Page 123 - The Love Hypothesis

Olive was going to murder her. Olive was going to make her lick every

drop of this stupid sunscreen and watch her writhe in pain as she slowly
died of oxybenzone poisoning.
Later, though. For now, Adam was looking at her, expression completely

unreadable, and Olive would have apologized, she would have crawled
under the table, she would have at least waved at him—but all she could do

was stare and notice that even though the last time they’d talked she’d
insulted him, he didn’t really seem angry. Just thoughtful and a little

confused as he looked between Olive’s face and the small lake of white
goop that now lived in her hands, probably trying to figure out if there was

a way to get out of this latest shitshow—and then, finally, just giving up on
it.
He nodded once, minutely, and turned around, the muscles in his back

shifting as he threw Dr. Rodrigues the Frisbee and yelled, “I’m taking five!”
Which, Olive assumed, meant that they were actually doing this. Of

course they damn were. Because this was her life, and these were her poor,
moronic, harebrained choices.

“Hey,” Adam said to her once they were closer. He was looking at her
hands, at the way she had to hold them in front of her body like a

supplicant. Behind her, Anh and Jeremy were no doubt ogling them.
“Hey.” She was wearing flip-flops, and he had sneakers on, and—he was
always tall, but right now he towered over her. It put her eyes right in front

of his pecs, and . . . No. Nope. Not doing that.
“Can you turn around?”

He hesitated for a moment, but then he did, uncharacteristically
obedient. Which ended up resolving none of Olive’s problems, since his

back was in no way less broad or impressive than his chest.
“Can you, um . . . duck a bit?”

Adam bent his head until his shoulders were . . . still abnormally high
but somewhat easier to reach. As she lifted her right hand, some of the
lotion dripped to the ground—Where it belongs, she thought savagely—and

then she was doing it, this thing that she had never thought she would ever,
ever do. Putting sunscreen on Adam Carlsen.