Page 98 - The Love Hypothesis

herself lean into Adam’s torso. He didn’t say anything but angled himself a

little, just to help her fit more comfortably.
Somewhere halfway through the talk she realized that she had been
sliding down Adam’s thigh. Or, to be fair, Adam realized and lifted her up,

straightening her in a firm, quick pull that made her feel like she really
didn’t weigh anything. Once she was stable again, he didn’t move his arm

from where it was snaked around her waist. The talk had been happening
for thirty-five minutes going on a century, so no one could blame Olive if

she sank into him a little bit more.
It was fine. It was more than fine, actually. It was nice.

“Don’t fall asleep,” he murmured. She felt his lips move against the
tendrils of hair above her temple. It should have been Olive’s cue to
straighten, but she couldn’t quite make herself.

“I’m not. Though you’re so comfy.”
His fingers tightened on her, maybe to wake her up, maybe to hold her

closer. She was about to melt off the chair and start snoring.
“You look like you’re about to take a nap.”

“It’s just that I’ve read all of Tom’s articles. I already know what he’s
saying.”

“Yeah, same. We cited all this stuff in our grant proposal.” He sighed,
and she felt his body move under hers. “This is dull.”
“Maybe you should ask a question. To liven this up.”

Adam turned slightly to her. “Me?”
She angled her head to speak in his ear. “I’m sure you can come up with

something. Just raise your hand and make a mean observation with that tone
of yours. Glare at him. It might devolve into an entertaining outbreak of

fisticuffs.”
His cheek curved. “You are such a smart-ass.”

Olive looked back to the slides, smiling. “Has it been weird? Having to
lie to Tom about us?”
Adam seemed to think about it. “No.” He hesitated. “It looks like your

friends are buying that we’re together.”