The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

“Hey.” Olive forced her face into a smile. Her heart was
doing something weird in her chest. Beating a little too
quickly. She should probably have it checked as soon as she
got back home. One could never be too careful about
cardiovascular health. “Hi.”
He snapped his mouth closed and cleared his throat.
“You’re . . .” He swallowed and shifted on his feet. “Here.”
“Yep.” She nodded, still smiling. “Just arrived. My flight
landed on time, surprisingly.”
Adam seemed a little slow. Maybe jet-lagged from his own
flight, or perhaps last night he’d been out late with his famous
scientist friends, or with the mysterious woman Holden had
talked about. He just stared at Olive, silent for several
moments, and when he spoke, it was only to say, “You
look . . .”
She glanced down at her dress and heels, wondering if her
eye makeup was already smudged. She’d put it on three whole
minutes ago, so it was more than likely. “Professional?”
“That’s not what I . . .” Adam closed his eyes and shook his
head, as if collecting himself. “But, yes. You do. How are
you?”
“Good. Fine. I mean, I wish I were dead. But aside from
that.”
He laughed silently and moved closer. “You’ll be okay.”
She had thought sweaters were a good look for him, but only
because she’d never seen him wear a blazer. He had a secret
weapon all along, she thought, trying not to stare too hard.
And now he’s unleashing it. Damn him.
“Agreed.” She pushed her hair back and smiled. “After I
die.”
“You’re fine. You have a script. You memorized it. Your
slides are good.”