Chapter 6: 'Three' — Summary, Analysis, and Study Notes

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Chapter 6, titled “Three,” opens with Adelaide at the British Library, trying to study for her marketing and communications exams. She's sitting on the floor because all the tables are taken, staring at a blank Word document. Her mind is elsewhere—she's replaying the previous night's kisses and Rory's desperate desire to have her stay. She's lovestruck and exhausted, and the study guide she's supposed to be creating isn't happening. She forces herself to write something about GDPR principles, but her thoughts keep drifting to Rory's hair and chin.

Her phone lights up with a text from Rory. He sends a picture of a tiny Pomeranian that looks just like her dog back in the States, Puff, and asks if she'd like to go see As You Like It at the Globe Theatre on Friday. Adelaide's heart short-circuits. She recalls her sister Holly's performances in Shakespeare plays, including a summer camp rendition of As You Like It, and how Holly used to read her Shakespeare stories at bedtime. Adelaide texts back enthusiastically, saying she's always wanted to see a show at the Globe. Rory books the tickets.

The next few days are a blur of flash cards, espresso shots, and a phone call from her old colleague Sam, who's coming to London next week. Adelaide has five exams spread over ten days. By Friday afternoon, she's taken three, crammed for the others, and desperately needs a nap. She sets an alarm for 4:00 PM, but when she wakes up, it's 5:30 PM—fifteen minutes before she needs to leave. Her alarm was set for 4:00 AM. She panics, splashes water on her face, does her makeup, straightens her hair (she hates unwanted waves, a symptom of her obsessive-compulsiveness), and ties a velvet ribbon in her ponytail. She puts on coordinated-but-not-matching lingerie, hoping to give the false impression that she hasn't thought about sex. She yells a goodbye to her flatmate Madison and rushes out.

Rory texts that he's running ten minutes late. Adelaide buys two cans of cider and waits by the river, watching the sun set over the Thames. She realizes this is the first time she's meeting him completely sober. She has a moment of awe—she's living in London, getting her master's, about to meet a cute boy at the Globe. When Rory arrives, they clink their cans, and he compliments her bow. They go inside for the standing-room performance. Adelaide is familiar enough with the play to catch Rory up at intermission. After the show, they head to a pub down the river for gin and tonics.

At the pub, Rory asks where she likes to go out in London. Instead of answering honestly (rooftops in Hackney, the Duke's Head on Highgate Hill, grimy dance halls in Dalston), she claims she likes Mayfair and Chelsea—the answer she thinks will appeal to a posh Englishman. Rory is surprised, saying he wouldn't have pegged her for the Mayfair type. Adelaide quickly changes the subject, joking about swimming in the Thames and eels high on cocaine. They laugh.

The conversation turns to crazy stories. Rory tells her about gate-crashing a wedding with his ex-girlfriend. Then Adelaide reveals that years ago, at the Oxford-Cambridge boat race, she walked up to a handsome stranger and told him he looked like a Disney prince. Rory's eyes widen—he realizes that stranger was him. He's stunned, and they laugh about the coincidence. Adelaide feels her body shaking but tries to appear cool. Rory suggests they grab a drink back at his flat.

On the walk, Rory keeps exclaiming “This is mad!” and at one point scoops her up and kisses her. At his flat, which he shares with four other boys and one bathroom, Adelaide realizes she hasn't used the restroom in eight hours. She makes a joke about peeing in a Pepsi bottle in New York, then asks when the shower will be free. She runs to the bathroom when it's available, steals a swig of Listerine, and spritzes herself with a sample perfume she keeps in her pocket. Back in Rory's room, she asks directly, “Would you like to have sex with me, Rory?”

The sex is different from her past experiences. Adelaide has viewed sex as a mechanical exercise, but with Rory, it's full of kisses, coos, and whispered words like “Where have you been all this time?” He notices the peach tattoo on her left cheek and references Call Me By Your Name. Adelaide doesn't come (she never does), but she feels exhilarated and awakened. She agrees to stay the night, warning she won't look cute in the morning. They sleep in short bursts, and around four or five, they have drowsy, wonderful sex again.

In the morning, Rory brings her tea and toast, saying he used to be a server. They eat and talk about their weekend plans—Adelaide has more studying, Rory is helping a friend move. He asks if she wants to watch Graham Norton, but Adelaide says she has to go, thinking it's better to leave too early than overstay her welcome. She kisses him, asks if he still promises not to disappear, and he says he could never. She leaves, and the chapter ends with the line: “She never did hear how that move went.”

Key Events

Adelaide tries to study at the British Library but is distracted by memories of Rory.
Rory texts her, inviting her to see As You Like It at the Globe on Friday.
Adelaide accepts, recalling her sister Holly's Shakespeare performances.
She spends days studying for exams, then oversleeps and rushes to get ready.
They meet at the Globe, watch the play, and go for drinks.
Adelaide falsely claims she likes Mayfair, and they joke about eels in the Thames.
They share stories; Adelaide reveals she once told Rory he looked like a Disney prince at the Oxford-Cambridge boat race.
They return to his flat, have sex, and she stays the night.
The next morning he brings her tea and toast.
She leaves, and never hears how his friend's move went.

Character Development

This chapter is pivotal for Adelaide's emotional arc. She's clearly falling for Rory, but her behavior reveals deep-seated insecurities. Her obsessive-compulsive perfectionism shows in her hair-straightening routine and her need to control her appearance. She performs a version of herself she thinks Rory will like—claiming to enjoy Mayfair when she actually prefers gritty, authentic London spots. This performance of self is a defense mechanism, rooted in class anxiety and a fear of not being good enough. She also reveals her fear of abandonment when she asks Rory to promise not to disappear, a fear that seems to stem from past experiences (though we don't know the specifics yet).

Adelaide's view of sex is also transformed. She's used to feeling disconnected, like a retail worker clocking out, but with Rory, she feels awakened and exhilarated. This is a significant emotional awakening, suggesting that Rory is breaking through her self-protective walls. However, her decision to leave early—