Page 104 - The Love Hypothesis

flashed in her mind every once in a while, mostly when she was doing

something important that required her utmost concentration, like implanting
electrodes inside a mouse’s pancreas or trying to decide what to order at
Subway. Occasionally it would pop up during a quiet moment, like when

she was in bed and about to fall asleep, and she would feel a mixture of
embarrassment and incredulity and something else. Something that she had

no intention of examining too closely, not now and not ever.
“Are you sure?”

She nodded, even though she wasn’t sure at all. “Is Anh still staring at
us?”

His eyes flicked up. “Yes. She’s not even pretending not to. I . . . why
does she care so much? Are you famous?”
“No, Adam.” She gestured at him. “You are.”

“Am I?” He looked perplexed.
“Anyway, no need to kiss. You’re right that it would probably be a bit

weird.”
“No. No, I didn’t mean that . . .” There was a droplet of sweat running

down his temple, and he wiped his face again, this time with the sleeve of
his shirt. “We can kiss.”

“Oh.”
“If you think that . . . If your friend is watching.”
“Yeah.” Olive swallowed. “But we don’t have to.”

“I know.”
“Unless you want to.” Olive’s palms felt damp and clammy, so she

surreptitiously wiped them on her jeans. “And by ‘want to’ I mean, unless
you think it’s a good idea.” It so was not a good idea. It was a horrible idea.

Like all her ideas.
“Right.” He looked past Olive and toward Anh, who was probably in the

middle of doing an entire Instagram Story on them. “Okay, then.”
“Okay.”
He stepped a little closer, and really, he was not gross. How someone

this sweaty, someone who’d just pushed a truck, still managed to smell