Page 262 - The Love Hypothesis

“I don’t remember. But my mom said that when I was four there was

this huge snowstorm in Toronto. Inches upon inches of snow piling up, the
most intense in five decades, you know the drill. And everyone knew it was
coming, and she’d been preparing me for days, telling me that we might end

up stuck at home for a few days. I was so excited about it that I ran outside
and dove headfirst into the snow—except that I did it about half an hour

after the storm had started, and ended up hitting my head on a stone.” She
laughed softly, and so did Adam. It had been one of her mother’s favorite

stories. And now Olive was the only person who could tell it. It lived in her,
and no one else. “I miss the snow. California is beautiful, and I hate the

cold. But I really miss the snow.”
He continued stroking her scar, a faint smile on his lips. And then, when
the silence had settled around them, he said, “Boston will have snow. Next

year.”
Her heart thudded. “Yeah.” Except that she wouldn’t be going to Boston,

not anymore. She’d have to find another lab. Or not work in a lab at all.
Adam’s hand traveled up her neck, closing gently around her nape.

“There are good trails for hiking, where Holden and I used to go in grad
school.” He hesitated before adding, “I’d love to take you.”

She closed her eyes, and for a second she let herself imagine it. The
black of Adam’s hair against the white snow and the deep greens of the
trees. Her boots sinking into the soft ground. Cold air flowing inside her

lungs, and a warm hand wrapping around her own. She could almost see the
flakes, fluttering behind her eyelids. Bliss.

“You’ll be in California, though,” she said distractedly.
A pause. Too long.

Olive opened her eyes. “Adam?”
He rolled his tongue inside his cheek, as if thinking carefully about his

words. “There is a chance that I’ll be moving to Boston.”
She blinked at him, confused. Moving? He’d be moving? “What?” No.
What was he saying? Adam was not going to leave Stanford, right? He’d

never been—the flight risk had never been real. Right?