie and Julian dance, Julian asks Charlie about wedding plans. She reminds herself she loves him and that Lex is irrelevant. She pulls away from Julian when Adriana approaches. The friends embrace and make amends. Adriana explains that she was wrong to be upset with Charlie all those years ago. Alex disappeared from Charlie’s life after discovering Samantha was pregnant. Adriana was upset when she discovered that Alex and Charlie were having an affair because she and her family thought Samantha’s baby was Alex’s. They’ve since learned that Samantha lied. She regrets cutting Charlie out. Adriana tells Charlie that Alex also tried finding her when he discovered the truth, but their mom informed Alex that Charlie had moved on. Charlie is shocked, insisting that there was no one after Lex. She was heartbroken and left home to attend Yale. She lived with her grandmother until her death.

Julian finds Charlie and informs her he that has to leave the ball for work. After he leaves, Lex rejoins Charlie. Charlie gets upset, and an argument ensues. The two end up kissing. Flustered, Charlie pulls away and leaves the ball with Eric to go to the club.

This chapter recounts the events of Chapter 15 from Lex’s perspective. At the ball, Lex is shocked to run into Charlie again. She’s wearing a green dress that draws him to her. He meets her assistant, Eric, and invites him to After Dark later. After a failed attempt to speak to Charlie, Lex opens up to Brooke. Brooke tells him that she’s interested in women, not men, but she agrees to help him make Charlie jealous.

Finally, Lex dances with Charlie and expresses his feelings. Charlie insists she’s over him and needs to leave her alone. An argument ensues and the two kiss. Charlie pulls away and reiterates her disinterest in getting involved with him again. A defeated Lex heads to After Dark.

On the way to the club, Charlie and Eric talk about Lex. Charlie is shocked to learn that Lex owns After Dark. At the club, Lex surfaces and leads Charlie to the VIP area. They take shots, and Lex starts touching Charlie. While they’re kissing, Julian texts Charlie. Lex takes her phone and insists she belongs to him. They get into another argument, but Charlie is overcome by desire, and they end up kissing and engaging in foreplay. Charlie suddenly remembers how much pain Lex caused her and pulls away. She races away to find Eric. On their way out, she’s shocked to see Samantha.

Samantha yells at Lex, demanding he let her into After Dark. Lex refuses and goes back inside to find Charlie. He leads her into the back, where they kiss and engage in foreplay. She pulls away, insisting this is a mistake. Lex argues otherwise, but Charlie leaves. Outside the club, Samantha resurfaces, furious when she sees Charlie and Lex emerge together. Lex follows Charlie and Eric, but Eric insists Lex leave them alone.

Back at his hotel, Lex doesn’t know what to do. He wants to be with Charlie but fears she’ll never forgive him.

Alex is interning with his dad at the hospital where his dad is a doctor. After a difficult day, Alex returns home to a moody Samantha. They get into an argument about having kids. Then Alex gets a call from Adriana, asking for help with computer problems. Alex heads to Adriana’s apartment, excited to see Charlie. Adriana heads out for a meeting, leaving Alex and Charlie alone. They have a long conversation in which Charlie opens up about her parents’ tumultuous marriage. They admit they have feelings for each other, and Alex promises he’ll do anything to be with her.

Charlie wakes up after another difficult night at home. Her mom ran off, and her dad is intensely worried. Adriana asks if Charlie wants to talk but Charlie insists they focus on her party instead. The house fills with people, including Alex, Samantha, and Finn—who was Charlie’s first sexual partner. When Alex overhears that Charlie and Finn have been together, he gets upset. Charlie is embarrassed because she wants to be with Alex.

Alex is consumed by desire throughout Charlie’s party. Finally, he gets her alone and asks her about Finn. He feels angry and jealous. Unable to control his desire, he kisses Charlie.

Later on, Alex gets upset again when he sees a guy named Carter harassing Charlie. When Carter insults Alex, Charlie punches him. Alex races to her side but backs away before Adriana can see. That night, Alex and Charlie text before falling asleep. Alex silently decides he wants to be with her no matter what.

Charlie wakes up with a hangover. She, Adriana, Elijah, and Alex clean the house. Amidst the chaos, Charlie and Alex step aside and kiss passionately, promising to be together.

Charlie wakes up with a hangover. She receives texts from Eric, Adriana, and Julian. She feels guilty talking to Julian but reminds herself that she and Lex aren’t together. To collect herself, she goes for a jog. She runs into a friendly British woman, and they chat for a while. Then she meets up with Adriana and Eric for lunch. They chat about the night before and Lex’s club. Afterwards, Charlie feels irritated with Lex and afraid of getting involved with him again.

That evening, Charlie has dinner with Julian but can’t help “comparing him to Lex” (236). She and Julian have sex. Afterwards, Charlie receives a text from Lex, apologizing for what happened with Samantha at the club. Julian gets a work call and has to head out. Charlie returns home and masturbates to thoughts of Lex.

Lex goes for a run, his mind reeling with thoughts of Charlie. At work later, he texts Charlie about After Dark and Samantha. Eventually, Charlie agrees to meet for coffee. At the café, Lex is overcome by desire when he sees Charlie. They chat about their respective jobs. When Charlie finally moves to leave, Lex jealously mentions Julian. Charlie insists she can’t do this and leaves. A despairing Lex realizes he can’t live without her.

Over coffee, Charlie feels frustrated with herself for meeting Lex. She can’t stop thinking about the past and how much he hurt her. On the way back to the office, she reminds herself what she has with Julian. Then she meets a client about a divorce case. The client’s words remind Charlie of her relationship with Lex. She wonders if she’s hung up on him because he was her first love. Even still, she knows she can’t trust him.