The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

noticeably different from the Adam Carlsen she used to be
half-scared of—maybe all of that was not much. But she and
Adam were friends now, and they could remain friends even
past September twenty-ninth. Olive’s heart sank at the thought
of giving up the possibility of it. “I do, though.”
Malcolm sighed, once again enveloping her hand with his.
“You have it bad, then.”
She pressed her lips together, blinking rapidly to push back
the tears. “Maybe I do. I don’t know—I’ve never had it before.
I’ve never wanted to have it.”
He smiled reassuringly, even though Olive felt anything but
reassured. “Listen, I know it’s scary. But this is not necessarily
a bad thing.”
One single tear was making its way down Olive’s cheek.
She hastened to clean it with her sleeve. “It’s the worst.”
“You’ve finally found someone you’re into. And okay, it’s
Carlsen, but this could still turn out to be great.”
“It couldn’t. It can’t.”
“Ol, I know where you’re coming from. I get it.”
Malcolm’s hand tightened on hers. “I know it’s scary, being
vulnerable, but you can allow yourself to care. You can want
to be with people as more than just friends or casual
acquaintances.”
“But I can’t.”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Because all the people I’ve cared about are gone,” she
snapped.
Somewhere in the coffee shop, the barista called for a
caramel macchiato. Olive immediately regretted her harsh
words.