Love with you

TER

And up. And a bit more up. She was not a short

anh was not there. He said it in a way that should have made Elaine uncomfortable but didn't. For some inexpl

suing. Maybe Elaine should abandon biology and switch to psychology. Maybe she should excuse herself and go run a lit

t. Hanh and I were just . . .

he room. He acknowledged her existence with one of those brief nods dudes used t

his, Elaine had to admit. Because she was sure that from Hanh's angle it looked like he

The warmth, and the

ike she might pass out. "Um, I was just about to leav

use Elaine didn't need to come up with more lies. But also slightly less

istance between them, but the embarrassing truth was that it was Carlsen wh

. His tone was still soft. Not somet

. ." Elaine waved he

re we

t she said? About

en at his hand-the one that had been warming her bac

retty damn grateful right at the moment. "Also, uh, I couldn't help noticing that no agents from the

his mouth twit

tha

t. Even though it would have been totally within your rights. So, thank you. Fo

seminar, when people mixed up theory and hypothesis or admitted to using list

, it's not as if I asked you to do anythi

tinued. "Especially not so that your friend and your boyfriend can get

listening when Elaine vomi

ense. "Jeffrey wasn't really my boyfriend. And Hanh didn't ask me for anyth

o her," he

ing, you and I," Elaine blurted out. God, t

that the

ed the coffee in her hand and took a

eah. I guess it was. By the way-I'm Elaine Davis. In case you're still int

who yo

. Students' section on the department website. Elaine's picture had been taken by the program secret

ome borrowed foundation. It had been before she'd realized how ruthless, how cut throat academia could be. Before the sense of inadequacy,before the co

ka

arlsen. I'm

s though he'd seriously thought Elaine might not know who he was. As though he was unaware of being one of the

ow who you are,

probably cal

e department was not like that. Grads didn't cal

appens to

. Y

I hadn't thought of that." O

u. I'm going to go home, because this whole thing was kind of stressful and . . ." I was going to run an experiment, but I really need to sit on the couc

'll walk you

that di

anh's stil

Surprisingly so. Especially because it came from

. . didn't seem to be one. Maybe she should just blame her own appalling behav

st but couldn't help himself. "I'd feel be

dollars a year. My rent takes up two-thirds of my salary. I've been wearing the same pair of contacts si

s, but it couldn't have been that

take t

is right at the entra

nd then closed it. And

uth, Elaine. And i

o bike lanes

to live dangerously.

ould find. She'd retrieve it later. Or not, if someone stole it. Who cared?

sen had saved her ass. For the second time, sh

you arou

s he inhaled dee

f the room as fa