The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
“Nothing.” Her voice shook. It kept disappearingsomewhere, melting in the tears.“Olive.”“Really. Nothing.”Adam stared at her, questioning, and didn’t let go. “Didsomeone buy the last bag of chips?”A laugh bubbled out of her, wet and not wholly under hercontrol. “Yes. Was it you?”“Of course.” His thumb swiped across her cheekbone,stopping a falling tear. “I bought all of them.”This smile felt better than the one she’d cobbled togetherearlier. “I hope you have good health insurance, becauseyou’re so getting type 2 diabetes.”“Worth it.”“You monster.” She must have been leaning into his hand,because his thumb was stroking her again. Ever so gently.“Is that how you talk to your fake boyfriend?” He lookedso worried. His eyes, the line of his mouth. And yet—sopatient. “What happened, Olive?”She shook her head. “I just . . .”She couldn’t tell him. And she couldn’t not tell him. Butabove all, she couldn’t tell him.Who do you think Adam will believe, Olive?She had to take a deep breath. Push Tom’s voice out of herhead and calm herself before continuing. Come up withsomething to say, something that wouldn’t make the sky fall inthis hotel room.“My talk. I thought it went okay. My friends said it did. Butthen I heard people talking about it, and they said . . .” Adam
really should stop touching her. She must be getting his wholehand wet. The sleeve of his blazer, too.“What did they say?”“Nothing. That it was derivative. Boring. That Istammered. They knew that I’m your girlfriend and said thatwas the only reason I was chosen to give a talk.” She shookher head. She needed to let it go. To put it out of her head. Tothink carefully about what to do.“Who? Who were they?”Oh, Adam. “Someone. I’m not sure.”“Did you see their badges?”“I . . . didn’t pay attention.”“Were they on your panel?” There was somethingunderneath his tone. Something pressing that hinted atviolence and rage and broken bones. Adam’s hand was stillgentle on her cheek, but his eyes narrowed. There was a newtension in his jaw, and Olive felt a shiver run down her spine.“No,” she lied. “It doesn’t matter. It’s okay.”His lips pressed into a straight line, his nostrils flared, soshe added, “I don’t care what people think of me, anyway.”“Right,” he scoffed.This Adam, right here, was the moody, irascible Adam whograds in her program complained about. Olive shouldn’t havebeen surprised to see him this angry, but he’d never been likethis with her before.“No, really, I don’t care what people say—”“I know you don’t. But that’s the problem, isn’t it?” Hestared at her, and he was so close. She could see how theyellows and greens mixed into the clear brown of his eyes.
- Page 202 and 203: “Not sure. Not sure Holden knows,
- Page 204 and 205: She paused right in front of his ch
- Page 206 and 207: “We could, like, sleep in on Sund
- Page 208 and 209: Olive: Well, TSA is notoriously inc
- Page 210 and 211: “Adam being gone. Hell, even I mi
- Page 212 and 213: “But I could tell you so many jui
- Page 214 and 215: stricken and frantic. “I can’t.
- Page 216 and 217: crap her pants. “Right.” Olive
- Page 218 and 219: “Well.” He fidgeted with the ca
- Page 220 and 221: “You’re not mad, right?”“I
- Page 222 and 223: Possibilities. That’s what Adam
- Page 224 and 225: them. I do hate that I love them, t
- Page 226 and 227: Could room.With him.Olive knew full
- Page 228 and 229: She huffed, crossing her arms over
- Page 230 and 231: “No.” She winced.“Is it the p
- Page 232 and 233: “Adam, I’m pretty sure that if
- Page 234 and 235: me to cry under the shower?”“Th
- Page 236 and 237: to my professional career, general
- Page 238 and 239: “Hey.” Olive forced her face in
- Page 240 and 241: “What is it?”“Calories. To fu
- Page 242 and 243: She rolled her eyes. “For Dr. Asl
- Page 244 and 245: It didn’t go perfectly, either. S
- Page 246 and 247: friends, but maybe she could buy hi
- Page 248 and 249: “A pretty girl like you should kn
- Page 250 and 251: to spending more time with you next
- Page 254 and 255: “It’s not what they say. It’s
- Page 256 and 257: “And I keynote-spoke.” He grabb
- Page 258 and 259: “Um . . . I’m wearing heels, he
- Page 260 and 261: She moved closer to him and grasped
- Page 262 and 263: “It’s appalling.”“—or the
- Page 264 and 265: like having a thousand little splin
- Page 266 and 267: well on her way to wasted by that p
- Page 268 and 269: “An obscenity, isn’t it? It’s
- Page 270 and 271: “For a moment there, during the t
- Page 272 and 273: “The opposite of discipline and h
- Page 274 and 275: Adam shook his head. “He wanted a
- Page 276 and 277: all of it, maybe it was always goin
- Page 278 and 279: “Olive.” He sighed heavily, clo
- Page 280: It was a little embarrassing, the a
- Page 283 and 284: studying her, it brooked no self-co
- Page 285 and 286: “No.” He shook his head. “Not
- Page 287 and 288: And I bet you do this all the time,
- Page 289 and 290: —IT TOOK HER the longest time to
- Page 291 and 292: Yes.“Fuck,” someone said. It wa
- Page 293 and 294: orgasm, and the taut stretch of it,
- Page 295 and 296: “Inside you?”“If you—”Ada
- Page 298 and 299: Oh. Maybe, now that they had sex—
- Page 300 and 301: “What?” She gasped and freed he
really should stop touching her. She must be getting his whole
hand wet. The sleeve of his blazer, too.
“What did they say?”
“Nothing. That it was derivative. Boring. That I
stammered. They knew that I’m your girlfriend and said that
was the only reason I was chosen to give a talk.” She shook
her head. She needed to let it go. To put it out of her head. To
think carefully about what to do.
“Who? Who were they?”
Oh, Adam. “Someone. I’m not sure.”
“Did you see their badges?”
“I . . . didn’t pay attention.”
“Were they on your panel?” There was something
underneath his tone. Something pressing that hinted at
violence and rage and broken bones. Adam’s hand was still
gentle on her cheek, but his eyes narrowed. There was a new
tension in his jaw, and Olive felt a shiver run down her spine.
“No,” she lied. “It doesn’t matter. It’s okay.”
His lips pressed into a straight line, his nostrils flared, so
she added, “I don’t care what people think of me, anyway.”
“Right,” he scoffed.
This Adam, right here, was the moody, irascible Adam who
grads in her program complained about. Olive shouldn’t have
been surprised to see him this angry, but he’d never been like
this with her before.
“No, really, I don’t care what people say—”
“I know you don’t. But that’s the problem, isn’t it?” He
stared at her, and he was so close. She could see how the
yellows and greens mixed into the clear brown of his eyes.
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