The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Except that something absolutely insane came out of her
mouth.
“Should we just kiss, then?” she heard herself blurt out.
And then she instantly wished a stray meteorite would hit the
exact spot where she was standing, because—had she just
asked Adam Carlsen for a kiss? Was that what she’d done?
Was she a lunatic all of a sudden?
“I mean, not like a kiss kiss,” she hastened to add. “But like
the last time? You know.”
He didn’t seem to know. Which made sense, because their
other kiss had definitely been a kiss kiss. Olive tried not to
think about it too much, but it 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,