Maybe Not

Bridgette’s character arc reaches a turning point in Chapter 9. Despite her continued sarcasm and resistance to emotional intimacy, Bridgette’s body language and actions speak louder than her words, as when she allows Warren to hold her hand—an admission that her connection with Warren is deeper than just physical attraction. Their errand run serves as more than just an outing; it tests whether Bridgette can engage in a “normal” relationship dynamic. Her interaction with Warren’s family suggests that she can, highlighting her hidden capacity for warmth. Initially hesitant around Brody and Conner, she shows unintentional affection toward them—e.g., accepting Conner’s mispronunciation of her name—and thus reveals a subconscious longing for connection. Her final action in the chapter, kissing Warren on the cheek, marks a major milestone, as it is the first time she initiates an affectionate gesture without sarcasm or provocation, signaling that she is slowly allowing Warren into her heart. Bridgette’s transformation underscores the central theme of The Transformation of Antagonism Into Affection. 

At the same time, Hoover does not lose sight of The Impact of the Past on Present Relationships. Trust in Bridgette and Warren’s relationship must be built slowly due to Bridgette’s fears. While she is comfortable with physical intimacy—and increasingly expresses her affection through it—she struggles to verbalize her emotions or even acknowledge them to herself. Chapter 10, for instance, explores Bridgette’s tendency toward emotional self-sabotage and her fear of vulnerability. Her immediate hostility upon seeing Warren with Sydney exposes her jealousy and possessiveness; her deep-seated fear of love and intimacy, stemming from childhood neglect and trauma, makes it hard for her to fully trust others. Rather than articulating her fears, however, she lashes out; her default reaction is to push others away, whether through harsh words, distance, or emotional manipulation. 

The pattern continues after Bridgette admits that hearing Warren say that he might love her made her happy, an emotion that she claims never to have truly experienced. This confession is monumental in the context of her prior claim that she was incapable of love or of being loved, suggesting both an evolving self-image and a greater openness with others. Yet, rather than embracing this realization, she immediately backtracks, pretending that her emotional confession to Warren was all a joke. The nature of this “prank” is significant, as it takes back her prior vulnerability and thus reflects her terror of emotional dependency. Warren, devastated by the supposed betrayal, feels the weight of how much he has invested emotionally in her. His willingness to fall in love without needing immediate reciprocation contrasts sharply with Bridgette’s fear-driven need to invalidate her own emotions. The chapter’s dramatic tonal shift, going from an intensely vulnerable moment to a chaotic reversal, emphasizes the rollercoaster nature of their relationship.

However, this moment of self-sabotage also sets the stage for the resolution of both Bridgette’s character arc and the novel’s exploration of The Role of Trust and Vulnerability in Developing Deep Connection: the moment when Bridgette admits her love for Warren. The significance of this moment is heightened by her emotional outburst, laughing and crying at the same time. Unlike before, when she hid behind sarcasm and detachment, she now both displays and vocalizes her feelings. For the first time, she and Warren are on completely equal emotional footing—a fact that Warren’s suggestion that they move in together, with its acknowledgment of how deeply intertwined they have become, symbolically recognizes. Though Bridgette initially resists the idea, her eventual agreement, wrapped in sarcasm but marked by a genuine smile, proves that she is no longer fighting against happiness but instead learning to trust it. Her realization that they have never even been on a date reflects how unconventional their love story is, yet it reinforces the idea that emotional connection transcends traditional relationship milestones; that they can tease each other about their relationship’s rapid progression highlights how their trust has fully developed, as neither shows signs of insecurity about their connection’s validity. 

The final comedic moment—when Warren tries, and fails, to get Bridgette to admit to her past in adult films—returns the story to its lighthearted roots. This full-circle ending reinforces that while Bridgette has changed in profound ways, she is still herself: sarcastic, guarded, and unwilling to let Warren get everything he wants. The humor of this last exchange acts as a reminder that love, at its best, does not require perfection but thrives in imperfection.