Made of Honor

by lavenderdaze

Summary:

I said I was taking a break, but I wrote this for a friend a while ago and was inspired to hop on in post thanks to AH herself. LOVED the newsletter today and Adam's Chapter 1 POV.

When Adam and Olive find themselves at Holden and Malcolm's wedding in Kauai, can they reconcile their future and be honest about the past?

The story also features quite a bit of Jack, and a bit of George. Definitely some angst, but I hope I did okay at also keeping it light + fluffy. Definitely some more explicit scenes later in the story, which I might tone down before posting. Happy reading!

Notes:

Like I said in the very sad summary I wrote (lol sorry it's pathetic), I know said I'm taking a break, but I wrote this for a friend a while ago. Totally loved Adam's Chapter 1 POV (I could read about these two FOREVER) and decided to do the final proof and start sharing.

Hope you enjoy x

G

As always, I own zero TLH rights, etc.

Chapter 1: Chapter One

Olive closed her eyes, wishing to go back to a moment in time when her days weren’t a montage of memories showcasing Tom Benton ruining her life, but today was not that day.

“Please,” she begged. “There has to be something we can do.” 

“I’m sorry,” the front desk attendant sighed. “This is absolutely our fault, but there are no available rooms due to—”

“The wedding I’m supposed to be in?” Olive grimaced. 

“Unfortunately. I’ll talk to Rebecca. This was a genuine mistake.” 

She had explained it to Olive multiple times. There was an Ollie Smith staying in what’s supposed to be Olive’s room. Rebecca, the previous attendant, allowed them to extend their stay, thinking they were actually Olive Smith. Now? Olive was fucked. 

“I will give you a full refund, and—”

“Give her the spare honeymoon suite,” a stern voice said. The manager strode over, Rebecca blushing behind her under the office threshold. “Ms. Smith, on behalf of the entire hotel staff, we sincerely apologize for the blunder. Your current room will be refunded and should be credited to your account in one to three business days. The secondary honeymoon suite is available and on the house for the entirety of your stay.” 

Olive gaped, stuttering her way through explaining she would be happy to have any other normal room, even one with a twin bed. After minutes of insisting, she found herself standing outside the honeymoon suite on the top floor. 

There was a larger-than-life four-poster bed, a jacuzzi tub, and a luxury bathroom. There was a balcony overlooking the natural beauty of Kauai. Lush green hills and turquoise waters as far as she could see. It was ironic. 

It was paradise, smack dab in the middle of her own hell. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive was nauseous. She knew dinner was due to start soon. It was supposed to be a casual hangout so everyone could meet each other; nothing fancy today. But going downstairs sounded like one of the worst ideas she’s had in a long time. Not that she was short of those. She forced herself to get into the elevator, smoothing her sundress as she did. A familiar voice rang through her eardrums as she stepped onto the ground floor.

“Sir, I cannot apologize enough. Rebecca will be talked to, and—”

The air rushed out of her lungs when she saw Adam, hunched at the front desk with his head in his hands. From what she could discern, Adam no longer had a room, either. And the last available room was given to Olive. She was suspended in the moment, heart beating out of her chest. 

“I’ll call the hotel down the road. Thanks,” he sighed, grabbing his bags. Adam turned, faltering when he caught sight of her. His cheekbones were immediately dusted with pink, and his fists were clenched at his sides. 

“Olive.” 

Oh. Oh. His voice. And the way he said her name, like she was still precious to him. Though there was a lilt of pain. She ordered herself very sternly to breathe. Crying in a hotel lobby would be extremely frowned upon.

“Hi,” she said quietly. 

“Apologies again, Mr. Carlsen. Your refund will be credited in one to three business days, and I’ll send a complimentary coupon to be used within three years, should you choose to trust us with your stay in the future.” 

Adam was still staring at Olive, looking like he barely heard the manager. He looked the same, but different. A year older, and maybe a little tired. Like he hadn’t slept well in a long time. 

“Your room was overbooked, too?”

“Yeah. There’s a place down the road. I’m hoping they’ll have a room.” 

“Adam! Olive!” Holden called. You could hear the beam in his voice. It cut Olive to the quick. Adam gave Holden a bro hug, clapping his back. “All checked in?” Holden asked, before enveloping Olive in a hug as well, lifting her off the ground. “Malcolm cannot wait to see you. It’s been too long, Ol. You look great. Glad to see you both made it. I hope the fights were okay?”

“It was good,” Olive breathed. Words were muddied in her head. 

Adam looked wistful before masking his features. “Nah. The flight was fine, but there was an issue with the booking. I might be late for dinner.”  

“Jesus,” Holden muttered. “Your flight was delayed, and now you have no room? You were supposed to be here almost twelve hours ago.”

“You can stay with me,” Olive said, the words tumbling from her mouth before she truly thought of what that entailed. 

Holden’s eyes widened, flicking between Olive and Adam. 

“Sorry. That was stupid of me.  I…it’s just, the same thing happened to me earlier, and they gave me a massive room. You’re the best man, and staying down the road wouldn’t be fair. I—”

“I’d appreciate it. Thanks,” Adam said, features softening. 

“I’ll let you two to it. Thank you, Olive,” Holden said, squeezing her one more time, whispering his thanks again and how much it meant to him. Adam turned to Olive after promising to catch Holden later, looking at her curiously.

“I’ll help,” she breathed, grabbing his suit and another bag. “There’s an extra key upstairs.” 

His scent filled the elevator and Olive realized what a horrible fuck up this was. As if this weekend wasn’t going to be hard enough. Now, they were staying in a very honeymoony honeymoon suite.

“Thank you again.” His voice was quiet, eyes closed. 

“You did the same for me, once.” She turned her back, but felt his eyes on her. She stayed put, knowing being sucked into the memories of that night wouldn’t do anyone good.

Olive didn’t dare look at him when she opened the room, either. She heard his steps falter. He was likely looking at the enormous bed, assorted local chocolates, and champagne. Perhaps the romantic balcony where they could use to share breakfast, in another life. Olive gathered all her courage and turned to face him. 

“When you said it was a big room…” 

“It’s a second honeymoon suite,” she grimaced, ignoring the rose petals scattered on the bed. “I hadn’t really thought that through downstairs. If it’s too uncomfortable—”

“Honeymoon suite,” he repeated, voice pitched low, barely a rasp. 

“I can sleep on the couch.” 

Adam immediately started shaking his head. “No. I’ll—”

“We can work it out later,” she chirped. “You’re like ten feet tall. This bed is perfect for you. We’re going to be late for dinner. Here’s the spare key. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll see you down there!” 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺

 

Adam stepped off the elevator, looking large and in charge, as always. He was still so handsome, her chest constricted. More than that, he looked…blank. Empty. But maybe she was seeing what she saw in herself. 

“Sad, isn’t it?” Malcolm sighed, kissing her temple. 

“Hmm?”

“I actually like Carlsen now,” he teased. Olive snorted, shaking her head. 

“I won’t tell anyone.” 

“Y’know, neither of you has been the same since that conference in Boston.” His tone was gentle. Prodding and suggestive all at once. 

“He seems great,” she said. Jealousy was pooling in her gut at the sight of a very beautiful, tall woman flinging her arms around his neck, their bodies plastered together. Her skin was dark and glowing, her hair braided immaculately. They were clearly intimately acquainted with the way she kissed both of his cheeks. He had the dimpled smile she loved so much, directed at the woman in question. When he caught Olive’s eye, it faded, the walls returning behind his gaze.

“Please don’t kill anyone at my wedding,” Malcolm muttered. “You need to work on your poker face.” 

“Adam’s allowed to date whoever he wants. It’s fine. Come on. Let’s head to the restaurant.” 

Malcolm opened his mouth to speak, before being distracted by Holden. The latter turned to Adam. “Adam, you riding with us?”

Adam looked at Olive, then at the beautiful woman. “Nah. I’ll ride separately. You guys go ahead.” 

Another shot to the heart. 

Lovely. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive realized during the appetizers that she had woefully misjudged how difficult this trip was going to be for her. She thought she would be able to compartmentalize. Stuff her feelings in nice little corners of her brain, and focus on being the perfect best woman for Malcolm. She was wrong. 

It took every fiber of her being not to burst into tears at any given moment at the mere sight of Adam. 

She wrung her cloth napkin in her lap so hard that she ripped a hole in it and had to be brought a new one. 

Her eyes were permanently fixed on the woman at Adam’s side, who, more often than not, had her arm around Adam’s shoulders, massaging them gently. It was as though she were trying to comfort Adam, but from what, she wasn’t sure. Olive couldn’t hear what they were talking about, being too far down the table, but seeing it in real time was enough. 

Worse, she couldn’t stop thinking about her return flight. It was already looming in the darkest corners of her mind, threatening to break her. 

Which was why, the moment dessert was finished, she slipped away to the beach. She needed to be alone. Clear her head and formulate a game plan. It sounded like a great idea, except she had one too many drinks, and everything was fuzzy in a way that made her feel like thinking was a lot of work. Olive found a hidden bend and plopped down on a fallen log. 

Nothing. 

She could think of nothing. All she could do was feel the pain coursing through her at the imminent loss looming ahead. Maybe she should cry. Get it all out now. She was seriously considering the idea when—

“May I join you?”

Olive looked up, and up again. This dude was tall. Almost Adam’s height, if she had to guess. He was wearing a Henley and sporting an easy smile. 

“Sure.” 

He didn’t seem like an ax murderer, and Olive had very little to lose at this point. 

“You look fucked up,” he commented, sitting on the log next to her. “Here on business?”

That got a ghost of a smile to cross her lips. “Pleasure, if you could believe it. You?”

“Same. My plane just landed, but I need a breather before I join my friends. Jack Smith.” He held out his hand, and she took note of his blonde hair and features. A businessman, perhaps. He seemed refined in a way only having money could cause, despite the Henley. 

“My last name is Smith, too,” she mused, shaking his hand. “Think we’re related?”

“A fun development. Long-lost cousins, perhaps? That would be cool,” he grinned. “Tell me. Is your family comprised of a bunch of assholes?”

Olive tapped her chin thoughtfully, thankful for the reprieve. “Well, everyone in my family is dead, but my dad did abandon us before that happened. I don’t even know his name. Does that count?”

Jack looked impressed. Nodding approvingly. “Nice. That’s a very Smith thing to do. Perhaps we are related after all.” 

“I’ve always wanted a cousin,” she beamed. 

“Ouch. Have I been friend-zoned?”

“Oh, please. You weren’t interested in me anyway. I can tell.” 

“How so?”

“You’re running from something,” she said confidently. She knew, because she was, too. 

“Caught red-handed. Want to exchange sob stories?”

“Why not? You’re just a stranger on a beach, after all.” 

“I thought I was your cousin,” he smirked. 

“C’mon. Spill,” Olive nudged him gently, squishing her toes in the sand. 

“It’s pretty damning,” he sighed.

“I highly doubt you’ll feel that way when you’ve heard my sob story,” she muttered. 

“I think I’m halfway in love with my brother’s girlfriend. Maybe fully. I can’t be sure.” 

He said it so resolutely, so matter-of-factly, she realized he wasn’t joking. Her eyes widened, heart stuttering in her chest. 

“Shit. I’m so sorry.” 

There was no getting out of that one. Not if he didn’t want to hurt his brother. Unless…

“Are you sure they’re serious?”

“Honesty?” He asked, one brow raised. 

“Honesty,” she agreed, leaning into the idea. She had been lying for so long, and she was tired of it. 

“I’m not sure. It’s…bizarre. I talk to my brother every day, and he never even mentioned this girl. Then, all of a sudden, at a family function, she appeared with a perfect backstory. It’s happened a few times now, and he never mentions her between the family gatherings. Not unless I ask.” 

“That is weird,” she frowned. “Maybe she’s a friend, doing him a favor? Pretending to be his girlfriend?”

“My brother is the best. I don’t know why he would ask anyone to pretend, you know?”

Olive hummed thoughtfully. “If it’s not serious, maybe they’re more like friends than partners. If you just talked to him…he might understand? Unless he has the asshole gene, of course.” 

Jack chuckled. “I think my best course of action is to forget about her. I don’t date, anyway. Sex only. Easier that way. Clearer boundaries.” 

“I’m more of a lone wolf, too, I fear.” 

“Another Smith trait, perhaps.” 

“Maybe,” she smiled. 

“She’s supposedly a librarian, but she beat me at Go. No one has ever beaten me at Go,” he whined. Olive burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it, but it felt so good. She racked her brain, trying to remember the last time she laughed, and couldn’t. Maybe with Adam on the 28^th. This was evolving into one of the strangest conversations of her life, and she loved it. 

Jack Smith was exactly what she needed. 

Chapter 2: Chapter Two

Notes:

I forgot to mention that this is a novella, but hopefully I paced this well and it's not too fast (or slow). Happy reading ☺️

G x

“I told you mine, now you tell me yours.”

Olive’s laughter died on her lips. “It’s a bit longer. Kind of convoluted.” 

“I’ve got all night.” 

“I’m still in love with my ex, which I never told him when we were dating,” she said slowly. “And we’re rooming together now. In a honeymoon suite.” 

“You know, I think there’s a bar nearby,” Jack said after a low whistle. 

“The honeymoon suite was an accident, but yeah. I have a feeling there will be a lot of drinking this week.” 

“Maybe he feels the same?”

“I don’t think so, but it’s more complicated than that,” she sighed. “How much do you actually want to know?”

“All of it. It’s cathartic, you know? Let it out.” 

“Okay,” she said, memories forming. “I think we met the day I interviewed at the place we work in a bathroom—another long story—but I’m not positive. I never saw the person, but I’m pretty sure it was him. The problem is, he’s famously direct and never mentioned anything. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember, because that’s all the evidence I have. It’s not super important, but it is for later in my story.” 

Jack nodded, an odd look on his face. “Noted.” 

“Anyway, we officially re-met a few years later, which is when we started dating. I…didn’t expect to fall for him the way I did, but he made it impossible, you know? He was so considerate and kind. Funny and intelligent. Selfless. He made me feel not alone, when that’s all I’ve felt for a long time. He means—meant a lot to me.” 

“He sounds like a good guy.” 

“He is,” she agreed. “I felt connected to him from the start, in a way I never have with anyone else. A lot of people think he’s a dick. Antagonistic and unapproachable, but he has a small circle. Being part of it is an honor and no small feat. He doesn’t give his care and affection away freely, and why should he?” 

Jack was looking at her now, as though he could see through her. X-ray vision, of sorts. “Who ended things?”

“I did. He was visiting someone in Boston when a close friend of his saw me and…it’s complicated, but I thought they were saying he was in love with someone else. They just thought it was me, and I didn’t want to pull my ex away from that. What if the woman he actually wanted to be with saw us together, and I ruined that chance?

“Still, that wasn’t what made me end things. Everything went to shit when we were at a conference in Boston not long after that conversation. Unless I go into explaining what we do for work, which I don’t want to do right now, I’ll have to give you the short version. Basically, I was set to move to Boston for a year to work with another friend of my ex’s. That individual…let’s call him Joe, was also at the conference. 

“He…um, well he was really shitty to me, and—”

“Shitty to you?” Jack asked sharply. 

“He kissed me. I tried to push him away, but he said a lot of horrible things and did it again. He was letting me come work with him for the year to get closer to my boyfriend, or something. Have more influence over him. I think Joe wanted him to move to Boston for prestige reasons. My ex is… well-known in our field. The best of the best. I mean, hell, he was the keynote at the conference. I said I wouldn’t work with Joe. That I’d tell my ex everything. I didn’t want him to be taken advantage of. But Joe has a cunning way of getting what he wants. 

“By the time my ex found me crying, I was terrified. What if he didn’t believe me? What if he did? It was a mess, and I was a mess. Later that night, he was trying to convince me to report whoever made me cry, and brought up Joe and the close friend I mentioned earlier, and how much they helped him in grad school. I didn’t want to take that from him. Plus, it turned out he was looking into moving to Boston, and if I told him what Joe did, I would’ve taken that from him, too. 

“And he and Joe were supposed to work on an upcoming project that he was really excited about. That probably would’ve been ruined also. For what? Me? Someone I wasn’t even sure he wanted to be with? It was better to end things. He could be with the woman I was told about, which I think he is, and he’d get to keep all the things he cared about. He did a lot for me, and I couldn’t bear the idea of taking something from him.” 

“Did you ever think that you were more important to him than all of that?”

Olive looked at Jack like he had two heads. “No. Of course not.” 

“You never told him about any of this?”

“No. I kind of had no choice but to move to Boston to work with Joe. Like I said, he’s good at getting what he wants. But he made good on some of his threats. He’s getting all of my work and taking away my visa in one foul swoop. After this trip, I have to head back to my home country. If I’m not a grad student anymore, I don’t have a visa to renew. I’m scared of immigration. They could bar me forever if I don’t follow the rules. I tried to report him. Really, I did, but…the place he works at was not conducive to helping me,” she finished lamely. 

Jack was quiet for a long time, looking out to the horizon. “I think the risk of getting deported via blackmail is more fucked up than crushing on your brother’s girlfriend.” 

Olive laughed, drawing a heart in the sand. “We’re quite the pair.” 

“For what it’s worth, I think you should tell him. Regardless of how long ago all this was. If I found this out about one of my exes, knowing I could have done something to help, I’d never forgive myself.”

“I don’t want to fuck up his life.”

“It’s possible you are his life,” Jack shrugged. “Guys aren’t like the stereotypes. Some of us love hard when we love at all. He sounds like one of them.” 

“I’ll take it into consideration. The sun is setting,” she frowned. 

“Have any plans?”

“Not really. My group was just having a chill dinner tonight. You?”

“I think I do now. Come on,” he said, holding his hand out. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive tried to be as quiet as possible when she tiptoed back into the room. It was past one in the morning. Adam was likely asleep. 

Except, he wasn’t asleep. 

He was pacing on the balcony, hands running through his hair. She could see his scowl, even in the dark. Adam’s eyes snapped to her when she set her wallet down, the keychain clinking on the sideboard. 

“Where have you been?” he snapped. 

She was too tired for an argument. Especially when she had done nothing wrong. 

“Out.” 

“Out? It’s one in the morning. You’ve been gone for hours. No one knew where you went. You just vanished, Olive. I thought the year of radio silence was bad but that paled in comparison of you disappearing on a fucking island.” 

“I didn’t realize I needed a permission slip,” she muttered, not wanting to dwell on his comment about her year of silence.

“Well?” 

“Well, what?” 

“Where have you been,” he repeated. “Did it ever occur to you that people would be looking for you?”

People, or just you? She wanted to ask. Olive didn’t like how combative this felt. The tension in the air. The need to explain herself.

“I met someone on the beach.”

He froze. “Someone?”

“A guy,” she conceded. “We had…fun. It was nice. A weird reprieve.”

Stabbing him likely would have hurt less. She could feel the pain radiating from him like it was her own. The bond that haunted her dreams was still alive and well. The way his hand hovered over his stomach, before clenching at his side, cut her to the quick.

“Right.”

“It wasn’t anything serious. I haven’t had fun in a long time. We just—”

Adam held up his hand. “I don’t need details. It’s hard enough being so—” he stopped, shaking his head. “You’re allowed to do whatever you want, of course. But I would appreciate not being given details of…we were worried. That’s all.”  

Olive gaped. Was he serious right now? “Details of what? Finish your sentence.”

Adam glared. “Your sex life. Obviously, that would be fucking hard for me to hear about, Olive.” 

“I don’t have a sex life,” she snapped. “Not since you. I said I met a guy. I didn’t say I fucked a guy. Besides, you’re one to talk.” 

“Me?” His eyes flared, jaw rolling. “You think I’ve been with someone?”

This was ridiculous. They were both angry. Wound up for no reason. Adam wasn’t being a dick; he was just worried about her. They were on an island, and she did disappear. Her phone was off. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that he was concerned something had happened to her. 

“With Miss…Miss Hawaii?”

“Who?”

“I don’t fucking know. Miss California? Miss Universe? The beautiful woman who was on your arm all night? Your girlfriend? Do you think it was easy for me to see her fawning all over you the entire evening?”

Something dark and possessive was unfurling between them. 

“You think I have a girlfriend, but I’m rooming with you?”

Olive gaped. That hadn’t crossed her mind. Of course, it hadn’t. It was only natural to Olive that they be together. Adam and Olive. Olive and Adam. He was an extension of her, like peanut butter and jelly. 

Steak and potatoes. 

Green eggs and ham. 

Pumpkin spice and black coffee. 

“I didn’t think about that.” 

“George is someone I know from grad school. She knew I was stressed. She’s an old, close friend, and her wife, Dora, needed to finish grading papers for a deadline, so she missed dinner. You’ll meet her tomorrow.” 

Oh.

Oh.

“I…we just met on the beach. Exchanged sob stories. We went to a bar and played Go. I was advised multiple times that I suck at it, apparently.” 

His lips twitched. “Go? That was at a bar in Kauai?”

“He had a travel-sized version.” 

Something passed over Adam’s face, but Olive was too tired to parse it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a dick. I was worried about you, and it freaked me out that you weren’t answering your phone.” 

“I’m sorry, too. I turned it off. I needed a break.” 

Olive sat on the couch, tentatively patting the side next to her. Adam followed, and she looked at him, then. Really looked at him—the lines of tension in his body. The sadness in his eyes. She pressed her thumb between his brows, smoothing the worry there. 

He captured her palm as she moved it away, sandwiching it in his. She forgot how large his hands were and how safe she felt in them. Everything made sense when they were touching. 

I miss you, she thought. Jack flitted through her mind—honesty. He was right. It did feel good. If only she could say it. 

“How many missed calls do I have?”

Adam chuckled, his warm thumb caressing her palm. His skin was soft, sending goosebumps down her spine. 

“Only one.” 

“Oh?”

“Maybe more.” 

“You look tired.” 

He didn’t deny it. “So do you. Are you okay? You mentioned needing a break.” 

“Maybe too long of a story for tonight,” she joked. Olive wasn’t sure how they found themselves in this weird limbo, but she wasn’t going to burst it. “Want to go to bed?”

He nodded, squeezing her hand one more time before dropping it. “I’ll take the couch.” 

Olive shook her head. “It’s fine. The bed is huge. Way more suited to someone your size. It would be selfish for me to take the bed.” 

Adam’s tension came back tenfold when he dropped her hand, radiating through her. Olive wondered if she would ever understand her bond with him. Even with her mom, Olive hadn’t felt her mother’s emotions the way she could with Adam. She knew what her mom was feeling, of course, but not as though they were her own. 

Still, he didn’t push. He would never push her to do something she didn’t want to do, but he certainly didn’t seem happy about taking the bed. In the dead of night, Olive couldn’t sleep, and she sensed that neither could he. Still, she forced herself to stay put and stay silent, knowing there was no other option. 

Chapter 3: Chapter Three

Olive sat in a corner booth, sipping coffee and eating an array of fruit and breakfast foods. Her face split into a wide smile when she saw Jack stride toward her. 

“My long-lost cousin.” 

“Jack,” she grinned. 

“How did last night go?”

“Better than expected. You?”

“I passed out,” he shrugged, eyeing the coffee. “Be back in a sec.” 

Olive popped a grape in her mouth, startling when someone knocked on the booth table. It was Adam, his mouth in a worried frown.

“You were gone when I woke up. May I join you?” 

“Of course.” 

It would be safe enough. Jack would be here soon, and that would help. She could introduce them. He looked tired and nervous. He seemed to be better than yesterday, at the very least. Olive took a small leap, wanting to lighten the mood. 

“I didn’t want to wake you. Old men need their sleep, after all.” 

Crinkles creased his eyes as he smiled, and god, had she missed the sight. 

“Why are you harassing my cousin?”

“It’s fine. I know hi—” Olive started, but the words died on her lips when Adam got up, giving Jack a bro-hug—the one he reserved for his closest friends. 

His. Closest. Friends. 

“Cousins?” 

“Inside joke. Smith squared, after all.” 

“How do you know Olive?” Adam asked, looking between them.

“We met on the beach last night,” she whispered, her world imploding before her eyes. 

“How do you know Olive?” Jack countered. 

“You are the only person I know who would have a travel-sized Go board,” Adam nodded, amused. “I had wondered when she mentioned that. I wish I had known she was with you, so I wasn’t worried all night. No one knew where Olive went, and I…” he shook his head.  

Jack looked between them, realization dawning. 

Please, she begged with her eyes. Please don’t say anything.

“She told you we met, did she?”

“Yup. Didn’t mention your name, though. I’m going to grab a coffee. Be back in a moment. Olive, do you want anything else?”

Yes. To drown, or be teleported anywhere but this table. “No. Thanks.” 

“I’d love a cinnamon roll, thanks!” Jack called out. Adam flipped him off. Subtly, though. 

To his credit, Jack waited until Adam was out of earshot. “Adam is your ex-boyfriend. You’re the Olive I’ve heard so much about.” 

“I never told you my name,” she nodded. 

“Olive, look at me.” 

She did as he asked, helpless not to do what he said. She was fucked if she didn’t. How many times did this man talk about honesty last night? He held all the cards now. 

“You have to tell him.”

“I can’t. Please don’t say anything, Jack. Please. I’ll do anything.” 

“Don’t tell him what? That you’re in love with him? Or that Tom Benton assaulted you and you’re going to be deported if you don’t be his puppet.” 

Olive gasped, whisper hissing for him to be quiet. “You know Tom?”

“Everyone knows Tom. He’s a wannabe douchebag who’d love to be the current Adam Carlsen. Adam is going to find out what he did. You know he will. And when he does…” Jack raised his brow. 

“Not if you don’t say anything,” she said. “You were supposed to be a stranger!” 

“I had my suspicions last night anyway. Besides, what stranger do you know would have a Go board?”

“I’ve never played Go until last night,” she said, rolling her eyes. What was his deal with Go?

“I won’t tell him this morning,” Jack said. “And I’ll give you time to tell him yourself. But you’re going to tell him one way or another before this wedding is over.” 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive held her breath throughout the rest of breakfast, but true to this word, Jack didn’t say anything. It was clear they were close. Good friends, at a minimum. There was a double chocolate chip chunk muffin on Adam’s plate, calling her name like a beacon. He pushed it gently toward her, smiling as he did. A peace offering, of sorts. 

It felt natural to be near him again, which was not a good sign for things to come. Olive felt more fragile now than she did the night of September 28^th. One wrong move during this trip and her heart would shatter like crystal falling onto tile, never to be pieced together again.

Malcolm and Holden begged to have a bar crawl and dinner that evening, much to Olive’s dismay. Worse, she promised to be Malcolm’s Barbie doll. He wanted ‘aesthetic’ photos during the trip and made it clear he doesn’t trust Olive’s taste in fashion. Which was fair, but how dare he?

 “Malcolm. I cannot wear any of this,” she seethed. 

“You’re going to hold up the group with all of this whining, Kalamata.” He was laying out outfits on her bed, pairing everything to perfection. “Put this body suit and skirt on. Those shoes, and voila.” 

“This barely qualifies as a bikini,” she snapped, holding up the offending fabric.

“You’ll look hot,” he shrugged. 

“And this ‘bodysuit’ is lingerie, Malcolm. Did you get it from La Perla? I mean what the fuck. I can’t wear this in public.” 

“You are so dramatic, my little Canadian princess. Just because something is lacy does not mean it’s lingerie.” 

Adam cleared his throat, cheeks red. “Excuse me. I’m just going to,” he pointed at the door, and skirted past them. The door closed with an ominous click. 

“How’s that going?”

“Fine.” 

“Be nice, Olive.”

“I’m always nice.” 

“Not right now.” 

“Well, right now I’m being fed bullshit about looking like a lingerie model in front of your parents.” 

“They love you,” he cooed. “Back to Adam.” 

“Please,” she said quietly. “I’m hanging on by a thread when it comes to Adam. I can’t right now.” 

“He misses you. He tries to be nonchalant when he asks about you, but it’s clear.” 

Olive turned quickly, hoping Malcolm didn’t—

“I saw that,” he warned.

“It’s complicated,” she said, swiping her tears. 

“I won’t push, Kalamata. But just try to talk to him. Please? For me?” 

When they left, Olive had on the sheer lace body suit and skirt. Both were pasted to her skin. She felt exposed with the plunging neckline and short length and would rather be doing nearly anything else. She was too stuck in her head for social interaction. 

As it turned out, Adam was not. He flitted about the bar like the social butterfly he wasn’t. To anyone and everyone except for Olive, though she tried more than once. She chalked it up to him missing his friends and wanting to catch up with them. It wasn’t that far from belief. When they walked to the second bar, she wasn’t so sure. By the third, her blood was beginning to simmer. 

“Who is he, and what has he done to Adam?” Malcolm muttered in the third bar. “I’ve never seen him so chatty. 

“To everyone except me,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’ve been trying to talk to him. I even asked him how his study was going, and he excused himself and walked away.” 

Malcolm frowned, seemingly at a loss. It was nearing midnight when her heart came to a complete stop. Adam walked up to the bar, not unusual. He had ordered everyone drinks for the past few hours. Of course, he might want another beer. Instead, he turned to the side, his back to the group, and started talking to a blonde woman. 

Olive’s heartbeat was uneven, a familiar burn in her eyes. She held her drink firmly, hoping the cool glass would help keep her grounded while watching Holden’s confused expression until she could no longer stand it. She wished she didn’t look. The woman was beautiful and sun-kissed with a flower in her hair. When she took Adam’s hand, waltzing out of the bar, Olive felt like she couldn’t breathe. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Adam felt like shit, sitting on the beach and staring at the sky. What he did at the bar was cowardly, and now he was starting to pay the price. His phone was buzzing nonstop in his pocket, but he knew it wasn’t the one person he wanted to speak to. 

All he meant to do was order a beer. When the blonde girl whose name he had already forgotten asked for help, it didn’t seem like a terrible idea. She wanted to make her ex jealous, and Adam wanted to get the fuck out of there. He also had the hairbrained thought that maybe it would be easier for Olive to be around him if she believed he had moved on. Now that the taste of freedom had worn off, he wasn’t so sure. 

He was always such an idiot when it came to Olive, and this was no different. One look at her in her outfit tonight, and he was gone for her. Desperate. Hopeless. Another look at her in a baggy hoodie and sweatpants, and he’d feel the same. He was never going to get over Olive, and that was finally setting in.

He thought he’d be okay. That he would be able to look at this trip objectively. He was here for a wedding; nothing more. What a joke. 

Adam had not anticipated rooming with her.

He had not anticipated how difficult it would be to sleep in the same space, but not the same bed. 

He had not anticipated how weak his legs would feel at the sound of her laugh. 

He had not anticipated how meeting her would rewire his brain, never to be the same again.

Moreover, he woefully underestimated how much he missed her. 

He spent their months apart working out, staying in the lab as long as possible, and cutting toxic shit out of his life. If he could do something to fill his mind in a way that would keep his thoughts off how much he missed Olive, Adam did it. Because it hurt too fucking much, and now he wasn’t handling it well. If he stayed near her for longer than a breath, he was going to do something fucking stupid, like beg. For what, he didn’t even know. Her affection? Things to go back to the month they were together? A hug? At 3 AM, he picked up his phone. 

“Hey.” 

“When are you coming over, dumbass? I want to go to bed, and I know you didn’t go anywhere with that blonde chick. Come crash on my couch. Room 312. You have ten minutes or you’re sleeping outside.” 

The line went dead. Adam sighed, making his way to George’s room. It felt like the walk of shame he had heard so much about in school, but never had. He knocked, sheepishly. 

“You are so fucking stupid,” George snapped, throwing a pillow at him. 

“Thanks.” 

“Olive is devastated, by the way. Good job on that one. She’s a rockstar, though. You could barely tell unless you were looking for it.” 

He felt like a knife was being twisted in his heart, his throat constricting. 

“I’m sure she’s fine.” 

“Whatever, Adam. If you want to lie to yourself, go for it.” 

The room went dark. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺

 

In the light of day, Adam was regretting his decision more than ever. He was sore from the small couch, his head was throbbing, and he wanted to grovel. To talk to Olive and fix whatever was wrong for them both. Except, Olive likely didn’t want that. Groveling wasn’t her style. Almost as bad as hurting Olive, he had disappointed Holden. The text from him said as much.

Steeling himself, he opened the door. She was already awake, sweaty from her workout. She looked like she had just gotten back. There was no way she wouldn’t have heard the door open, but her eyes stayed on her shoelaces, focusing on untying them. 

“Morning,” Adam said, testing the waters. 

She ignored him, rummaging in a drawer and pulling out clothes. He deserved it. Olive walked past him, shutting the bathroom door and turning the shower on. When he heard the lock click into place, he winced. She walked out of the bathroom fully clothed minutes later, steam billowing behind her. So this was the dog house, he thought idly. 

“Olive,” Adam tried again. “Can we talk, please?”

With that, she strode out the door, not giving him a backward glance. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive wasn’t sure which emotion described her best. 

Tired. 

Depressed.

Furious. 

Heartbroken. 

Indignant. 

Maybe she was some new fucked up combination of everything combined. A scientific marvel for the world—yipee. All she knew was she was angry, devastated, and wanted to be alone. She was tired, with puffy eyes from the previous night, so she purposefully went and bought sunglasses big enough to cover them after eating breakfast as fast as she could.

It was early. Earlier than the group had planned to meet, but Olive needed to move. To have a task to focus on or something to get her mind off of how hurt she was. 

They were having a beach day today, and Olive knew chairs, towels, and umbrellas had been rented. She worked with hotel staff, who promised to deliver everything to the beach. By the time she had picked out the best spot, they arrived, helping her set everything up and assuring her not to worry about a tip, as the Rodrigues’ already had. 

Maybe this wouldn’t be the best vacation for her, but she’d do her damndest to ensure it was perfect for Holden and Malcolm. She sent him a photo, asking him to share it with everyone so they knew where to find things. She was sweaty, looking longingly at the ocean. There were more chairs than she had anticipated, which meant family was coming, perhaps?

Instead, she ran across the street with her wallet, renting a cooler before filling it with ice and plenty of water and other drinks so everyone could stay hydrated. This heat was no joke. The last thing she did was lay a towel on each chair, and she was done. Just in time, as it seemed. 

“Morning, Ol,” Jack said, giving her a side hug. “You holding up okay?”

“I’m good. Thanks, Jack.”

“Did you talk to Adam?”

She scowled. “As if I would have told him anything when he got back this morning.” 

“I didn’t mean about Tom. I meant in general.” 

“There’s nothing to talk about. Adam is a grown man, and he’s more than allowed to make decisions for himself.” 

Jack winced. “I can boycott him in Smith solidarity.” 

“You always know how to make me smile,” she grinned. “You don’t have to do that, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Where are you sitting?”

“I think I’ll wait and make my decision toward the end.” 

“Clever girl. For what it’s worth, he looks like shit this morning.”

A pang hit Olive at the thought. That wasn’t what she wanted. Adam deserved to be happy and to be enjoying his time with his friends. She just wished she didn’t have to be hurt in the process.

“I wouldn’t look at him this morning when he got back.” 

Jack let out a bark of a laugh, whistling long and low. “He is in trouble.”  

People from their group started trickling in, with Olive saying hello and helping carry things to open seats. Adam knew better than to try to talk to her in front of the group, opting to sit quietly next to Holden and Malcolm in the shade. When Jack took the only empty spot on his right, Adam looked at her, jaw clenching. Thankfully, her new best friends, sunglasses, she mentally corrected, were large enough that she could face a different direction, and still see this unfold out of the corner of her eye.

Jack really was a stellar human being.

Olive took residence on the opposite side, setting her bag down. She could feel Adam cataloging her every movement, but she pretended she didn’t as she pulled her clothes off. Malcolm picked out this suit, which, while comfortable, was not very modest. Today, she was glad for it. It would go well with the massive ‘fuck you’ she was sending to Mr. Antagonistic.

Adam’s inhale was audible, as were Jack’s snickers. 

She started working sunscreen into her skin, not wanting to miss a spot. This may have also boded well to her ‘fuck you’ plan, but in reality, she didn’t want to get burnt. There was something different about the Hawaiian sun, and she told Malcolm so as he applied the same amount to her back. 

“You look h-o-t, Kalamata.”

“Thanks. My stylist picked this out.” 

He cackled gleefully, walking back to his seat with a grin. 

“Love the suit, Ol,” George agreed. 

“It was all Malcolm,” she admitted. “Though, it’s surprisingly comfy.”

“Adam looks like he wants to die,” she whispered. 

“He doesn’t look very good this morning,” Olive muttered back. “I wouldn’t talk to or look at him earlier.” 

“I love that for you,” George sighed. “He slept on our couch. Such a dumbass.” 

Another pang. Olive gave George her brightest smile before heading to the water, needing to cool off. She paused a few steps in, looking around the crystal clear water below. Olive had never seen anything like it. She kept walking, fascinated by rocks and shells, until she reached a tide pool.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” An older man said, tossing a shell back into the sea.

“It’s amazing,” she agreed. 

“My late wife loved Hawaii. I still try to come here when I can to honor her memory.” 

“I’m sorry. That must be hard.” 

“Better to have loved and lost,” he sighed. “You enjoy your day, young lady. Ta!” 

His words prickled Olive. She felt like her entire life had been about loving and losing, more so the latter. Couldn’t she find a way to love and…not lose? 

“Who could ever leave me, darling, but who could stay?” Olive whispered. 

Noises to her right got her attention. People were jumping off a cliff into the dark blue waters. That would be reckless, right? Right. Still, her feet carried her forward, up the cliff, and into the line, with no one behind her.

When it was her turn, Olive wasn’t sure if she was afraid of heights, but as she stood on the edge, her heart pounded, her senses sounding the alarm. Get away from the edge, her survival instincts screamed, but Olive closed her eyes, letting the sensation fill her. It was exhilarating. One step, and she would be in the ocean below, and—

Two large arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her far from the edge and onto their shoulder, like Olive was nothing more than a sack of potatoes.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Adam snapped, walking back down the trail.

“You annoying, stubborn, invasive—put me down!” 

“I don’t care how many people did that before you. You could die, Olive. It’s reckless. Careless. An easy way to throw away your life. One wrong move with the tides, and you could be gone or be paralyzed forever.” 

Adam set her down when they were back on the beach, hidden behind trees. 

“My life is not your business.” 

“You are my business. If you get hurt, I won’t be okay, Olive. Ever again. And I swear to you, if you go up that trail for round two, I’m going to stop you from jumping. I don’t give a fuck how many times we do this.” 

“You’re being dramatic,” she said through gritted teeth. He didn’t mean what he said. Last night was proof of that. Olive wanted to yell and let all her frustration out, but that would cause a scene. Instead, she walked away, down the coast using the same path she came from. Naturally, Adam followed. 

“I’m being realistic. Do you even know how to swim?” 

“You’re joking,” she scoffed. “Are you going to spin this into something it isn’t? Of course, I know how to fucking swim. I don’t have a death wish.” 

“Clearly, you do. Go back to your chair, Olive. Or keep walking along the coast. But you’re not going near that cliff.” 

“Fuck you.”

“Or was this a way to get my attention? Because you already have it. You always have it.”

“I don’t want anything from you. I was trying to do something fun, for me, because I’m tired of my life being a fucking circus!” 

Olive froze, mortified by her words. She hadn’t meant to say that. To be that open and vulnerable. Not with Adam. 

“I won’t go back up there. Just…just leave me alone, Adam. Today and the rest of this trip. After last night, I don’t want to talk to you.”

Olive felt exposed. Like the tight lid she had put on her emotions this morning was being cracked. She was so tired. Of feeling lonely and hurt. Lost and confused. Like she was stumbling through life, taking every wrong turn. 

“Just allow me a few minutes of your time. Please, Olive.”

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive turned to him before he even closed the door to their room.

“This isn’t necessary, Adam. I’m not really your ex-girlfriend and have no right to be upset. You don’t need my permission to do anything, including meet women in bars. Nothing even happened between us. You have nothing to explain and I take responsibility for being upset when I shouldn’t be.” 

His blood simmered. How fucking dare she. “Don’t diminish what we had, Olive. Fake dating or not. The night of the 28^th meant something, and you know it. The things you said to me meant something.” 

“Maybe. Maybe not. Now, it doesn’t,” she said, staring at her feet. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re free to…” She waved her hand. “Pick up blonde women in bars. We don’t need to do the whole song and dance.”  

The room was brewing with emotion. The tension was palpable. She had every reason to be hurt. But it was wrong to act like she didn’t care. They weren’t meant to be adversaries. That wasn’t their fate.

“I didn’t go anywhere with her.” 

Olive scoffed. “You know, if we’re putting it out there, my favorite part of this is how upset you were the first night, thinking I was with someone. I watched you literally walk out the door with someone, and you think that wouldn’t be hurtful after the conversation we had? Fuck you, Adam. For the double standard. And for ignoring me all night when I was trying to make conversation with you. Now, you’re getting your wish. I’m leaving you alone, and you’re acting like I’m the problem.”

“Olive, please,” Adam said, grabbing her hand. She ripped it free as if his skin had burned her, clutching it to her chest.

“Don’t touch me.” 

Fuck. Fuck. Her eyes were red, rimmed with tears. He felt lower than low. A royal fuckup. Her voice was barely more than a hiss. Adam held his hands up, his heart pounding. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have without asking.” 

“Stay the fuck away from me, Adam.” 

Bile rose in his throat at the thought—the hurt in her voice. He caused all this pain, and had no idea how to fix it. “Please. I know it was wrong, but—”

“But what? You thought it would be funny? Did you two have a good laugh with her about it outside? I’m doing my absolute-fucking best with this situation, and you’re playing games. I said I was sorry the first night. It was a genuine accident. I didn’t waltz out of a bar with a beautiful blonde, insinuating to the group I was leaving to get laid. I don’t deserve this.” 

“You don’t,” he agreed. “It was wrong, and I’m sorry. Nothing happened. She wanted to make her ex jealous, and I wanted to leave. I’m not handling things well, and I’m sorry, Olive.” 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

“Handling what well? I’m doing everything I can to make you comfortable. Other than last night, I’ve tried to give you space. I’ve made myself scarce when we’re in this room. I’ve walked away when you’re with your friends. I’ve apologized when I was in the wrong. I’m not trying to join the list of people who hurt you or make you feel unwanted. Did it ever occur to you I’m tired of being a revolving door for people to walk out of?”

“And I’m trying to apologize now, and I’d never want to—” 

“I haven’t intentionally hurt you,” she said. All she could feel was pain. Pain, pain, pain. Her life was full of it, but it wasn’t supposed to be like this with him. Adam was the one person she had always thought she could trust to keep her heart safe. “Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t know what you did last night would hurt me.” 

“I thought it would be easier for you to be around me if you thought I had moved on from everything,” he said, deflating. “I understand you have, but I thought you could tell I haven’t. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I get that it’s dumb, but I don’t know how to do this, Olive. I don’t date. I don’t go out with people. I certainly don’t know what to do after I fake date someone. But after all we’ve been through, you look at George, laugh with Malcolm, talk to Holden like he’s your brother, even his parents. You seem more than comfortable with Jack and Dora—two people you’ve just met. Everyone but me, you can laugh with. Talk to. Smile at. 

“You can’t even look at me, Olive,” he said, looking sadly at her. “I fucked up last night, one hundred percent. I own that. But it was because I was desperate, which is also on me. I needed to get away and clear my head. I know you tried to talk to me last night, but you didn’t see how fucking sad you looked when you did. The way you looked at me when you asked how my research was going. Do you have any idea how that might make me feel? That my presence brings you pain?

“Again, I didn’t mean to hurt you last night, but I’ve always been such an idiot when it comes to you. I clam up. I don’t know what to say. I panic and make stupid decisions. I shouldn’t have done what I did at the bar, and I’m sorry, Olive. I’ll say it a million times if I need to, but I slept on George’s couch. Nothing happened, and I’m sorry. Hurting you is the last thing I would ever want to do. I can get a different hotel, if you want space.” 

He looked devastated. And tired, if she were being honest. Maybe as exhausted as she felt, since she didn’t sleep all night. 

“You’re not…what did you say? A revolving door for me. You’d be more like a vault I want to live in.”

“I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been handling this well either. It’s just, with everyone else, they’re not…” She stopped and took a deep breath. 

“You don’t need to explain anything to me. Fuck. I don’t deserve it. I avoided you for years in the biology department because I didn’t know how to talk to you, and I knew it would be wrong. I could give you a list of reasons I should stay away from you.”

That piqued her attention. He avoided her for years? “Like what?”

“What?”

“What are the reasons?”

“Where do you want me to start? The fact that I’m a professor? Faculty where you were studying? How much older I am than you? The fact that I have zero experience with people, let alone women? I have no idea how to make a woman happy, and then when I factor in the fact that it’s you? I’m fucked. You deserve better than me, Olive. Better than this. An emotionally stunted man who has no idea what a healthy relationship looks like. My own father told an entire room I was a sociopath, while my mom believes her maternal instincts never came to fruition because of me. You are the best of the best. The best thing that’s happened in my life.”

Olive had tears in her eyes. A large part of her was starting to hate his family. Unfortunate, seeing as they would be at the wedding.

“I think you’re the best of the best. Is it really so hard to believe you might be the best thing that’s happened to me?” 

He flushed, his features plainly speaking his answer. An irrevocable ‘yes’, that would be impossible for him to believe.

“Adam,” she sighed. “I miss you.” 

Those three little words burst out of her. Forceful but quiet. It was enough to make him pause. Finally. It felt good to be honest. To say this small truth, since she couldn’t give the whole truth. Even if it would hurt after. 

“I miss you more than anyone, and if you tell Malcolm I said that, I’m going to lie and say I didn’t because this is his wedding. And I’m not managing things well but it’s fucking hard, okay? I don’t know how to be around you and not…not cry, or break down, or…I don’t even know. No one else is you, so yes, it’s easy for me to be around them or even a stranger.

“It’s hard to be so close to you again, knowing that in a few days I’m going to have to say goodbye at an airport, of all places. Probably before we even get through TSA. You became my best friend in a blink, my perfectly favorite person, and in the same breath, it ended. I know you’re flawed, but so am I. You’re also extremely compassionate, caring, and thoughtful. You have a lot of amazing qualities, longer than the list you gave me of why you’re not enough. I’m doing my best here, which I get is absolute shit, but it’s hard for me to look at you because I miss you. Everything about you. And I can’t look at you and start crying when I’m around Malcolm, so if I have to listen to Jack talk about physics or how in love he is with Go, or Dora tell stories about George in order to not do that, I will, and I’m sorry also. 

“I just need to…to get my feet wet and not be so scared. I’m tired of being constantly alone and people leaving. I miss my mom and having someone, anyone, to confide in. Last night hurt more because it’s you. You don’t need to get another room if you don’t want to.”

Adam gaped. She wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t that. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Turned to look at his feet, then to her again. She said too much. Did too much. Just like the night she kissed him in the hallway.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make things worse or impose. You’re right. You should go. It’s your right to want your own space. I’m sure I’m not much fun to be around, regardless. I’ve been…” She shook her head. “This has been a more difficult week than I thought it would be. I’ll give you space. It’s good to see you, and I promise to be professional moving forward, especially with anything wedding-related. I don’t want to make anything uncomfortable.” 

Olive spun on her heel, heading for the door. She grabbed the handle, her eyes burning, chest quivering. She hated everything about this. She was going to need a moment before joining the group at the beach. Maybe there was a bathroom somewhere she could use to splash cold water on her face. Before she could wrench it open, Adam’s palm stopped the movement, pushing back on the polished wood. She couldn’t bring herself to face him, opting to hold her breath instead. 

“Did you mean it? Everything you just said.” 

She nodded, a tear escaping. Olive swore, swiping it away. The heat of him was radiating through her thin swimsuit cover. She could feel warmth pooling in her belly, the way it only did when he was around. 

“Can I touch you, please?”

Olive nodded, needing the comfort. Adam let out a shuddering breath before resting his head on her shoulder. His hands snaked around her waist tentatively, pulling her into an embrace. 

He seemed to know she couldn’t face him, and maybe, he couldn’t face her either. They had both fucked up. Both been wrong. She knew Adam struggled with his emotions, and the thought of him panicking was believable. George had already mentioned that he slept with them. What she hadn’t understood was why. But Adam wasn’t wrong, either. She was sad when she was near him. She had been emotional last night when she asked how his study was, because of Tom.

Olive gripped his arm reflexively. He pulled her closer. It was highly inappropriate, the way she could feel her ass press into swim trunks. Her nipples were hard, her head was muddled, and her heart was rioting. Her back arched when the tip of his nose scaled her neck, his breath at her earlobe. 

“I’ve missed you, too.” 

Those four words were her undoing. Olive let out a sob, then a hiccup, and then the flood gates opened. The more she shook, the tighter he held her. It was too much. 

The past year. 

How alone she’s felt. 

The way she missed him.

Adam finally turned her to face him, picking her up and carrying her to the couch. Olive was sitting in his lap, crying on his neck and snotting all over his shirt, saying repeatedly how sorry she was. He soothed her the best he could, apologizing just as much. When she finally quieted, she didn’t feel any better. The entire situation was too much. He apologized again.

“I’m sorry. I keep doing everything wrong.”

“I wouldn’t say you’re doing everything wrong,” Olive amended. 

Adam raised a brow. “I’d say the first night and last are evidence of otherwise.” 

“You’re just…being Dr. Carlsen. Sticking to facts and not sparing my feelings. It’s good that you’re thinking of yourself and your mental health. I should have thought that you or the group would be worried when I disappeared. And I was sad when I was around you. If you picked up on that, you’re allowed to do what you need to keep yourself safe. I was hiding from everything the first night, too. I did the same thing.” 

They were silent, neither knowing what to say. What even was neutral territory anyway? Olive should probably move from his lap. He did that to comfort her, and she wasn’t crying anymore, after all. Now it was nothing more than invading his personal space. 

“My parents are arriving tomorrow.” 

“Are you nervous?”

Adam shrugged. “They always make me on edge. What will be, will be. I haven’t seen them in a while.”

“Do they…did you ever tell them about me?”

A heartbeat, then a fissure. “No.” 

Olive nodded, pretending that it didn’t hurt. “I can avoid them, if that’s easier. Pretend we don’t know each other. I can just introduce myself as Olive, Malcolm’s best woman.”

“No. You don’t need to do that. I just wanted to let you know they were coming. Holden’s parents insisted. I never told you about them because they wouldn’t believe I had a girlfriend, but also, we rarely speak.” 

 “Who do you look like?”

“I’ll let you judge. I’d prefer neither.” 

“Sometimes I wonder what my dad even looked like, you know? My mom didn’t have photos or anything. She said she burned them.” 

“I’m sorry, Olive.”

“Don’t be. For the record, I think you’re really good at making someone happy.”

“I never feel confident when I’m around you. The entirety of our month together, but especially the night of the 28^th, was the first time in my life I wished I had more experience with relationships. I wanted it to be good for you, but I had never wanted to have sex prior to that night, so it was never going to be the same.”

“It was my favorite evening,” she admitted. “I loved all of it.”

“Do you want to head back to the beach?”

“Not really. But we probably should.”

Olive wanted to snap when he loosened his hold. Tell him to stay put and let her stay where she was, and that she didn’t want to go back to the fun in the sun either. They could stay here and try to be friends again. Except, they could never be friends. She loved him too much to be anything else. She became his a long time ago in an irreversible way.

What a tragic thought.

Chapter 4: Chapter Four

Notes:

Happy Wednesday, everyone! 🩷

“My son is single, if you’re wondering.”

Olive choked on her drink. She could feel heat rising up her neck. A bold statement for a mother to make, when the way she said hello to her son was a curt nod and a handshake. “Excuse me?”

“Adam’s mother,” she said confidently, holding out her hand. “Lana Carlsen.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Carlsen,” Olive said, shaking firmly. She wanted to make a good impression, even if Adam didn’t like his parents, and her relationship with him was never going to go anywhere. At least they were starting to turn the corner. “My name is Olive. I’m Malcolm’s best woman.” 

“Lana, please. My husband, Henry, is over there speaking with Holden’s parents. Have you met them?”

“Yes, ma’am. Earlier this week, when I arrived.” 

“Hm. Ma’am. You must be trying to impress. The question is, why?”

“I’m sorry. I know you said I could call you Lana, I just…I respect your son, so it feels disrespectful to call you by your first name. I can…try?”

“You do whatever is comfortable for you. How do you know Adam? You’ve been watching him all morning. I can’t imagine you want to date him, but I thought I’d try. Lord knows he could use help in the social department.” 

Olive flushed scarlet, annoyed. Be polite, Olive. “We grew close at Stanford, but I’ve been studying at Harvard recently. I haven’t seen him in almost a year.” 

“That explains the staring,” she nodded. 

Does it? Olive wondered. How scarring would it be for this woman to know what Olive was actually thinking, despite all the fuck ups this trip had already brought to life. Maybe they would deem Olive the sociopath instead. Now that you mention it, Mrs. Carlsen, I was thinking about how unbearable it’s been being away from Adam. How angry it makes me that you, your husband, and your family don’t value him. That you could have everything with him and throw it away because you’re horrible and selfish. More, how nice it would be to throw caution to the wind and pull your son into a darkened cupboard. Removing all my clothes and offering my body to him as a sacrifice, of sorts. Begging him to fuck me everywhere, the way he once assured me would. Maybe if I asked politely, he’d fuck me hard enough I wouldn’t feel this emptiness in my core anymore. If he wants me to be submissive, something I’m naturally not, since he struggles with control, I’d be okay with that, too. Anything he wants, he can have. 

Chain me to the bed. 

Try every position in the Kama Sutra. 

Have me choke on his cock.

Claim my ass for himself, something I thought I’d be scared of previously. 

Lock me in a hotel room for a week, like he once wished.

Anything he wants, I would gladly give him. It’s his, anyway. Because, despite what you believe, he’s one of the most caring, thoughtful, and wonderful people on this Earth.

Instead, she said, “Yep! Caught red-handed.” 

“Though he’s been looking at you just as much. It’s nice to think he has the capability of liking something other than science, or Holden.” 

Olive didn’t know if she should laugh, send out an S.O.S., or yell at her. Maybe she should try all of the above. “He’s an amazing scientist and person. I’ve learned a lot from him.” 

“Are you his student? That would be very out of character for him. Adam doesn’t cross lines.” 

“No. Adam and I don’t work directly together. We’re just in the same department. I’m studying pancreatic cancer in another faculty member’s lab.” 

Lana nodded approvingly. “It’s nice to meet his friends. To know he has a support system. People don’t understand he’s always been independent, even as a child. I’ve never met someone so closed off.” 

Olive was transported back in time to the conversations she had with Adam about his childhood. How lonely he was, and the way he never felt good enough. Her hands flexed into fists.

“He told me about his childhood, a little. It sounded interesting, with living in the Hague and having parents who were diplomats.” 

Lana stared at Olive, seemingly suspicious. “I’m surprised. He doesn’t share personal details often. I think we worked too much.” 

“Not unlike your son,” Olive said lightly. 

“Ah, yes. I think he lives in those labs. He would have been excellent in politics or law, but he never got over the biology thing.” 

Olive bristled at her words. 

“He produces amazing science, so I guess it’s paid off.” 

“I try to ask him about it, but it’s even harder to reach him now than it was when he was a child. I don’t think he has the capacity for that.” 

Olive bit her lip, forcing herself to stay silent. She wondered what would be too much to share. She valued Adam’s privacy, but wanted his family to understand how amazing Adam was. If they can’t see that on a personal level, they should at least understand it on a professional one. “It’s hard when you love your job. I think he knows that, and that what you were doing was important to you. Adam is and isn’t complex, despite what you think. If you want to try and strike up a conversation about his work, last year, he was awarded a huge grant that he was very excited about. He couldn’t believe he got it, even though it’s unsurprising, seeing as he’s a MacArthur fellow and phenomenal, but Adam doesn’t have an ego. He’s one of the most humble people I have ever met.

“He was going to start researching off-lattice cell-based models, which is really cool stuff. I can tell you more about it if you want specific points. He’s published by the best publications on the reg, which is not normal for our field. I’m not sure how it’s going, but it was different from what he had been researching. I’m not sure if you knew, but he was also a keynote speaker at our most prominent conference last year. Those would be two good starting points. I think he deserves to know that his family is proud of him.” 

Lana blinked, looked at Adam, then back at Olive. “How well do you know my son?”

There was a brief moment where Olive contemplated telling this impeccably put together woman everything. How sad she has been without Adam in her life, and how much she adored her son. How perfect he was, and the way she loved him. How lonely Olive had been before Adam catapulted into her life. But would any of that reach her? She gave nothing away. Lana was beautiful. Kind eyes. Not a hair out of place. Perfectly manicured nails. She had an air of sophistication and elegance about her. But she seemed impossible to read. Olive opened her mouth to speak, when—

“Mama C!” Holden beamed. 

Lana chuckled. “Hello, my second son. How are you, darling?” 

“Happy as can be. I see you’ve met Olive. I hate to ask this, but Olive, may I steal her away?”

“As if I’d ever say no to the groom,” Olive teased. “Mrs. Carlsen, the pleasure was all mine.” 

“I’m sure we’ll chat again. It was lovely to speak with you, Olive.” 

Olive breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to make a good impression on Adam’s parents despite their relationship, but she had never done that before. Who knew having a crush would be so debilitating? Needing a moment alone, Olive decided to wander the deck. Turquoise waters surrounded them, and the sun was beating down on the green hills of Kauai. It was beautiful. 

She was standing by the port bow, looking at the scenery. She wasn’t sure why the barriers were down, but Olive felt secure, ensuring she wasn’t standing close to the edge. Olive wondered idly if she’d ever talk to Lana again, when the wedding was done. Unlikely, but it would be nice. She wanted Adam to have a better relationship with his parents, and hopefully, the talking points she thought of would help. He deserved that, if it’s what he wanted. 

Adam looked relaxed when she saw him earlier, wearing a black linen shirt and sporting an easy smile. It was hard not to be, though, surrounded by your closest friends and chosen family in a tropical paradise. And, hopefully, whales. 

Olive heard the door behind her bang open, but she didn’t have time to react. One of the yacht attendants was dragging out a stack of lounge chairs and hadn’t seen her. Like a scene from a horror movie, time slowed. The attendant backed into her, knocking Olive over. She tripped over the lip on the side and then the edge of the yacht, meeting the waters below.

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Adam felt a punch in his gut, like he had been winded. It made no sense, seeing as he was sitting with his friends. His heart rate increased, senses heightening. 

“Adam? You okay? You look pale,” George frowned. 

“I don’t know. Something is wrong.” 

“Do you need a doctor?”

“No. Not with me.” 

Olive. This had to be about Olive. No one else had a hold on him the way she did. That force between them that pulled him to her. She must have been hurt.

“Where’s Olive?” 

“She was talking to your mom a few minutes ago,” Jack said, looking around. 

“I’m sure she’s fine, babe,” George soothed.

“No. She’s not.” 

Adam didn’t have time to try and explain how he knew she wasn’t, he just fucking knew it. He moved as quickly as possible towards his mom. “Mother.” 

“Son. You must be stressed if you’re speaking to me in Dutch.” 

“Where’s Olive?”

He was showing his cards, but did it matter? The tilt in his mom’s head plainly spoke that she knew how he felt. 

“She’s a fascinating girl. She seems to know you well. Perhaps even better than myself. I think she went and wandered around the deck.” 

“Thank you,” Adam breathed, looking to the side. She probably went through that door, he realized. Adam walked quickly through the threshold. 

“Adam? Is everything okay?”

He paid his mom no attention, needing to find Olive. Jack and Holden were speaking to him, but Adam didn’t listen to them either. 

“Sir, you can’t go back there,” an attendant said.  

“Get the fuck out of my way,” he snapped.  

“Guests are not allowed—”

“Then put a sign up.” 

Adam looked around, trying to tamp down the sinking feeling building in his gut. He couldn’t feel her around. Which only meant she was no longer on the yacht. 

“What’s that?” Adam’s voice didn’t sound like his own. 

“Sir, we’re going to have to ask you to—”

“This is Olive’s wallet,” he said, bending to pick it up.  

“I’m not sure who Olive is, but—”

“Do you have cameras?”

“What?”

“Do you have cameras? I think someone fell over the side. Olive. This is her wallet. Jack, go look everywhere for Olive. I don’t care who you ask.” 

After several arguments, making a scene, and the Captain getting involved, Adam was able to discern that there were cameras. To his dismay, he was not allowed to see the footage, no matter how many points he made or how hard he argued. It was highly unlikely anyone fell overboard, the Captain tried to say. It had never happened on one of his boats before. 

“Then you fucking look at it, but we’re wasting time and I swear to fucking god if—”

“Adam. You’re causing a scene.” 

Adam’s blood pressure had never felt so high. Don’t cause a scene—the number one rule. Save face, above all else. 

“Then help me. You said to me once that you thought your maternal instincts would kick in when you had a son, and didn’t. Because I’m an embarrassment to the family for being a scientist who hates stupid fucking boat races and lying and wanted my parents to love me. I’m sorry I’m not the perfect son you want me to be but fucking help me, Mom. Olive is missing, and they won’t let me look at the footage. You’re a negotiator. A politician. Be the mother you wished you could have been for once, even if it’s fake for you.” 

She seemed shocked. Taken aback. They never spoke about that conversation. She was drunk. It was not to be discussed.

Her lip curled. “Perhaps you would have excelled in politics after all, had it been something you cared about.” 

“If you have no concerns, can we not look at the footage to ease his mind? In fairness, Captain, no one can find Olive on the boat,” his mother said, placing her hand on his shoulder. Adam’s means of persuasion were…non-existent. He was based on hard facts. Reality. His mother, however, was a wonderfully manipulative and ruthless negotiator. 

In less than five minutes, Adam, Jack, Holden, Malcolm, and Adam’s mother were huddled around the surveillance screens, watching the black and white images. 

“There,” Adam said, pointing. “She’s there.” 

Olive was walking up the side of the boat, stopping to stand far from the edge of the bow, looking out at the scenery. She fished her phone out of the wallet clutched in Adam’s hand. When she did, his heart stuttered. Her lock screen was a selfie of them—something his mom noticed as well, with the silent look she gave him. 

She took a few photos of the ocean and a house on the coast, maybe a video, and put the phone back in her bag. Not much time had passed, maybe a minute or two of Olive standing and watching, when Adam’s stomach plummeted to the floor. It happened quickly; the way the door burst open and the attendant subsequently knocked Olive. Their back was facing her, and hers to them. There was no time to react, but the force was enough to make her trip and then fall over the side. 

The room was silent. 

“You need to turn around,” Adam said. His voice was cold.

“It’s not that simple,” the Captain started. “We will need to contact—”

“Did I fucking stutter?” he snapped. “You saw exactly what we did, and we’ve wasted too much time at this point. Olive could be—”

“Boys, may I have a moment with the Captain?” Lana asked, that mask of cool indifference Adam knew so well sliding down her face. Her politician’s mask. He had never been so happy to see it.

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Adam didn’t know what his Mom said, nor did he care. He and Jack were mounting jet-skis, about to try to trace the boat’s path. The jet-skis were significantly faster, so making up time would hopefully be easy since they both had experience with them. 

“You can thank me later. Tell Olive I said hello.”

“I’ll thank you now, and later,” Adam promised. “Thank you, and I’m sorry for bringing something up that makes you uncomfortable.” 

“Thanks and an apology in one sentence? There’s no need for the latter. You were right. For the record, I quite like this girl. She looks good on you. You’re different.”

“That’s what happens when you have someone in your life who actually cares about you.”

Adam snorted, revving the engine and peeling away. He was grateful that Jack was with him as an extra set of eyes. Malcolm and Holden were too emotional right now, having felt responsible for something that wasn’t their fault. 

Jack signaled to him to slow down. The boat was more than a dot in the distance. “Does that look like the house in the video?”

Adam nodded, looking around, praying she would appear. A flash of black caught his eye, and Adam headed toward it, fishing it out of the water.

“What is it?” Jack yelled, heading toward him.

“Her sundress.” 

“Maybe she took it off to swim better?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” 

“To float better,” Jack amended, neither admitting it could be something else. If Olive was anything other than okay, Adam wouldn’t be reconciled with. 

“There’s no way to know which way she would have started swimming,” Adam said. The anxiety was growing in his gut, which—no. That was bad. He could not allow that to happen. Olive was alive and not hurt. 

“Olive is smart,” Jack said, looking around. “What do you think she would do if she wasn’t sure how long she would be out here?”

“Probably try to find something to hold onto, or float on. I think she would know the coast is too far.” 

“Same.”

“Those rocks,” Adam said, too quietly for Jack to hear. They were far, but closer than anything else. Too far to see anything, other than the blinding glare of the sun and a bird that was circling in the sky. Adam wrung out her dress, stashing it away for safekeeping. 

“I’ll go toward the shore, while we still have sunlight,” Jack said, speeding away. 

Adam barely registered him, too distracted by that familiar tug deep in his psyche. Olive. He looked to the right as a cloud finally covered the sun, and his body began to riot.

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive was scared shitless. She was honest with herself enough to admit that. The ocean? Not her thing. Beautiful, for sure, but also…extremely terrifying. It was full of creatures that could kill her, and a million other things researchers likely didn’t know existed that could also kill her. 

Her voice was sore and scratchy from how long she had shouted at the yacht, hoping someone would hear. She swam perpendicular to it as soon as she could, scared to be sucked under the boat by the dynamics created by the engine. It was pure adrenaline until that adrenaline faded into fear.

She was out here, completely alone. The sun was beating down now, but what would she do at night? If it were cold, she knew hypothermia was a real possibility. She could float for as long as she could, though at some point she was going to need to get to something solid, but…

Olive also remembered from a documentary that you should stay where you were, to make it easier for rescuers to find you. In real life, she now understood it was not that simple. Nope. Not at all. 

For starters, if you were able to completely ignore how difficult the constant mental battle of fighting your instincts was, in real life, there was the possibility of poisonous jellyfish or being eaten by one of the giant seals she saw earlier. Or a shark, perhaps. The choice was aplenty. She felt like a sitting duck. Olive needed to move. To those giant rocks without becoming someone’s dinner, preferably. 

When she was about halfway, Olive was tired. She realized they were way farther than she initially anticipated, but she had to keep going. There was no other option now. She silently thanked her mother for all the swim lessons she had as a child. When Olive finally reached the rocks, she was exhausted. She could barely pull herself up, and when she did, Olive collapsed on the small bit of earth she could sit on, ordering herself to breathe. Staying out of the sun and keeping her vision on the boat wasn’t a possibility, so she stayed put. At least it was warm.

The fanciful part of Olive wanted to believe Adam would know she was missing, somehow. It was a nice notion, at the very least. Something to ease her anxiety; a comfort, of sorts. As the minutes ticked by, she wondered if this was how Tom Hanks felt in that movie with the volleyball. Completely alone and desperate for contact. Company of any kind. 

Olive’s wish was her command, because a bird came and landed next to her. It was beautiful and weird, and—

“Are you going to peck me to death?”

The bird looked at her, almost amused.

“Your feet are very blue,” Olive said. She was talking to a bird now. That was what her life was reduced to. 

It looked at the boat, then back at Olive. She nodded.

“That’s where I’m supposed to be, but I fell off. Is this your home?”

It cocked it’s head. She did the same. It made itself comfortable, and Olive was grateful that at least she wasn’t destined to be bird food. Yet. She ordered herself to stay awake, talking to Blauw, her new best friend. 

“That’s blue, in Dutch,” she explained. “Which I started learning this past year because I’m pathetic and wanted to feel closer to someone. I don’t think I’m very good at the pronunciations, though.” 

Blauw didn’t judge her. He just made himself comfortable. Olive wished she had her phone so she could Google if it was illegal to adopt wild Hawaiian birds. Probably.

“I will absolutely bring you home, if I’m allowed,” she promised. “And if you wanted to come.” 

They were quiet, then, with Olive looking out into the distance, willing help to appear, and Blauw nesting next to her. She jumped when Blauw suddenly dove into the water, bringing back a fish, then subsequently gagged when left her the tail as if to say, “Here, peasant. Dinner.” 

“Thank you, Blauw.” She promptly threw it away when he wasn’t looking. 

Olive was forcing all her energy toward the boat, which seemed to have stopped awhile ago. Maybe she did have superpowers. She was hoping somehow…she shook her head. Practicality was what would get her through this. Still, as the sun began to set, she wasn’t as confident. Everything seems so silly now. Her hiccups with Adam and how anxious they both were. The way they both missed each other but couldn’t reach out. Now, it didn’t matter. All she could do was hope the water stayed calm. 

Her bruises were forming, and scrapes were burning from the salt of the sea. She had an ache on her head and soreness spreading through her limbs. Deep down, though there was a house, she knew swimming to the shore wasn’t an option. That would be a death wish. Not to mention the dehydration from being sat in the sun in nothing more than scraps of fabric. Plus, who knew if someone even lived there. 

“I’m not sure what to do, Blauw. Please don’t leave me.” 

He squawked at her, flapping his feet, before flying up and circling the rocks. Was that a bad thing? Maybe it was a signal for all his other friends. Blauw knew Olive was going to die here, and she’d make free dinner. 

“I don’t taste like fish!” she warned him. He wouldn’t do that to her, right? “He’s a bird,” Olive groaned. A whirring noise in the distance got her attention. A small boat, perhaps? Maybe she could yell loud enough to get their attention. Olive sat straighter, doing her best to shield her eyes from the sun. She could barely see from the glare. 

It was jet skis. Two people on jet skis speaking with each other. One headed to the shore and another stayed. Olive was shocked, stunned, and immobile. Was her mind playing tricks on her? The exhaustion forced hallucinations upon her, perhaps. A cloud covered the sun, and Olive had to stifle her sob. 

Her chest was swelling; the presence of Adam was too overwhelming. She couldn’t see him, but the way the man’s head snapped exactly to where Olive was and the way he immediately sped in her direction had been enough. He felt them, too—the invisible strings. She waved, but her legs were shaking too hard to stand.

When he called her name, she started crying. There was no point in trying to stop the tears from happening. Adam stopped as close as he could to where she was, standing and holding his arms out. She was reminded of how strong and large he was with the way he picked Olive up like a doll and shielded her from everything around them. 

She wasn’t even embarassed that she was in a lacy black bra and matching thong, courtesy of Malcolm. Olive sobbed into his chest, taking heaving breaths. She couldn’t believe he was actually here, holding her close and saying loving things in her ear. Soothing things. That she would be leaving this rock she thought she would die on, with Blauw. 

Blauw.

“Blauw,” she cried. He sqwaked at her again and flew away. “He’s leaving.” Olive started crying harder.

“You named the bird blue?”

She nodded, trying to explain how bright his feet were while clutching the black strands she loved so much. Olive had plastered herself to Adam, straddling him on the seat, wrapping her legs around his torso. They were touching everywhere. Adam wouldn’t let go of her. Not even when he turned the jet ski, moving slowly away from the rock.

He didn’t ask Olive to sit behind him, the way she probably should. She wasn’t sure if he wanted that. She knew she didn’t. Olive opened one of her eyes to see Jack patting his shoulder. She held her hand out and took his quickly, squeezing once before letting go. 

“Thank you. Both of you.” 

“I’m starting to think you’re a magnet for bad news, Cuz.” 

Olive laughed, then coughed because her throat hurt. Adam opened a compartment and handed her a water bottle.

“Small sips,” he ordered. 

The cool liquid slid down her throat, soothing and wonderful. Her eyes fell closed again, her head resting on his chest. 

“You have a cut on your head. It seems shallow, but I want to get it checked out. Do you feel okay?”

“Just exhausted,” she promised. “And I feel bad for littering. I had to take my dress off to make swimming easier.”

“I found it. Don’t worry about that.” 

The heat of his skin was comforting in the best way. He was solid beneath her pruned fingers and smelled oh, so like Adam. Whenever there was a bump, Adam pulled her closer until finally they were back at the boat. She felt drowsy and annoyed at whoever was trying to pull her away from him. 

She gripped Adam tighter, mumbling in protest, but it hardly made sense. Didn’t they understand she didn’t want to be anywhere else? Olive wanted to stay right where she was, in Adam’s arms.

“Hold it steady for me, please.” 

It was Adam’s voice, but he sounded far away. She felt his grip tighten, moving to hold her thighs instead. Olive was floating feet in the air, ignoring the voices surrounding them, all but one.

“What the fuck, Kalamata,” Malcolm said. She could hear the worry in his voice, forcing her eyes open. She held onto Adam, but squeezed Malcolm’s hand as they continued walking. 

“I was trying to be the Little Mermaid,” she said weakly. Even Adam huffed a laugh. “Or Moana. I even made a friend.” 

“If you’ve replaced me with a crab—” 

“A bird,” she amended. “He had blue feet. I named him Blauw.” 

“You scared the shit out of us.”  

“I’m sorry. I can promise I won’t do it again.” 

“Let me get you something warm.” 

“Thank you,” Adam said, sitting on a couch, then, quieter, “Do you want me to let you go?”

“Not really,” she said honestly. “But I can—”

Adam shook his head, readjusting the position so they’d both be more comfortable. 

“Here. Put these on,” Malcolm said. 

Olive begrudgingly let Adam go, the prospect of warm sweatpants, socks, and a hoodie too strong to ignore. Adam pulled on his shirt and jacket quickly, before helping Olive stay steady on her feet.

“I don’t know why I’m shaking so badly,” she complained. Holden rushed over with food and sugary drinks. She managed to take a few bites before the warmth of the clothes and Adam’s body heat took her under. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

“You look worse for wear.” 

“That may be one of the nicest things you’ve said to me,” Adam said dryly. 

“Is she okay?”

“I think so. Holden has a family member who is a doctor. They said the cut on her head is shallow. I think she’s just tired.” 

“It’s nice,” his mom said, looking pointedly at the way Adam held Olive. 

“That she’s hurt?” he glared.

“To see you so taken by someone,” she chastised.  

Adam closed his eyes. Was it nice? Most days, he didn’t think so. He decided to do the unthinkable and tell the truth to his mom. “It feels horrible.” 

She chuckled. “I know, dear. I would say it will get better, but I’d hardly know. Why don’t you ask her on a date? She was staring at you all morning. I told her as much.”

Adam’s eyes bulged. “You what?”

She shrugged. “We had a nice chat. And don’t worry, I kept it equitable. I told her you were looking at her just as much as she was looking at you. As I said, she’s wonderful.” 

“Mom,” he whined. 

“Merely pointing out facts.” 

“Things with Olive are complicated.” 

“You love her.”

It wasn’t posed as a question. Adam wasn’t sure how embarassed he should be by his transparency. He forced out the word. “Yes.”

Lana nodded, patting his knee. It felt like the most affectionate thing that had ever happened between them.

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive sat on the couch, wanting to do anything other than move. 

“I smell like seaweed.” 

“I…yeah, you do. I wasn’t going to say anything,” Adam chuckled. “C’mon.”

“To where?”

“Shower. We can leave clothes on. I know you don’t want to move, but I’ll help you. All you’ll need to do is stand, and it will make you feel better.” 

Olive was too tired to argue, stripping out of her clothes. The shower was the size of their entire bathroom back at Stanford, anyway. She winced as she stepped under the spray, some of her scrapes still raw; yet, it was cathartic. 

Adam grabbed some soap, asking for consent before gently lathering her skin, not daring to linger. He avoided anywhere that could be deemed inappropriate, making sure she felt comfortable as he went along. He looked sheepish when it came to her hair, blushing when Olive laughed at his explanation. 

“I can’t remember which one is supposed to do first. I only have one bottle.” 

She hadn’t understood why people enjoyed head massages until now. It was nice, tension seeping out of her pressure points and swirling down the drain with the suds. 

“I think you might be burnt,” he frowned, tracing her shoulders. 

“I was kind of expecting it,” she sighed. “Hopefully, I don’t look like a lobster in the photos. It could have been worse, though. I might’ve been cevice.” 

His lips flattened into a disapproving line. Olive never fully thanked him for what he did today. On a burst of courage, she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him and hugging with all her might. They didn’t speak; they didn’t need to. When she dropped down to her heels, Adam wrapped her in a fluffy towel, leaving to give Olive privacy.

She was exhausted. Bone tired, and suspected Adam was, too. She meant to stay awake, but the moment she lay horizontally on the couch, she was gone from the world. 

Chapter 5: Chapter Five

Notes:

A few Jack and Elsie crumbs in this one 💖

Olive woke with a stir. One glance at the clock told her she hadn’t been asleep long, and another glance at the bed showed Adam missing. She sat up quickly, when—

“Adam?”

He was at the foot of the couch, lying on the floor with a pillow.

“I thought you were asleep,” he mumbled. 

“I was. I…what are you doing on the floor?”

Adam sat up, rubbing his temples. “You’re too far away.” 

“What?”

“Being in the same room as you, but not…I can’t stand it. I can’t think when you’re all the way over here. It made me feel better to…” he sighed, seemingly helpless. 

Olive was tired. Her thoughts were messy and disjointed. Her head was throbbing. Maybe that was why she stood, grabbing the pillows and his hand. Why she threw the covers of the bed back before sliding in one side, and patting the other, and perhaps that was why Adam followed suit, their quiet breaths the only sound filling the space. 

“How did you know?” She whispered to the darkness. 

“Hmm?”

“How did you know I wasn’t on the boat?”

Adam was silent for long enough that Olive wondered if he had fallen asleep. “I felt it. I know it doesn’t make sense, and I don’t have an explanation, but I just knew you were gone. It was like I had been winded.” 

A tear ran down her cheek. She couldn’t help it. It had been such a long day, and Adam perfectly described how she felt about him. She instinctively knew when he was or wasn’t around, and hardly understood the phenomenon herself. So, instead, she traced a trail down his bicep and forearm, entwining their fingers when she finally reached his hand. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

In hindsight, perhaps it wasn’t a good idea for the whole boundaries thing Olive was trying to implement, to sleep together. They were a mass of tangled limbs in the middle of the bed when she woke in the morning. The sun was barely peeking through, but it was enough. Her head was nestled in the crook of his neck, her front flush against his. Adam was holding onto Olive like a newborn clutching their favorite lovey. Olive extricated herself as gently as she could, grateful she didn’t wake him. He really did look like he needed sleep. 

She washed and changed quickly, too scared to wait for him. Maybe last night was a moment of weakness. He was worried because of the boat incident. Nothing more. Deep down, she couldn’t afford to hope.

“Good morning, Olive.”

“Good morning, Lana,” she smiled. 

“How are you feeling? You took quite the spill yesterday.” 

“A little sore, but I’m okay, thank you. I feel bad for causing a scene.”

“I saw the footage. Everyone knows it’s not your fault.” 

“Footage?” She frowned.

“Did Adam not tell you?”

“No.” 

“He threw a fit. He kept saying he knew you were gone, off the boat. Sure enough, no one could find you. He’s not very persuasive, poor thing. People don’t respond to logic well when they may be in the wrong, but we got there in the end. There was security footage proving he was right, which is when he left to find you. If anyone caused a scene, it was him. He always did have a flair for the dramatics when he wanted to. Granted, it was warranted this time.” 

Olive was stunned. She had no idea.

“Speaking of.” 

“Olive,” Adam said, pulling a chair out. “Mom.” 

“I’ll get you a coffee, shall I?” Lana stood, gliding toward the coffee.

“How are you?” His eyes and the feather-light touch on her forehead meant more now she knew what he did to ensure she was safe.

“I have a headache, but I’m okay.” 

He slid a few packets toward her, resting his palm on her hand. “I brought these for you. Hopefully they’ll help, but take them with food.” 

“Being taken care of is weird for me,” she pointed out.

“Get used to it, Schat,” he whispered, standing. “I’ll go get you one of those muffins you keep stealing extras of.” 

“Schat?” She glared. There was no heat behind it. “Is that how you say smart ass in Dutch?”

Adam looked amused. “Nah. I’ve never called anyone Schat before. It’s a term of endearment, not to be used lightly, betweter.”

She didn’t need to Google to know he called her a smart ass at the end. It was weirdly comforting. Most people would be offended, but not Olive. Adam came back with more food than necessary, pushing some pointedly at Olive and watching her from the corner of his eye. He introduced Olive to his dad, who joined the party, followed by Holden, who was ‘thrilled to see the Carlsens together’. 

It was nice, though a little terse. Olive did what she could to help. Olive smoothed the stilted conversation to the best of her abilities, his parents easing as she yammered on. If this was what Adam’s childhood was like, she was surprised he wasn’t worse with people than he proclaimed. By the time breakfast was done, Adam breathed his thanks. 

The rest of the morning and afternoon were spent doing hikes and sightseeing tours of Waimea Canyon State Park, Botanical Gardens, and several waterfalls in the area, each more stunning than the last. Adam stayed close to Olive, which everyone took note of and seemed pleased about. They felt guilty for making so many waves during their best friend’s wedding, but it was bound to happen. 

Malcolm, Holden, Jack, Dora, George, Adam, and Olive all decided to do one last hike to a local ocean pool to unwind. They didn’t want to go to Queen’s Bath, knowing how overcrowded it would be. One of the hotel attendants told them about another, not far from the hotel that not many knew about. They all assured her they had no intention of spilling the beans. 

“What even is social media, anyway?” George joked. “We’re all scientists and work in labs. We have zero online presence unless it’s in a journal publication.” 

It was different from a hot springs, but beautiful in its own way. A turquoise pool made from lava rocks overlooking the sea that was warmed by the sun? That was good enough for them. Olive was floating, trying to calm her mind, when Jack found her.

“How are you?”

“Because of the boat incident?”

“Because of the Tom incident,” Jack said, voice low. One glance told her no one was around. 

“I’m hanging in there.” 

“You’re good at keeping a façade. I’ll give you that. Cool as a cucumber.”

“Really? I feel anything but.” 

“Have you told him yet?”

“Yes. On the jet ski last night. I told him everything. It was my death proclamation.” 

“Now I understand why he calls you smart ass,” Jack muttered. 

“No. Of course, I haven’t said anything. The first two days, we were at each other’s throats for no reason. Yesterday I almost died in the ocean, and today we’ve been hiking with the group.”

“Fair. But you will,” Jack said, more to himself, nodding as he did. 

“Will I?”

“Yep. You’re made of honor.” 

“Best woman, I believe we’re calling it.”

“No. I mean that you’re good stuff. You are m-a-d-e of honor. Your conscience won’t allow you not to tell him.”

“Can you blame me for not knowing when the right time is?”

“No. It’s a clusterfuck, for sure. Especially because Adam will go nuclear.” 

“How’s your situation?”

“The girlfriend?”

“Mhmm.” 

“I only thought about her fifty times today instead of two hundred, so how about that?”

“Well done,” Olive beamed. 

“Want to know how pathetic I am?”

“You know how pathetic I am,” she countered.

“I asked my brother today what she likes. So now I’m bringing the entire family shit home as presents because I wanted to get her macamadamia nuts. She’s always snacking on nuts when they’re around. If there are almonds anywhere, she’s there. I noticed early on and started making assorted nut bowls and platters at the family gatherings. I saw the macadamia nuts earlier, and I…” he shook his head. “Stupid.”  

“Jack,” Olive said softly. This poor, poor man. Her heart went out to him. “She’s lucky to have you, even if she doesn’t know. May I…I know we’re in swimsuits, but would it be okay if I gave you a hug?”

Jack chuckled, nodding. “Bring it here, Ol.” 

She wrapped her arms around his chest, and Jack wrapped her in a bear hug. All affection and no heat. Olive poured as much comfort as she possessed into it, knowing how hard it was to love someone who either didn’t love you back or wasn’t an option. 

Exhibit A: her entire relationship with Adam.

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

“I don’t want to put you in an uncomfortable position,” Adam started, biting the inside of his cheek. He realized what he was doing and immediately stopped. Tom taught him to stop giving away tells.

“What’s up?”

“Even though you are a dick most days,” he pointed out, taking another bite of fish.

Jack chuckled. “Right back at you.” 

“What’s going on between you and Olive?”

“Nothing.” 

Adam leveled him with a look. 

“It’s complicated, but also not. Genuinely nothing, but we did open up to each other about shit that night we met on the beach. My story isn’t great, but she was helping me as much as she could. She had some good ideas, to be fair.” 

“When you were strangers.” 

“Correct.” 

“So the hug today…” Adam couldn’t help but feel jealous. Olive hadn’t hugged Adam like that in almost a year. Not unless you count comforting each other during the trip so far. 

“Dude. First and foremost, I am fully confident she will tell you everything she told me, but on her own time. Second, she doesn’t like me like that. Third, the hug was a comfort hug between…friends? Siblings? I don’t even know what she is at this point, but it’s so far from anything you’re thinking that—”

“I get it, I get it,” Adam muttered. “She just feels so…out of reach, you know? We were closer than I had ever been with anyone, and then everything ended. Now, I can’t stop panicking she’ll get hurt, or spiraling about what to say or what not to say. I want things to go back to normal, and I don’t know how to make that happen. If she doesn’t want to be with me, that’s okay, but we don’t talk the way we used to.” 

“I think that has less to do with you and more to do with external factors.” 

Adam nodded. He noticed that, too. “She’s more anxious than I’ve seen her before. I assumed it was the wedding and wanting to look good in front of all our families.” 

Jack swallowed, choosing his following words carefully. Adam was burning to know what he seemed to. “Olive was comforting me today, because I’m…what do the kids call it? Down bad, for this girl.” 

Adam choked on his drink, sputtering as he did. “Excuse me?”

“Tell me about it.” 

“Who?”

Jack cringed. “Greg’s girlfriend.” 

Adam’s heart plummeted to his stomach. “Holy shit.”

“Like I said, it’s not great.”

“Damn, Jack. I’m sorry.” 

“There’s no getting out of it, really. In the pool today…” Jack paused, rolling his jaw. Was that a slight pink in his cheeks? Nah. Adam’s eyes must have been playing tricks on him. Maybe it was the restaurant lighting. “I slipped up. I texted Greg while we were out earlier and told Olive all about it. The girl, her name is Elsie, she’s always snacking on almonds and other nuts. When I saw the macadamia nuts, I asked Greg if she likes them because I wanted to get her something. Now I’m bringing gifts back for the whole family.” 

Adam couldn’t control the laugh that escaped, even when he clapped his hand over his mouth. He felt his dimples appear, helpless from the hanger that took residence in his features. 

“Olive was trying to make me feel better,” Jack said. “Unlike some people.”

“Sorry, but you hate your family. Shit, that is good. Almost as bad as if I had to buy my parents souvenirs.” 

“I know,” he whined. “I’m fucking annoyed I’m bringing them anything.” 

“I am sorry, though. About Elsie.”

“Thanks. And I’m sorry about Olive. I think it’s been a tough trip on you both.”

“It’s good to see her,” Adam admitted, relieved to tell the truth.

“Maybe you should…I don’t know. I’m new to this stuff. But take her somewhere? Do something together with just the two of you?”

“I had already planned to do that. She loves chocolate.” 

“Nice. Taking her to that chocolate farm down the road?”

He nodded. “I booked a reservation during some of the free time.”

 “You’ll find your way back to each other.”

Adam could only pray Jack wasn’t wrong. 

Chapter 6: Chapter Six

Notes:

*gif of Michael Scott screaming it's happening*

 

Okay, this is where I really could use some feedback for the second half of the book. Like I said, I wrote this for a friend, and it was heavy on the spice. I'm doing the final edit now, partially to incorporate some of the crumbs from Ali's newsletter, but also because of that.

If you could leave feedback on whether you want a spicer book, a cleaner book, etc., that would be great! Thank you 🩷🩷🩷

They were all gathered around the fire pit, laughing and drinking. Exchanging stories and snacks. Olive felt warm from the flames and relaxed from the sound of the waves lapping against the shore. 

Jack stretched his legs out, looking at her amusedly. “I think we should play truth or dare.” 

“This isn’t high school,” Adam said, rolling his eyes. 

Olive bristled at the idea, worried about what Jack was planning. 

“As long as it’s fun,” Holden said. 

“Of course. It was inspired by that TV show you had on earlier.” 

“Love Island,” Malcolm groaned. “So. Good. You could never make me hate it.” 

“Holden, I dare you to kiss your groom,” Jack chuckled. 

“Gladly.” 

Malcolm had been glowing with happiness since she saw him the day before. Their joy was palpable. Holden kissed him not once, but three times. 

“Now what?” Holden beamed

“Your turn,” Jack said, grabbing another beer. 

“Adam,” Holden began, rubbing his hands. Adam immediately rolled his eyes.

“Truth.” 

“Damn.” 

“You were going to dare me to wear the sequinned best man suit jacket, which I’m planning on doing anyway, despite my objections on how horrendous it looks.” 

“You are?” Holden had stars in his eyes. “I knew you loved me. Okay…truth, truth, truth. Do you regret cutting Harvard out of your life?”

Olive’s eyes snapped to Adam. What was this? Jack was looking at her knowingly, that one brow raised again. 

Honesty, it said.

“You better say yes you fucker. I never see you anymore,” George whined.

“I regret not seeing George more often,” Adam grinned. “Nothing else.” 

“I accept that answer,” she beamed, ruffling his hair. “Fuck that school. I’m proud of you.” 

Olive felt nauseous. She hadn’t heard about this. Of course, she hadn’t. Adam wasn’t part of her life anymore, and it’s not like Tom would have brought it up.

“You’re in Tom’s lab, right, Olive?” George asked. “If you’re still there when we get back, I’d love to hang.” 

“Not Olive’s turn,” Jack interjected. He was morally grey, Olive decided. Ready to blackmail her into telling Adam the truth to help her out of the situation she found herself in, but also ready to defend her at any given moment. He knew right now was not the time for her to try to lie her way out of that. 

How annoying. 

“Sheesh, what are you? The fun police?”

Olive shivered in the breeze, trying to calm her racing heart. Adam shrugged off his jacket across the fire. He walked it to her and placed it on her shoulders, insisting she keep it when she opened her mouth to protest. Holden looked the most pleased by the interaction, looking at them warmly. 

She was praying he would pick anyone but Jack. He didn’t. Adam picked George, who decided his dare was too boring and tried to pick up a stranger at a bar instead. Malcolm’s cousin told an embarrassing story about Malcolm from when they were kids. Dora also accepted a dare and told the story of her and George’s worst date. She embellished it greatly, Olive was sure, making the group howl with laughter. Malcolm chose dare and gave Holden a lap dance that made Olive blush. Adam caught her eye, shaking his head, amused. 

Our best friends, he mouthed. 

You love them, she mouthed back.

“Kalamataaa,” Malcolm said, drumming with his fingers.

She had no choice but to choose dare. She trusted Malcolm enough to make her do something silly, and the truth wasn’t an option. There were too many questions that could lead down a slippery slope. 

“Dare,” she sighed. 

Malcolm looked at her, a devilish glint in his eye. He swirled his drink in his cup, taking his time. “I dare you to kiss someone in the group. And not a peck. Don’t make me spell it out, Kalamata.” 

Her eyes widened. How dare you, they said.

His narrowed, his head tilting in challenge. Try me.

“What if no one wants to be kissed?” She asked through gritted teeth. “I’m not going to kiss someone against their will.” 

“Shall I take a poll?” Malcolm looked at everyone expectantly. No one objected, though the group had significantly thinned out. Holden had a shit eating grin, rivaling the one on Jack’s face. Adam looked anxious, with tension lines between his brows. 

Olive stood, her heart pounding in her chest. The blood rushing in her ears was so loud, she was sure everyone could hear it. She moved slowly, wondering how poor a decision this was going to be. She paused in front of Malcolm, giving him her meanest glare before continuing around the circle. She could hear his snickers as she went. 

Adam’s cheeks were pink again, his breath slightly uneven. It reminded her of when she kissed him when they were finally alone in Boston. Olive stopped in front of him, standing between his knees. It was so reminiscent that her heart ached. Adam didn’t dare touch her, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair. He seemed shell-shocked.

Olive bent forward, ever so slightly. She was still far enough that she could pull away if he said no. Adam’s gaze lingered on her lips before meeting her eyes again. 

“May I?”

Adam closed the gap as soon as she finished her question. Olive’s eyes fluttered close and…fuck. Fuck. She could absolutely, under no circumstances, moan right now. Whimpering was also not allowed. She spent months downplaying how good this was. How stupefied she felt when they were together. 

How naïve of her to think this could be anything other than divine intervention. 

His hand tangled in her hair, pulling her closer and forcing their heads to tilt so he could deepen the kiss. Olive forgot they had an audience, or that they should probably keep this PG-rated. Her hands snaked around his neck, and she was about to crawl into his lap. Adam seemed fine with the idea as his free hand, firmly holding her hip, was pulling her closer, when Malcolm and Holden let out conjoined wolf whistles. 

Oh. 

My. 

God.

Olive jumped away, coming to her senses. Adam’s cheeks were red, but he wouldn’t look away from her face. She felt stunned, suspended in a moment in time. She walked back to her seat, fingers hovering over her lips.

“Ol? Who’s next?” Malcolm grinned. 

“Holden, I dare you to punch Malcolm in the face,” Olive said easily. 

“Ugh. Ol. No. Pictures, babe.” 

“I wouldn’t want you to anyway,” she shrugged. “Malcolm, you’re going again as punishment. Truth or dare?”

“Dare. I’m no coward.” 

Olive knew exactly what to do to get back at him. “When they come out, I dare you to have a venti—that’s important—pumpkin spice latte with Holden. I will also allow a pumpkin spice frappuccino as a substitute. I demand photos and a video of you drinking the entire thing.”

Holden clapped gleefully. “This is my favorite dare yet.” 

“Well played. Fine. Adam, truth or dare?”

Adam looked at him warily. “When exactly does this game end?”

“Why? Are you feeling uncomfortable?” He asked innocently, crossing his legs the way Adam had when Olive walked away. 

“Dare.” 

“The next time the text for an x or y axis is too small, I dare you to let it go.” 

Adam’s lip visibly curled. Even Olive couldn’t stifle her laugh. She wrapped herself in his jacket, reveling in the smell. She was still dizzy from their kiss and forgot why she was stressed about this game to begin with. 

“Jack, since dumbass game was your idea in the first place: truth or dare.” 

Olive’s stomach dropped. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Jack.

“Truth, obviously. I’m not dumb when it comes to what you might make me do,” he smirked. 

“Be honest and admit you lost to me at Go. Three years ago. When we were at—”

The entire circle, except Malcolm and Olive, burst out into laughter. They had no idea what they were talking about, but it was clearly an inside joke among the friends.

“I did not lose,” Jack said, adamant. “At most, it was a draw.”

“What happens when you lie in truth or dare?” Adam taunted, tsking as he did. “Honesty, Jack. Shame on you.”

So he must wield that word like a weapon with everyone, Olive realized. She wondered idly what had happened to him. The laughter died down while she was stuck in her head, but she knew what was coming. She could feel it deep in her bones. Olive met Jack’s eyes, resigned. 

“Olive,” Jack chirped. “My long-lost cousin.” 

“Cheers,” she said weakly. 

“Are you actually?” Dora asked, looking between them.

“Unlikely,” Olive said. “But it’s nice to pretend when he’s not annoying me.” 

“Truth or dare, Olive. You know the rules.” 

They both knew what the dare would be. Jack’s face said as much. He was going to dare her to tell Adam everything. She was about to say truth, when—

“Olive is brave! She’ll do another dare, won’t you, Olive? The last one seemed fun, anyway.” 

“Not everyone wants to streak down the beach, babe,” Dora said to George. 

“That happened one time in school. I’ll never live it down,” George said fondly. 

“I…” Her mouth was cotton. She couldn’t speak. Everyone was looking at her expectantly, excited about another dare. She didn’t want to disappoint Holden and Malcolm’s friends, and yet, the dare was unimaginable.

“Dare it is,” Jack said.

“She didn’t technically—” Adam started, but Jack was determined, speaking over him. 

“Tell Adam what we talked about the night we met on the beach.” 

There it was. The ask. The end of her life as she knew it. She was silent for a long time. The air grew thick with what? She wasn’t sure. She knew everyone was looking at her.

“I doubt it was that bad,” Malcolm soothed. 

“And if I don’t?” Olive asked, tilting her head. “Do I have to take a shot, or something?”

One glance at Adam showed her pink cheekbones, and that frustrating hesitation slowly building behind his eyes. 

“No. I think not. If you don’t do the dare, you have to kiss me instead.” 

Adam’s inhale was audible. Jack looked so fucking smug, sitting in his chair next to her. Legs stretched out and feet crossed. Like he didn’t have a care in the world. Olive gripped her glass harder than necessary. She wanted to scream or run—one of the two. 

Adam was glaring daggers at Jack. His foot bobbing insistently. If he had been honest with her the first night, kissing Jack would fuck him up. Big time. Especially after the kiss they just shared and the progress they’ve made since the trip started. Not that she wanted to kiss Jack. Zero parts of her wanted to do that.

“This is hardly the appropriate venue, no?”

“Fair,” he nodded. She saw the calculation behind his gaze, like he had been expecting her to say that. Real-life Go. “I’ll amend it. Tell Adam…the beginning of what we discussed.” 

His eyes glanced toward the outhouses, and she immediately understood. That wouldn’t be so bad, right? She knew he wasn’t expecting a kiss, so maybe she could fuck with him, too. She didn’t want to hurt Adam, but wanted to fuck with Jack just as much. 

Maybe this would work. Perhaps she could have both.

Olive shifted in her chair, angling herself toward Jack. She leaned forward, tracing a line down his chest suggestively with her nail before flattening her palm. Olive let her face hover near his, so her plan would start to sink in. She wanted to make him believe she was going to go through with this. His heart flew in a panic beneath her palms. 

Good.

“What are you—” he started, going stock straight, eyes shifting across the pit. 

“Shit,” Holden muttered, likely thinking of Adam. 

Olive moved to close the gap, but turned her head quickly. She pierced her nails into his chest, letting her anger seep through. Olive whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Fuck you.” Before pulling away.

“God dammit, Olive,” Jack snapped. “You were about to give me a heart attack.” 

“I think I’m in love with her,” George sighed. 

“As if I would ever kiss you,” she snapped. “You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes, Jack.” 

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered.

Relief washed over Adam’s face, though he was still white knuckling his beer bottle. His cheeks were red again, his eyes blank. 

“Adam. Maybe this will be a surprise to you. Maybe it won’t. Maybe I’m entirely wrong and it doesn’t even matter, and I’ve worried about it for nothing for the past year.” 

He nodded, holding her gaze. 

She tilted her head, excitement blending in harmony with the adrenaline, to finally know once and for all. “I think we met the day I interviewed at Stanford. In your lab’s bathroom. I never saw that guy because I was crying, but—”

“Adam is bathroom Guy?” Malcolm wheezed, choking on his drink. “Shut the fuck up.”

“I thought you didn’t remember,” Adam said. His voice was scratchy, almost emotional. “When we met at your cohort lunch, you introduced yourself as if you didn’t know me.” 

“We looked everywhere for you,” Malcolm accused. “I even thank the bathroom Guy in my best woman speech, because he brought us together.” 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Holden said, holding his hands up. “This whole time, until now, Olive didn’t know you had met that day? She thought you met last year?”

“Correct,” Adam and Olive said. He looked relieved. Happy, even. 

“So when Adam was in Boston and I told you…” Holden trailed off, eyes widening. 

“I thought you were talking about someone else and I was getting in the way,” Olive said gently, confirming his suspicions. 

“Told her what?” Adam’s tone was sharp. Concerned. Like he knew he was missing more pieces of the puzzle than he once realized. Holden looked pained. Deeply regretful. But it wasn’t his fault, and she told him so. 

“We can talk about it later,” she said. If she answered Adam now, it would lead to more questions and truths, and this wasn’t the time. “George, truth or dare?”

“Dare. And why, yes, I will give Dora a lap dance to rival Malcolm’s. Thank you so much for asking, Olive.” 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

“Thank you for letting me borrow your jacket.” Olive’s tone was gentle. She shrugged off the fabric, placing it on the coat rack. She immediately felt its loss. 

“Our kiss,” he started. 

Welp. Apparently, they were getting straight to business. 

“I don’t want to pretend with you anymore, and I didn’t want it to end.” 

“Neither do I,” Olive sighed. “But it’s complicated.” 

“Because you don’t feel…” he rolled his jaw, hesitating. She knew how hard this was for him, after years of feeling unwanted as a child. Never enough. “…the way I feel?”

“I didn’t say that,” she corrected, voice barely a whisper. Her brain was screaming at her to tread carefully. 

“Is it because we live in different states? I can fly to Boston every weekend if that’s what we need to do. But I’ve been dying without you, Olive. I’ve missed you so fucking much and I’ve had so many regrets when it comes to you. All the things I haven’t said. I feel whole when you’re around.” 

Olive took a deep breath, at a loss for what to do. “When you told me you avoided me for years, did you mean since the bathroom?”

“Yes.”

“I wish you had introduced yourself. It feels so…” She shook her head, a laugh escaping with her breath. 

“What did Holden say to you?”

She pursed her lips. “Do you remember going to Boston? Not for the conference, but before.” 

“Yes.” 

“He found me moping and missing you, and told me he was happy you finally asked me out. That you had been going on about someone in the department for years, but were worried about working together. I thought he meant someone else. That you were in love with someone else, and I was going to get in the way of that happiness for you, which I didn’t want to do.”

“No. That was you.” 

She nodded. “I get that now.” 

“Please,” he said quietly, taking her hand. “Do you really have no interest in us?”

Not in him, but in them. Because much like Olive, she was starting to believe Adam was never going to love anyone else.

“Of course, I do.” 

Adam cupped both of her cheeks, pressing their foreheads together. “Thank you.” 

“That doesn’t mean anything can happen,” she warned. “There’s a lot I would need to tell you, and right now isn’t the time.” 

“Can we just…be together, for now? I want to enjoy this week with you.” 

Olive bit her lower lip, hesitant. Was this taking advantage?

“We can talk later. I won’t hold anything against you, I swear.” 

“Okay. Yes. I trust you.” 

Chapter 7: Chapter Seven

Notes:

The spicier, the better is reporting for duty. BUT! I loved the idea of posting warnings, so:

DO NOT READ *BASICALLY* THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER IF YOU WANT A CLOSED DOOR STORY. You could skip to the very end (the last blurb), but I would recommend skipping everything else.

I appreciate you all 🤍

“Yes?” Adam repeated, eyes widening.

Olive nodded, not wanting to fight this anymore. She had several realizations tonight, one of which was that Adam, maybe, just maybe, liked Olive more than she knew, and for longer than she would have dared dream. She wanted to ride the wave as long as she could. 

“And to avoid any further miscommunications…” Olive shut her eyes, willing herself to say the words. There was nothing to be embarassed about. “I’m still on birth control, and I’d be more than happy for you to fuck me anywhere, or everywhere. If you want.” 

His eyes went black before he closed them for a long moment. “I don’t want miscommunications either, so I need you to keep me in check.” 

“I just said you could fuck me everywhere,” Olive said, exasperated, crossing her arms. “How was that not clear?”

“If I had it my way, we wouldn’t leave this room. My cock would be inside you every second that wasn’t required for the wedding, since I’m not allowed to scrap that all together. I need you to keep me in check,” he said again. “I miss you, Olive. And I want to be as close to you as humanly possible for as long as I can.”

Well, then. 

There was a moment’s hesitation. With Olive looking at Adam, and Adam studying her. She wasn’t sure who moved first, but in an instant, she was flattened against the wall, her nails scraping his scalp as his hips rolled against hers. He was already hard, pressing into her with reckless abandon. They both needed this, with no time to overthink. 

It was all tongue and heat, small bites and sucks and clashing teeth as Olive snuck her hands under his shirt, pulling it above his head before he did the same with hers. They were crazed, and for a moment, Olive wondered if he missed her as much as she missed him. She didn’t want to wait another second, tugging at his belt and unbuttoning his pants as he propped her on the edge of the dresser. Adam made quick work of her bra, tossing it to the side and attacking her nipples with his mouth. Olive whimpered when he sucked and bit them lightly. His body shuddered like the snap of a rubber band when their bare chests connected for the first time in months. 

Soon, her shorts were on the floor, and her panties were pulled to the side. She was being held steady on the smooth wood as Adam sliding between her heat to spread her wetness around his cock. She made a mental note to clean it before housekeeping and—the most delicious feeling on Earth. Adam angled himself between her wet folds before pushing inside her in one fluid movement, filling her completely. Olive moaned loud enough for all of Kauai to hear, but she hardly cared because Adam was doing the same. 

“So fucking perfect,” he muttered, meeting her in a bruising kiss. “I never want to belong anywhere else.” 

It was uncoordinated and messy and genuine, and Olive loved it. Adam pulled out, and he didn’t take his time thrusting back in. He started moving, fucking into her at a punishing pace, something they both seemed to need; tangible evidence the other was present. Olive hooked her feet around his back, mumbling nonsense into his skin about how good this felt, how full she was, how she didn’t think she would last very long. With the way he felt like steel, she didn’t think he would either. It had been too long for either of them.

She felt pressure building in her core, those tiny flutterings around his cock threatening to break the dam of pleasure between them. Adam angled her hips, hitting her clit each time he thrusted. Olive whimpered, her breath stuttering as he did. When she felt Adam begin to swell inside her, she begged him not to stop.

“Come with me,” she breathed, whispering his name into his neck.

Adam thrust into her once, twice, harder the third time, sealing them together when she detonated. He was cursing, grinding into her, his release coming in spurts, her channel squeezing him as he did. The sound, deep and low, that escaped his lips was sweet, almost relieved. Like he had been pent up for a long time, in more ways than one, and this was the only thing that could help. Olive was crying again, too overwhelmed by how good this felt. Adam pressed his lips against hers, slower this time, before moving to kiss away her tears. 

They looked at each other, the fog of their lust-filled haze starting to fade. She saw nothing but love, melted into a liquid brown. A laugh escaped her lips before she bit down on his shoulder to stop another, thumbs swiping against his cheeks. Adam slipped out of her, setting Olive on her toes.

“Hey,” she said, her voice not quite even.

“Hey.” 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive was deliciously sore, but that didn’t stop her from angling her hips so Adam could slide into her for the fourth time, but this time, from behind. When she woke after their first time, it took no convincing for Adam to fuck her again once she promised she was okay, finding herself bent in half on the mattress, her feet nearly touching her ears, her legs against his chest, as he pounded into her. Then again, with Olive on top, trying and succeeding at driving him wild until he thrusted into her repeatedly from below, holding her hips steady. She was learning he wasn’t good at being submissive, no matter how hard she fought for control. Now, it was five in the morning.

She had her hands wrapped around his neck, her back to his front. Adam forced her body upright, his arm around her torso, making all the pressure bloom in her core. It was triangulated to one spot, and Adam’s cock was sliding in and out over and over, wet from her slick and his come. He was hitting spots he hadn’t before, making her body shake. 

Olive could barely think, too terrified of the orgasm to come. There was no stopping it, and even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t. Adam kept his pace, thrusting harder and deeper. He was whispering in her ear, calling her pet names. Telling her how much he loved fucking her and watching her fall apart. That seeing his come drip down her thighs did something to his lizard brain. Olive took a gasping breath, gave a warning, and—

“Give it to me, Olive,” Adam said, scraping his teeth up her neck before biting on her earlobe. Olive’s orgasm detonated, with Adam’s hips refusing to slow and his hand on her clit, stroking her through each wave of pleasure, making everything last longer. She was trying to stifle her gasp, her body convulsing against his. He came moments after her first wave, praising her as he did. She wished she didn’t like that as much as she did.

Olive felt boneless in his arms, her frame shaking. She was never going to recover when this was over, but she didn’t want to miss a single second. Adam pulled Olive into his chest as they lay down, their limbs tangling together. They were both sticky with sweat, heat radiating through the room from more than just the tropical air. 

Adam peppered kisses wherever he could, his hands caressing as he went. Goosebumps were left in his wake, but he was gentle, not wanting to overstimulate her. He kissed her sternum, then down her torso, his hands squeezing her hips.

“I thought I would never experience this with you again,” he admitted. He seemed almost choked up at the thought.

“I’m all yours,” she promised. 

For now. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

There was a distinct musk in the room when they woke. Olive opened the French doors, letting air flow in, realizing she finally understood what people meant when they said they could smell sex. Adam was smiling lazily at her from the bed. She wondered if she would be bashful, being naked in front of him like this. They weren’t having sex that very moment, after all, but…no. Why should she?

Adam liked her body and made that astutely clear. If she wanted to parade around their room naked, he wasn’t going to be the one to stop her. When he told her from the bed how beautiful she was, all her insecurities faded away. He sat upright, his hair tousled and chest chiseled, happiness radiating off him. 

“Are you excited for today?”

“Snorkeling?”

He nodded. 

“As long as I don’t get deserted by the boat, I’m all good. I even brought a little underwater camera.” 

“That will be fun,” he said, seemingly fascinated by their tangled fingers. 

 “How are you feeling?”

With the way he was looking at her, he must have heard the hesitation. “About us?”

She nodded. “And last night.” 

“I feel like I can breathe again for the first time in months. I don’t want you to feel pressured by that, though. If at any point this is too much, we can stop.”

Olive shook her head in protest. “I feel the same. I don’t want to miss anything with you.” 

“I think we have breakfast in an hour. Are you sore?”

“A little. In a good way,” she grinned.

“Shower with me?”

Her toes curled at the thought. Olive stood, leading him to the bathroom, before she thought twice. Adam pulled her under the hot spray, kissing her long and slow, working her up until she was ready. He lathered her skin in soap, massaging everywhere he went before dropping to his knees and going down on Olive until she came on his tongue.

“Can we try something?”

Olive nodded. She trusted him infinitely with her heart and body. Adam lifted her, sliding into her long and slow, propping Olive against the wall. The cool tiles bit into her back, making her arch—the perfect height for Adam’s mouth to reach her breasts, which he loved. He was thrusting into her at a slower pace today, letting Olive adjust to the new angle. It was calm and sensual, his hands gripping her skin. She should have known it wouldn’t last.

Adam lathered his fingers with soap. Olive didn’t understand why until he circled the tight rim of muscle between her cheeks. Adam stopped moving, holding her in place against the tile. 

“Oh my god,” Olive mumbled. 

“Do you trust me?”

“I…do you want to do this?”

“Yes. But only if you want to.” 

“We can try. I’ve never…” she flushed at the thought. “I know you think you’re inexperienced, but you clearly—”

“I am.”

She stared at him with a look that stated: liar.

“Olive. I’m not some…I don’t know—sex god. I know what I want with you because it’s you, and you’re mistaking that for confidence based on experience from the past, which could not be further from the truth. I swear to you this is new to me, too, and we’re experiencing it together. I want everything with you. That’s all. If it’s too much, we can stop.”

“Okay. Yeah. Yes, we can try,” she nodded. Olive forced herself to breathe as he pressed his thumb inside her ass, ensuring she was okay.

“I…pressure. It’s—”

“Breathe, Schat.” 

She whimpered, feeling close to bursting. Her heart was beating wildly, flush against his chest. Everything was more heightened in a way she never could have anticipated. Adam pulled out slowly, pausing when the head of his cock was barely still inside her before holding her eyes as he slammed back in. 

Olive’s mouth fell into a silent ‘o’ spurring Adam on. A rumble escaped his chest as he continued his ministrations. His thrusts were hard and unyielding, and Olive wasn’t sure she would be okay. She hadn’t expected to like this, but she did. The noises falling from her lips were distinctly unladylike, and Adam loved it, his filthy whispered thoughts mingling with the steam.

The pressure from being filled everywhere was unforgiving. When he took her nipple between his teeth, Olive screamed, her head rolling to the side. Pleasure was flowing through her, more intense than ever before.

“Fuck.” Adam choked, and then again. He held his cock in place as deep as he could, not allowing any space between them. Olive’s nails bit into his scalp, her walls massaging him as her hips slowed to a stop. She felt him twitching and pulsating inside her, a stark reminder of their connection. It was messy and beautiful and for them only. Olive wouldn’t change it for the world. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Adam couldn’t seem to keep his hands off Olive, even in public. 

Their fingers, entwined.

His hand on her hip, waist, or lower back. 

One arm draped over her chair, his fingers lightly caressing her shoulder.

He needed to be grounded to her, in some way.

She hadn’t thought about discussing a game plan before they saw their friends. They may have agreed to be together for the duration of this trip, but did that include when they were in public?

To Adam, yes; yes, it did. Nor did he care who was around. That became abundantly clear during breakfast. Malcolm’s father was speaking to the table about the snorkeling boat. Rules and tips, where they were going, logistics, what to expect, and more. Olive tried to pay attention, but it was hard with Adam’s hand resting on her upper thigh, his thumb caressing the soft skin. She couldn’t think about them fucking each other senseless while his parents were next to him, for god’s sake. 

They needed a game plan. 

Strategy. 

Do’s and don’ts that will keep them both in line. 

Instead, thirty minutes later, Olive had a distinct pool between her legs and flushed cheeks. When they stood, Adam’s hand rested on her lower back, his head tilting down.

“Want to relive one of our Starbucks dates? We have time to go to the one a block over before snorkeling. There’s also time for other things, before snorkeling.”

She brightened immediately at the prospect, nodding her agreement with a beam. Adam smiled back, catching her eyes, likely thinking of the ridiculous conversations they used to have, when he did the unthinkable. 

Adam bent down, capturing his lips with hers. It was a gentle, heated kiss. He didn’t linger; it was just an apt I’ve missed you, followed by two more of the same. Olive hadn’t meant to meet him in the middle, smiling into his lips, her hand cupping his jaw, but she did. Time froze, and so did conversation. 

Everyone was looking at them, jaw slackened and confused. Well, everyone except Holden, Jack, and Malcolm, who had knowing looks. Suddenly, the enormity of what they had just done hit her like a train. Adam spoke first, seemingly unfazed by the exhibition. 

“We’re going to Starbucks in ten to fifteen minutes, once we grab our bags. Can we get anyone a drink?”

Chapter 8: Chapter Eight

Notes:

SKIP THE END IF YOU WANT CLOSED DOOR. Though, it's not a very explicit section. The rest is clean.

Thank you for the support!

Olive could taste the excitement in the air. Adam asked Olive to be ready at 10 AM sharp, but that was the only thing. No hints or clues. Definitely no giveaways on what was going on, but she couldn’t stop her smile from forming. 

She took more care with her appearance than normal, opting for a white, flowy sundress and sandals that would be comfortable to walk in. If she knew Adam, they would be doing something outside. Olive wasn’t sure what she would do to cope when this trip was over, and he was gone again, but she kept pushing that into the corners of her mind. 

For now, she wanted to enjoy what she could have with him. 

Adam knocked on the door at ten sharp, to Olive’s delight. He stood under the threshold with a full-dimpled smile and bright eyes, holding—

“You didn’t,” she groaned. 

“You seemed pretty in love with this yesterday, so I thought this would be a good way to start today. But instead of the Blue Hawaiian one, I asked them to make another local one.” 

He was holding a frappuccino with extra whipped cream and a drizzle in one hand, and a black coffee in the other. Olive beamed, pulling Adam into the room by his belt loops, peppering him with kisses. 

“Hi.” 

“Hey,” he grinned, pressing his forehead against hers, reveling in the moment. “I like your dress.” 

“We’re matching,” she said, tracing his white linen shirt. 

“This is supposedly a local favorite, with chocolate this time. I know yesterday’s was fruity.” 

“I can’t wait. Thank you. Am I allowed to ask what’s going on?”

“We didn’t have any wedding plans today.” 

“Hmm. I think I remember you saying you would be inside me every moment that wasn’t required for the wedding,” she smirked. “Are you getting tired, old man?”

“I think we’ve been making good on that promise,” he said, squeezing her waist. 

“I think the several rounds we had last night and this morning would be confirmation,” she teased. 

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’ve lost count of how many orgasms you’ve given me,” she said seriously. It wasn’t even a lie.

“That’s not quite what I meant,” he chuckled. 

“I don’t want to miss a second with you,” she admitted. She had said it so many times prior that it was beginning to feel like a mantra. “After everything ended, I regretted we didn’t have more time on the 28^th. Not just because of the sex, but because of you. I wish I hadn’t fallen asleep.” 

Adam looked troubled. “We don’t need to end things when this is over, Schat. We can figure out how to make this work, even if we live in different places.” 

Olive nodded sadly, knowing the truth deep down. “We’ll talk about it later.” 

He looked like he wanted to argue and talk about it now, but nodded instead. “Whatever you need and whenever you’re ready.”

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m anxious about the ominous ‘later’, but I trust you. I scheduled reservations for a tour. Are you feeling up for it?”

“A tour?” Olive closed her eyes, savoring the chocolate, sludgey richness. 

“At the chocolate farm.” 

Her brain slowed to a halt. Time froze. Adam’s words repeated in her head. 

Chocolate farm. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

From the moment he told her to the moment they arrived, Olive couldn’t stop stammering her thanks and saying how excited she was. They were halfway through the tour, trying different chocolates and honey. Olive didn’t know how intricate cocoa was, and absorbed every word like a sponge. 

The chocolate farm had been there since the 1800s and was still being run by the same family. Even Adam, proclaimed disliker of chocolate, seemed to enjoy everything they had been given. At the end, he bought Olive some of her favorite honeys and chocolates they had sampled, including chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. 

They had lunch amongst the lush green hills. Olive felt happy and whole, wanting to suspend time. She and Adam kept easy conversation, but not as easy as it once was. She knew for that to happen, she needed to be honest about everything from their past. There was always something that could open different avenues, or a new embargo that made Olive’s lips stay sealed. But today was a good day. 

The sun was shining. 

They had chocolate to die for. 

His hand was holding hers. 

And now, Adam surprised her again. He rented a boat to take her to see some of the coastal scenery they missed during the yacht trip. Moreover, he had already pre-planned dinner to be had on the boat. 

Olive was touched. 

“This is rivaling our sushi date in Boston,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around his middle. Adam was focusing on steering the boat out of the marina. 

“We aim to please, mijn liefje.” 

“I tried to learn Dutch when I was in Boston.”

“Is that why you named the bird blauw?”

“Yes.” 

“Why did you want to learn Dutch?”

“I missed you,” she said, giving him another truth. “I thought it would help.” 

“Did it?”

“It was fun, at the very least. I think it could use some work. How do you know how to drive this, anyway?”

“Regattas, sailboats, and bullshit in coastal towns were large parts of my summers growing up. The bigger the boat, the more impressive you are. It caused a lot of discord in my family, since I hated every second.” 

“In some ways, I’ve felt so out of place this past week. I didn’t realize how rich Holden and Malcolm’s families were, you know?”

“Holden and Malcolm don’t care about that,” he said, slowing the boat to a stop. “They love you for you.”

“I know. It’s just…they’re so refined. Even your family.” 

“My parents like you, Olive,” he said softly. “More than me, for that matter. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I want to belong. That’s all.” 

“You do. With me. With Malcolm and even Holden. He sees you as a sister. Money doesn’t matter to us.” 

“Life experience does, though.” 

“Schat,” he frowned, tracing her jaw. “What’s wrong?”

Olive shook her head, not knowing how to explain. She wanted to be enough. Not to be a walking disaster full of lies and no family. She wanted to have confidence again. 

“I feel like I’ve lost a lot of myself since I left Stanford.” 

Adam bit the inside of his cheek. “You haven’t seemed…the same since we ran into each other in the lobby. I wasn’t sure if it was just the wedding.” 

“I’ll tell you everything, I promise.” 

“I trust you,” he said again. 

“For the record, I’ve never really felt good enough for you, either. You’ve helped me so much, and I feel like a walking disaster. But you seem different, too. Have you been running more?”

“Lifting. I was trying to keep my mind busy because of a certain no-middle-named someone who is more than enough.” 

She nodded, smiling because she did the same. Olive wanted to ask why he cut Harvard out of his life, but that would be hypocritical. If she wasn’t ready to tell Adam everything, she couldn’t ask him to. 

He began speaking quietly, discussing his studies and grants, and filling her in on the latest news of the Biology department. Olive closed her eyes, soaking in the sound of his voice and the sun. He tried and failed to remember the names of the incoming cohort.

“Did you meet any of them crying in your bathroom?”

Adam released a breathy laugh. “Nah. Only the best do that.” 

“Will you take me?”

“To the bathroom?”

“Yes. When I’m back. I want to see it. I never did. I stumbled out when you left, wanting to ask your name, but it took a few minutes for the burning to go away. By then, I was already at a bench somewhere else.”

“I’ll do anything you want. We can have a full-blown date in there, if you want to,” he laughed. 

“Ooh, la la! You know how to treat a lady, Dr. Carlsen.” 

“Can you believe you’ll be Dr. Smith, soon? Your defense will be smooth sailing, I promise.”

Olive’s heart stuttered, her mouth full of cotton. “Dr. Smith.” 

Adam kissed her temple. They were sitting, watching the sunset. Olive nestled into him, not wanting to restart the conversation. It could lead to more lies, or scarier, the truth. She didn’t want to ruin today, after all he had done. He seemed to sense it, because he didn’t push. Instead, he pulled dinner out of the containers, letting them eat quietly in the twilight. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Things felt different tonight as they walked into the hotel room. Gone was the crazed passion and the heightened moments of lust where being apart wasn’t an option. Tonight, everything was slower. Deliberate.  

The way Adam carefully lifted her dress over her head.

How he worshipped every inch of her body, taking his time.

The way Olive dropped to her knees, taking her time driving him wild with her mouth.

The featherlight touches in the moonlight. 

When Adam finally slid inside her, they moved in synchrony, instinctively knowing each other’s needs. There was no frenzied pace or hurried thrusts. Just the two of them coming together and reveling in their connection. It felt suspiciously like love.

Adam seemed more emotional tonight than usual. Quiet and amazed that she was here, with him. Letting him touch her and be close. She was starting to learn that was all he wanted. To be close to Olive, however she would allow. 

Yet, in the darkened hours of the night, she couldn’t sleep or get past the sadness between them. The underlying tension from Adam’s need for more. She could sense he wanted to talk about everything and run full steam ahead, but he would never force her. 

There were hints of what he wanted in the way he subtly tried to bring up the future to gauge her reaction. The way he would slide inside her body, pausing when he did, as though he was finally at peace. How he kept bringing up the way Harvard still wanted him to work for them in an attempt to see if she would be happy for him to move, if that made things easier.

She wanted to tell him everything. Not only what happened with Tom and to clear up the miscommunications that happened between them when they were together, but also everything she wanted with their future. All she needed was the courage to do it. 

Chapter 9: Chapter Nine

Notes:

No warnings for this chapter. Just some Tom bashing x

Olive felt clarity sink deep into her bones as she stood in place. The same realizations from the previous night were now clearer than ever. The ocean breeze filled the air, warm and decadent. The sun created a beautiful golden glow, giving the rehearsal an ethereal feeling. Adam was standing across from her on the altar with a knowing smile as Malcolm and Holden had their practice kiss.

It was perfect. 

As she took Adam’s arm to walk down the aisle, Olive knew what she needed to do. If she wanted forever with Adam, or at the very least something that lasted longer than the lifespan of a mayfly, she needed to tell him the truth. He took her hand when they reached the end, kissing her knuckles. It was a small gesture, but filled with enough passion and tenderness that she could weep. 

The wedding planner was happy with how the rehearsal went, easing the happy couple’s anxiety. It was two days before the wedding, giving them plenty of time to change anything they wanted, should they choose. Adam nuzzled his nose in her hair, kissing her temple. 

“Are you okay, Schat?”

She nodded, leaning into him. 

“You seem very in your head today,” he pressed. Of course, he knew. There was no hiding from him. 

“I am,” she admitted. 

“We have a few free hours before dinner. Do you need some space?”

Olive squared her shoulders, looking directly at him. “The opposite, actually. Can we talk?”

All of Adam’s good feelings disappeared. She could see them slip away, fading into worry. 

“Of course.” 

Olive led him down to the beach, walking until she found the same log she sat on with Jack. She took the same spot, patting the other side for Adam. 

“This is where I met Jack.” 

“Oh?”

“Mhmm. I…this isn’t going to be easy for me, but I’m going to do my best not to ramble and be completely, totally honest, okay? I know the timing isn’t great with the wedding being so soon, but it’s now or never while I have the courage.”

Adam was staring at his hands, his cheeks pink. She knew he was thinking of the worst-case scenario, with no other possibility. “Noted. I…should I hold any questions I have?”

“Until the end, please.”

He nodded, looking at her before looking out at the ocean. “I’ll do my best.” 

“For the record, I thought Jack was a stranger. I didn’t use names with him, though he figured it out when we officially met. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have told him anything.” 

“Why are you telling me?”

“Because I realized something today during the wedding rehearsal. Which is that if I ever want a future with you, friendship or otherwise, I have a lot of lies to dispel. Some were purposeful and some were by omission.” 

“Lies?”

“I don’t know where to start. With Jack, I…” She shook her head. “We’ve already established you’re my bathroom Guy. I had become pretty confident when we were together, that was the case, but I never knew for certain until this trip. I assumed that if you remembered, you would have mentioned it. Most of the purposeful lies stemmed from when we were fake-dating. I never expected fake dating you to be as hard as it was,” she laughed while he grimaced.

“I couldn’t have been more wrong. I thought it would be like a business transaction. Easy. Straightforward. No blurred lines. I’d be doing you a favor, simple. Easy-peasy. Instead, my entire being thought it would be better to fall head over heels in love with you.” 

She felt Adam’s heart stutter, in harmony with hers. Olive couldn’t look at him. She could not look at him. 

“It happened almost immediately, and I was in a constant panic about it. I thought about you all the time. You heard me talking to Malcolm about it, after all. That day in Starbucks, I was talking about you. I told you I was talking about Jeremy because I was petrified, but I never had feelings for him. If that caused you any pain, I can’t apologize enough. 

“I loved your company, and you made me feel whole. Happy. Not alone. It was meant to be a black and white transaction. If you knew how I felt, I was scared you’d end things prematurely. It was wrong not to be honest, and I’m sorry. I hope you can understand I wanted to be near you for as long as I could. 

“When you asked me to room with you, I thought I’d melt into a puddle. I didn’t think there’d be a way I could hide how I felt from you if we shared a room and, well…you know how that went,” she huffed. “That’s still one of my favorite memories. I loved that night. It felt like we were actually dating. Which leads me to why I broke up with you.” 

Olive paused, knowing this would be harder. 

“The night of the 28^th was real for you?” He needed this from her, and she couldn’t blame him after the way she had nonchalantly mentioned it in the past.

“Extremely. I would have done anything for you to like me. I was so stuck in my head and I tried to snap out of it, because I think you mistook it for hesitation, or me not wanting to be with you. But I felt so inexperienced, I was worried you wouldn’t like the sex, but worse, like me.”

Adam swore, wiping his hands down his face.

“Anyway, some of it, you already know. I thought you were in love with someone else, and it technically was what we agreed upon. I didn’t want to break up with you, but it was complicated. The rest of this is complicated, actually.” 

She took a deep breath, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. “I lied to you about what happened after my panel.” 

Adam went straight as a rod. Olive knew this would be a make-or-break situation for them.

“I’m not trying to drag this out, it’s just…I didn’t want to hurt you then, and I don’t want to hurt you now. I thought I was doing the right thing. If I did what I did, that meant I wouldn’t take anything from you, and you could date the woman I thought you wanted to be with. I’m sorry, Adam.” 

She turned to face him then, tears welling. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I thought I would be helping you, not hurting you. If the past year has been as shitty for you as it was for me, I’m not sure how to forgive myself for that.” 

Adam knelt in front of her, wiping the tears away. “It’s okay, Sweetheart. I believe you. What happened?”

“Person. Not people. Tom assaulted me. I wanted to tell you, but, god, Adam. How was I supposed to do that? He kissed me and held onto my biceps. I tried to get him to stop, but then I froze. He kept saying all these shitty things and I just…was a hot mess by the end. I told him I would never work in his lab, but Tom is cunning when he wants to be.

“I was going to tell you, I swear. I even told him I was going to tell you, but I felt so fragile. It was our last night, and I was just as scared that you would believe me as you wouldn’t. Then, that night, when you told me what Tom did for you in grad school and that you were looking into moving to Boston and how excited you seemed, how was I supposed to tell you without massively fucking up your life and your grant? I couldn’t. I was so in love with you, and you had given me so much. So I broke up with you instead.

“I thought I could handle everything, but Tom is excellent at blackmail. I’ll spare you the details of the past year, but he has everything. All my research, my thesis, everything. Because of that stupid report I sent him when I reached out. He expelled me from Harvard and already had the official paperwork from Stanford. I’m no longer a student, and won’t be able to renew my visa. Not that it would matter if I were a student, because I have no thesis. My flight home, when we leave Hawaii, is to Toronto. That’s why when you and I started seeing each other here, I haven’t been committed to the future since I can’t come back to the States. Immigration is strict when you’ve had a former visa, and I want to be with you, I swear. But I can’t, and asking you to fly back and forth to Toronto is unreasonable and not a realistic scenario with your schedule. I would move to Vancouver, but it’s even more expensive there and I—” 

Adam was pacing in the sand in front of her. He undid some of the buttons on his shirt, fanning himself with it. She had never seen him look so angry. 

“Send me everything you have on Tom. I don’t care how inconsequential you think it is. I want it.”

“Adam. You don’t have to—it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have—”

He stopped pacing, kneeling in front of her again. “No, Olive. Give me twenty-four hours, and I’ll fix this. Maybe even less. I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I’m so fucking sorry. I should have known. I—”

“It’s not your fault that Tom is…demented, for lack of a better word. You couldn’t have known that.”

“I can fix this,” he said again. “I swear it.” 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

After a lot of persuasion, Olive found herself in the suite with Adam, handing over her USB drive and showing Adam the folder. 

“I forgot to tell you something.” 

Adam closed his eyes, counting to ten. “Has Holden done something to you?”

“No,” she soothed, kissing his temple. “But I had promised Dr. Aslan I would record my panel. I forgot to turn it off. It’s that file there. I…there’s everything with Tom on that recording, up to where you found me in the bathroom.” 

Olive placed her headphones next to the computer, massaging his shoulders. Adam grabbed her hand, tugging her into his lap. 

“Adam, I want you to know I don’t expect you to fix this, and if you can’t, I would never hold that against you.” 

He shook his head. “Hell or high water, Olive.” 

“Still,” she said gently. “This isn’t your fault. And, I guess…are you going to listen to that recording?”

“Of course.” 

“Right. Okay. I guess there’s one other thing I should say,” Olive admitted sheepishly. 

Adam rolled his jaw. “What’s that?”

“Tom is…jealous of you, perhaps. I’m not sure. But he wants influence over you, and I guess letting me into his lab was his hope of finding an easier way to do that. He brings you up a few times, so I wanted to warn you.” 

He searched her eyes, reading between the lines. “It’s annoying that he was right.” 

“What do you mean?”

“The only reason I accepted Harvard’s interview was because you were going to be in his lab. I wanted to be near you, and had hoped after the whole dating scenario we would be friends at the bare minimum. Harvard’s culture is brutal, and I didn’t like the idea of you being alone.”

“You never said that,” Olive said, eyes widening. “I thought you were moving because of your grant and to be closer to your family.” 

“And I thought you were in love with a redhead,” Adam pointed out.

Olive closed her eyes, cursing Jeremy’s name. He chuckled. 

“Go. Have fun with Malcolm at the salon. I’ll take care of this.” 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Adam wasn’t one to second-guess himself, which is why, after hours of listening to recordings, reading and cataloging emails and documents in chronological order, and drafting a dozen emails himself, he couldn’t understand his pause. His mouse had been hovering over ‘send’ when he pulled it away, removing all the recipients from each email instead. This afternoon had fucked him up. 

The waves of fury that passed as he researched were unrecognizable, even to him. 

The nausea in his stomach, realizing what Olive had been going through, alone. 

The understanding of how wrong he had been about Tom. More, how horrible of a person he was.

The full impact of how close he had been to losing Olive forever.

What Olive went through was even worse than what Adam experienced during grad school. Yet, she weathered the storm like Athena, even having the courage to try to report Tom herself. She was so fucking brave. 

“I can’t fuck this up,” he whispered to the empty room. 

She deserved the very best of Adam. Something he didn’t know if he possessed himself. This trip had been educational in more ways than one. Starting with…Adam closed his eyes, willing himself to press call. 

If there was anything Adam was certain of, it was that the execution needed to be perfect. There were no second chances or do-overs. When he sent one email, word would get back to Tom quickly, and Adam wanted him nailed to the cross.

“Adam.” 

“What are you doing?”

“Jack and I are lounging at the pool, enjoying the sun.” A pause. Too long. “Would you like to join us?”

“I know it’s your wedding and I’m sorry to do this, but I need help,” Adam said through gritted teeth, his blood pressure spiking when he thought of everything again. 

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t make me say it again, please,” Adam said. 

“Adam. Of course, the answer is yes, but in our entire friendship, you have rarely asked for help. Not once. I’m allowed to be concerned.”

“It’s about a situation with Olive.” 

Holden was silent for so long that Adam pulled the phone away from his ear, checking that they hadn’t disconnected. 

“Did you two break up?”

“Technically, we’re not dating,” Adam pointed out. “But no. It’s about Tom.”

“We’ll be there in five.”

“I need your a-game,” Adam said. “Tom did something to her, and I’ve only found out about it now. Bring Jack, because I want to throw the book at him. Any ideas are helpful. I need you guys to look over my emails.” 

“And you’re okay with the ramifications?” Holden’s tone was serious, which showed how much he cared. All these years, Holden begged, pleaded, and warned Adam to no avail, and still never left his side. Adam made sure he didn’t mince his next words. 

“Yes. I’m sorry I never saw what you did, but I want him burned at the stake.” 

Chapter 10: Chapter Ten

Notes:

Last chapter for tonight. I'm editing the last couple as I type (they are spicy, I promise) and SWEAR they will be up soon!

Thank you all, for being the best 🥰🤍

Olive’s skin was softer than it had likely been her entire life. She felt feminine and beautiful. One step closer to being a refined human being. After hours of pampering, the sun was finally starting to set. She and Malcolm had manicures, pedicures, deep conditioning treatments, and fresh haircuts—well, a fresh fade in Malcolm’s case—while gorging on his favorite snacks and drinking champagne. 

It was a nice reprieve, but not one that could completely take her mind off the conversation she had with Adam this morning. It felt unfair that he was holed up in a hotel room, trying to solve her problems while turned into a princess. She should have told him in Boston and asked for help sooner. Now, he had a mess that spanned almost a year to try to clean up. While he was indirectly involved, it wasn’t his burden to bear. 

“I love you,” she told Malcolm, squeezing him harder. Olive ordered herself not to cry or think about how they could be approaching the final times she could do this freely. 

“And I love you, Kalamata. Thank you for being here. My wedding wouldn’t be my wedding without you at my side. But no sea water for the next few days,” he added sternly.  

“I promise. No pools either. It’s going to be beautiful. Can you believe tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner, and then the big day?”

“Yes. I have a countdown. Promise me you’ll wear the black dress?”

“I will do anything for you. Though, are you sure it’s entirely appropriate? We could choose something else. I remember—”

“And make up in mine beforehand tomorrow afternoon. Ta!” Malcolm sauntered away, unbothered by his scandalous choice. 

Olive looked at the elevator, anticipation growing in her gut. Adam was only human. She meant it when she said earlier that she wouldn’t hold it against him if he couldn’t fix this, but Olive couldn’t dare hope he could. 

The familiar whirr of their keypad sounded, and Olive stepped in, graced by the aroma of asian cuisine. Adam was setting up dinner on the patio, the way she once wished they could use, her favorite dimpled smile directed at her. 

“You look fun. I like your hair.”

“Oh, it’s…a very deep shampoo? It was wild.” 

“Can I see your nails?”

She held out her fingers and waggled her toes, letting him admire the day’s handiwork. Adam let his touch linger, unable to stop himself from tracing her fingers with his own.

“Beautiful,” he said, kissing her forehead. “And Malcolm?”

“He went for glittery nails, to match Holden’s sequins.” 

Adam snorted, shaking his head. “That fucking suit. I’m going to die in that jacket on Saturday. I’m grateful that I don’t have to wear the pants, at least. Did you have a good time?”

“It was nice. It’s fun seeing Malcolm so excited, you know? They’re a good match.” 

“They are. I thought Holden would never find a boyfriend that I didn’t want to punch repeatedly in the face.”  

Olive paused, trying to soak in the moment. Adam, backlit by the sun, and scenes of Kauai. The sushi on the table, and that ridiculously put-upon expression he had. Everything that happened to get them to this moment. 

“Why sushi?”

“I thought it was full circle. And I know you like it. There’s still a lot we don’t know about each other,” he pointed out. 

She nodded. “We haven’t…”

“Talked as much on this trip?”

“Yes.” 

“We have in a different way, but I know what you mean. There has always been an embargo, hasn’t there? And I don’t blame you for your hesitation and feeling like there wasn’t a good time to bring it up. We’re here for our best friends, and what you went through wasn’t a small thing that could be ignored after a quick talk. We had a lot to work out when the week started, but I’m grateful for it. Our Starbucks and late-night lab chats are different from the tone of this trip. But there’s always time,” he said lightly. “And I’ve still had fun. I’m grateful for the conversations we’ve had over the past few days. Maybe it’s been more serious, but they’ve also been more honest in a manner that will allow us to move forward.” 

“True.” 

“And,” he continued, “I’d be willing to bet you’ve been too anxious about trying to appear normal to relax truly. Lying takes a lot out of you.”

“I’m not very good at it,” she deflated. 

“Nor I.” 

“We’ve also been really busy having sex,” she pointed out. “Maybe not the best for conversation.” 

His lips twitched. “I’d say we’ve both been using a colorful vocabulary.” 

They felt miles apart, though Olive knew it was mere feet. She should ask. Really, she should. But she wanted to do anything but. She wanted to skirt around the topic as long as possible, instead of having her heart be broken head-on. 

“You haven’t asked how my day was,” he said. His eyes were full of compassion that she couldn’t bear. 

“I’d rather eat sushi.”

“Oh? Pity,” he said, stepping toward her until he tucked a loose strand behind her ear, bending to kiss the spot that always made her shiver. Her eyes fluttered closed. “I was looking forward to telling you how fucked Tom is. And that I have all of your research in a new folder on the flash drive. I need you to look over it and verify it’s accurate,” another kiss to her collarbone. “Aysegul asked me to pass along her well wishes, saying she looks forward to having you back in her lab. I was also excited to show you this email from Stanford Admissions, and the list of charges you could press against Tom, should you choose.”

Olive could hardly believe it. She didn’t believe it. This was fake, just like all the other happy parts of the trip. A dream her mind created to play games with her well-being. 

“You’re not serious,” she whispered. Her hands were shaking, tears forever welling in her eyes. 

“Am I not? Strange. The way my inbox has exploded over the past few hours would indicate otherwise.” 

Olive was gripping his arm as he showed her email after email, her knuckles white. She couldn’t believe it. 

“Using your immigration against you was clever of him. Though I’m sorry he did. Were you too scared to reach out to Admissions?”

“I was petrified. I didn’t want something to happen before the wedding that meant I couldn’t be here. It wasn’t realistic, but immigration isn’t something I can afford to be lax with. If I don’t follow the rules, what would that mean for my future, you know? The paperwork Tom gave me seemed legitimate.” 

“He did a good job, using Harvard’s documentation as a mock template,” Adam nodded. “I was also looking forward to telling you that you have a seat next to mine on the return flight to SFO. I can’t cancel your flight for you, but I would have if I could. Of course, if you don’t want to come back to California…” 

She shook her head, unable to speak. 

“And this may be too much, but you were living with Malcolm, who is living with Holden. If you want to stay with me when you come home to take a breath before jumping back into things, you can. If you want help finding an apartment before we get back to Stanford, I’m happy to help with that, too, Schat. Whatever you need.” 

“What now?”

“Now, we can eat sushi, if you want. You have several emails in your inbox that need a response, though there’s no rush. Everyone is aware we’re in Hawaii for Holden and Malcolm’s wedding, and not to expect an immediate response. Did you turn your notifications off?”

She nodded. “I was too anxious, and I didn’t want Malcolm to know anything was wrong.” 

“I had wondered. I’m glad you did. One is from our dean, of course. You were also cc’d on everything I sent. The Title IX Coordinators for both schools are working together, so there will likely be something from either one or both of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t heard anything from any other member at Harvard, seeing as they’re shitting themselves.”

“How did you get my research back?”

He shrugged. “I still know people at Harvard. There’s a shared drive we were all…encouraged to put things on. For easier review, my adviser said. Realistically, it was an easy way for him to pick and choose. Not that we had a choice if we didn’t want to. Tom is arrogant enough to do the same. I did a video call with someone who had access. They shared their screen, and we went through the folders in Tom’s lab until we found it. He did bury it deep, but it was there. They added everything to a Google Drive that I have access to, to help. They also don’t like Tom.” 

Olive needed to sit. She could feel her blood pressure dropping as she processed everything Adam did for her today. “You made it seem so easy.” 

“Olive. It wasn’t your fault. You reported Tom the way you should have, but without the backing of Stanford. They were never going to let you, or anyone, tarnish their biology department unless they had no choice. You also inspired me.” 

“By being a colossal fuck up.”

“Sweetheart,” he said sternly. “You will stop blaming yourself if it’s the last thing I do. It’s not your fault. But no. I reported my adviser. Do you remember the project I told you about? The one where Holden and I worked together?”

She nodded.

“They are looking into everything to credit us for that discovery properly.” 

“I’m proud of you,” she said, meaning it. 

“But not yourself?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t feel that simple.” 

“Abuse of power rarely does,” he said sadly. 

“And Tom?”

“He’s going to be fired. Word spreads quickly in our community, the same way it does in our department. His reputation is being torn apart as we speak. I have a feeling you were the first to come forward, but won’t be the last.” 

“So I’m…just okay now?”

“You don’t seem okay,” he pointed out.

“True. But…in terms of everything?”

Adam sat next to her, taking her hands. “Nothing about what you went through was easy, and just because I’m giving you a shortened version of today’s events doesn’t diminish what you went through. Nothing is done one hundred percent. I just had the tools and better means to ensure he’s punished for what he did. It shouldn’t be the way that it is, and I’m sorry for that. You should have been listened to when you reported him. Hell, I should have known he wasn’t to be trusted long ago. Holden has been telling me for years, after all. That may have given you the courage and free agency you needed to tell me back in Boston. This is partially my fault, too. I’m not trying to take away what you went through, of course, but if you hadn’t known me, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. There are dozens of different avenues and timelines we could go down, of what could have happened.” 

“He emailed me back before he knew we were seeing each other,” Olive pointed out, wanting to soften the blow for him the same way he wanted to for her. It wasn’t his fault the same way it wasn’t hers, but that didn’t make anything easier to rationalize. “I wish…a lot of things. But sometimes I used to wonder what would have happened if we fake-dated, and you told me to use Dr. Aslan to help me before I got sucked into everything with Tom. Maybe I could have studied at Berkeley.” 

“About that. I did take some liberties, and I’m sorry. However, Aysegul and I had a conversation, and Dr. Wiley from Berkeley is involved. I believe you met her at your panel?”

Olive nodded, confused as to where this was going. 

“Should you need a lab to finish your research during the upcoming year and Aysegul’s isn’t sufficient, Dr. Wiley is happy to save space for you in hers. I wasn’t sure if you were able to produce the results you wanted in Boston and focus the way you needed, given the situation.”

Olive was too touched to speak. Adam knew how much her thesis meant to her and wanted it to be perfect for Olive. She held her arms out, letting Adam wrap her in a long hug. There was much to discuss, but that could wait. 

“Are you going to ask me to take my clothes off so you can eat sushi off of me?” Olive was trying to lighten the mood. A difficult task, given she was crying all over his shirt again. This would need to be enough for now.

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Adam did not eat sushi off of Olive, as though she were nothing more than a platter. Instead, he force fed her until she couldn’t eat another bite. He did, however, give her several post-dinner orgasms that had her relaxed and sleepy. They were sitting in the jacuzzi tub, which had a view of the sunset. Olive was munching on chocolate, unable to stop herself. 

“I asked Holden and Jack for help today.” 

It was meant to be a passing comment, but Olive paused. “I bet they liked that.” 

“And my mom asked me about off-cell lattice work,” he said, one eyebrow raised. 

A laugh burst from her lips, her hand unable to stop it. “Sorry. That’s awesome! How did that go?” 

“Thank you for trying,” Adam grinned. “I didn’t tell her she mixed the words up. It’s the thought that counts. She even Googled it. She also seemed to know a suspicious amount of information pertaining to a certain keynote I gave.” 

“Amazing,” she beamed. “She’s a smart woman.” 

“I’m sure that had nothing to do with you,” he said.

“Of course not.”

“Holden thought he misheard me,” Adam complained. “Apparently, I never ask him for help, and he can’t think of a single time in our friendship where I did.” 

“How’d it go?”

“Great. I wanted a second pair of eyes from a different, less biased, and non-involved perspective on my emails. I told them I wanted Tom nailed to the cross,” Adam said, caressing her skin. “It needed to be perfect.” 

“Thank you for everything,” Olive said, voice wobbling. “I’ve had so many sleepless nights over the past year, I can hardly believe it.”

“There’s one other thing that I forgot to say and ask. We never looped back to the conversation about us. I have no expectations, but I would love to date you, Olive. Be with you for real, for as long as you allow.” 

“I’d like that,” she said, her chest swelling with warmth. 

“Does that mean we can reinstate diabetes day?”

“Keep up those snide remarks about my delicious coffee and see how far that gets you,” she threatened. 

“Coffee? I thought we agreed it’s toxic waste.” 

Olive shook her head, her mind filling with images of the future. She and Adam back at Stanford. Hand in hand in the Starbucks line, arguing over everything and nothing. Debating recent publications or what to have for dinner. 

She couldn’t wait.

“For what it’s worth, I want you to know that what I’m about to say has nothing to do with what you did for me today. I just didn’t want to say anything to make things worse since I thought we weren’t going to be together, but I—”

Adam shushed her with his lips, pulling her into his lap. “I know, Schat. I love you, too.” 

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Notes:

**DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT A CLEAN FIC** I'd say, the entire chapter AFTER the first section. The first section would be clean and fine to read. If you are uncomfortable with anything backdoor-related (it's not gross, I promise, but it was requested when I first wrote this lol), lube, or vibrators, I would also not read this chapter.

 

Thank you all for your support 🤍 I'm overwhelmed by how much everyone seems to like this fic!

It was fortunate there was a day between the rehearsal and the big day, because as fate would have it, Adam and Olive would have been very tired for their best friend’s wedding. They stayed up late, being honest about stories from the past year, some good, some sad, being intimate in between. 

Olive was having a hard time keeping her hands off Adam, as much as Adam was having a hard time keeping his off of her. Gone were the shackles of lies; now, they had infinite possibilities, and they discussed as much. She could see the last of his tension dissipate when Olive brought up the future. That last shred of worry he had that maybe, just maybe, this was still a dream, and Olive wouldn’t want to be with him when he woke. 

They poured over calendars, blocking off time every Wednesday for coffee, signing up for a marathon and multiple half-marathons, and planning a few camping trips. Olive looked at the promised emails waiting in her inbox, deciding that they could be addressed later. Adam was more important right now. 

Though he had already offered, she asked again if it would be okay for her to stay with him. 

“I could be a total slob, you know.” 

His lips twitched. “Well, you are nearing six years old now, so that would check out. It’s a good thing that I love to clean.” 

“What a very adulty thing to say, but don’t worry. I’ll take care of you when you can’t walk up the stairs. That will probably be by December, anyway. And, you’ll have to have sugar in the house,” she pointed out. “I cannot survive on wheatgrass, no matter how hard you try to convince me.”

Adam turned away, but the emotion in his voice plainly spoke how happy he would be with that arrangement, sugar and all. 

“And,” he added brightly, “I can drive you to work. No more worrying about bike lanes or abductions.” 

“You were the only one worrying about those things.” 

He silenced her with a glare. “I know.” 

To Adam’s house, she was to go. 

Now, they were at the beach, everyone opting for a lazy day of lounging after a very impassioned speech from Malcolm about how no one was allowed to get hurt today. Adam and Olive sat on their respective chairs for a whopping ten minutes, until they both started to get twitchy. Olive could feel it in herself and radiating off him. She saw it in the way his jaw kept clenching, eyes shifting, and the tension straining in his neck muscles. Deciding she didn’t care who was there or that she was wearing Malcolm’s idea of a swimsuit, Olive waltzed over, propping her hands on her hips. 

“Scootch.” 

He grinned, making space for her to lie down between his legs and on his torso. When she did, the world righted itself again. 

“My parents look appalled,” he said, sounding pleased. 

“Because Malcolm’s idea of a swimsuit is a thong?”

“Probably because you like me.”

“I love you,” she corrected. 

“And the PDA. That’s not allowed.”

“Want me to straddle you? We could start making out. That would give them something to talk about. I’ll moan your name really loud and everything. Better, I’ll moan, Dr. Carlsen. I’ll make sure the whole beach can hear me.” 

Olive had recently learned about his father’s feelings toward Adam’s Ph.D., and she had feelings about that, herself. Adam chuckled, wrapping his arms around her as she readjusted, putting her back to his front. 

“They’re missing out. That’s all I’m saying,” she shrugged. 

Holden was looking at them fondly. Almost emotional, if Olive read it correctly. 

“I’m going to go pick up lunch,” Malcolm announced. “I might need some help.” 

“I’ll help you,” Adam said, then, his voice low as he kissed her shoulder, “You stay and relax.”

Olive squeezed his hand before standing so he could move. “Adam?”

“Hmm?”

He was mellow today in a peaceful way, no frown to be seen. Just mounds of tanned torso and an easy smile, like his cup was completely full and nothing could make him happier. Olive stood on her toes, kissing him gently before he left. Holden waited until Jack, Holden, and Malcolm were out of earshot to speak. Dora and George were far enough that he didn’t seem worried they’d overhear.

“I’m sorry about Tom.” 

“Me too,” she said with a grimace. “That you and Adam dealt with so much during grad school, and Tom was so scummy. You were right all along. Thank you for helping yesterday. Adam told me all about what you and Jack did, and I’m sorry. I know it’s your wedding. My timing couldn’t have been worse.” 

“On the contrary. Your timing couldn’t have been better. It was my pleasure. Never having to deal with Thomas Benton is the best wedding present I could have asked for. And thank you for telling him. I’m sure that was scary, but…” Holden paused, clearly wondering how much he should say. “Adam hasn’t been okay since the two of you ended things. He has been a myriad of things for as long as I’ve known him, but I’ve never seen him so blank. Depleted. Like he was just…gone. Even his love for biology. He’s been going through the motions and pretending he’s fine, but I could tell he’s been hurting. 

“It’s hard to explain, but it’s nice to see the light back in his eyes. I’ve never seen him truly love at all until he met you. I was worried he’d never fully recover. His childhood certainly didn’t give him the tools to cope with emotions. And I have to apologize for my part. I had no idea when I told you what I did that you didn’t realize the two of you had met. I feel immensely guilty for that and for being a cause of pain to you both.”

“That’s not your fault, I promise.” 

“Still, thank you. I always worried Adam would never be happy. That he’d only have science and be even more alone whenever I found someone serious. He always insisted he was happy. Content, even, but I suppose that’s because he hadn’t met you yet and couldn’t fully comprehend what I meant. I’ll never forget when he told me about you, or how terrified he was when he tried to explain. He didn’t understand it and had a long list of reasons he shouldn’t say hello, let alone ask you out.”

“I heard all about the list,” she chuckled. “Though, I’m assuming he didn’t tell me every bullet point.” 

“There was one time in grad school, he didn’t even realize that a woman thought they were dating. It was horrendous. He was so focused on his work that nothing else mattered. I wish you could see the transformation he’s gone through since meeting you, the way I’ve seen it. Having been his friend since we were kids, it’s been beautiful to witness. Thank you, Olive, and please know he is truly trying with you, should there be any bumps in your future.” 

“I feel like I should be thanking him,” she flushed. “He’s helped me a lot, too.” 

Holden nodded. “You two are lovely together. Can I give you a hug?”

“Gladly,” Olive said, opening her arms. “Thank you for being the best. I’m so happy for you and Malcolm. Tomorrow is going to be beautiful.” 

“We come back bearing gifts,” Jack called. 

Her eyes widened and her heart stuttered to a halt. Adam was sporting an amused grin and—

“Shut. Up.” 

“I know. I could hardly believe it myself.” 

“Pumpkin spice?” Holden and Olive said at the same time, jumping to their feet.

“Ugh. Babe. This will never not be disgusting,” Malcolm grimaced, holding the offending cup like a grenade. 

Olive gasped. “Malcolm, I hope you got one for yourself because I distinctly remember a dare where—”

“No. No. Veto, Kalamta. Trump card. I am the groom, and I will not be poisoning my body the day before my wedding. What if it makes me sick? I’ve never had it.” 

“Fine. After, when we’re in Stanford and I can watch for proof.” 

The double date was to be set, much to Holden’s delight. 

“What about Adam?” Malcolm whined. 

“I didn’t lose at truth or dare,” he quipped. “My thoughts will be with you every step of the way.” 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

“You want to…what?”

Adam wondered if he finally did it. He suggested too much, pushed the boundary too far. But after the conversation they had last night, the evidence was: she when something was in her ass. Olive liked being full, and she was vocal about it. Adam was cool with that. More than cool, to be frank. The orgasm he had when they tried a plug the night before seemed just as explosive as hers had been. The thought of her filled to the brim with him, because of him, everywhere, was enough to make him come where he stood. 

Yet, he could see her nipples harden beneath her shirt, and heard her breathing shallow. Maybe he hadn’t suggested something too far from reality. 

“We don’t have to, of course.” 

“But your friends and family…” Olive squirmed on the spot. Adam felt himself grow hard.

“You think I care if anyone knows I’m planning on being inside you?”

Olive groaned, organizing the toiletries and looking at him in the mirror. “If I ever get pregnant, you’re going to be insufferable.” 

Adam closed his eyes, counting to ten. He could imagine it easily. Happily. He would welcome their future gladly. Olive, married to him. Pregnant with their baby, and everyone would know that Adam was the lucky one Olive chose to build a life and family with. A visible bump showing what they made. His eyes flew back open, a smile on his face. “Yeah. I will be.”  

“Walk me through this again.” 

“I talked to the guy at the store, and he recommended we switch out different-sized plugs to help.” 

“I’ve got that part,” she said, her cheeks flushed. “I can’t believe you talked to someone at a sex store about—”

“I am nothing if not thorough with my research when I have something to learn.” 

“But you’re recommending we do it during dinner?”

“Ah. That.” 

“That,” she nodded. 

“Do you have objections?”

“Won’t this be…stimulating? Distracting?”

“We’d hardly be the center of attention tonight. There’s going to be probably close to one hundred people there this evening. Malcolm and Holden played their cards right, having this dinner tonight. If we don’t do something to liven things up, you’ll probably run away screaming. Or die of tediosity. The diplomatic community is extremely dull, and the less time they are here, the better.” 

“Good point. We’re only the best man and woman.”

“Exactly.” 

“I was being sarcastic. Everyone is going to know.” 

“No one is going to know. Do you only think that because you think you’re doing something wrong?”

“Well, aren’t I?” She looked deflated and—no. Adam hated that. “Isn’t this voodoo?”

“No. Of course not. A lot of people like it for a reason, and that’s because it feels good. It’s completely normal and there’s nothing to be ashamed about. Plus,” he said, stepping forward, kissing her neck. “I think you like being full.” 

Olive whimpered, her eyes closing. “Maybe.” 

“Let me make you feel good.”

“Okay. I trust you, and—”

“We can stop if it doesn’t feel good,” he finished for her, their mantra, every time they tried something new. 

Olive stood on her toes, kissing him deeply. Adam would never get over the feeling of her lips against his. The realization that she wanted to be kissing him was now firmly embedded in his soul. In his more vulnerable moments, the dark corners of his mind dared to believe this was a dream. That real-life Adam was in a coma somewhere, and this was how he spent his sleeping hours. 

Her hands, still so tentative but wanting when they touched him, roamed over his bare torso until they pushed down on his swim trunks, freeing him from the confines of the fabric. Seeing the spark in her eye was still one of his favorite things. The excitement she had every time they were together. 

He’d never take it for granted. 

Olive dropped to her knees, making the axis he stood on tilt ever so slightly. Her hot mouth wrapped around his cock, taking him as deep as she could. She knew he loved this, but Adam had a sneaking suspicion she did, too, making it oh, so sweet.

When he could no longer stand it, too close to coming, he picked her up, tossing her playfully on the bed. Because he, Adam Carlsen, was playful now. And soft. But only for Olive. 

She was wet and ready in a way that stole his breath. The hard evidence giving him confirmation that a woman as perfect as Olive willingly chose, touched, and loved him. He remembered the night of the 28^th, trying to trick himself into believing she could be that wet for him, now knowing it wasn’t a trick at all. Because, for some reason, however inexplicable, they belonged together. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Adam slid inside her, all the way to the hilt, pausing the way he always did. He couldn’t help but stop to look down at her, awestruck.

“I love when you do this,” she admitted. 

“I love being connected with you,” he countered, massaging her clit with the pad of his thumb, making her legs open wider, take him deeper. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

There was a moment where Olive paused, knowing this was reckless to think, even more reckless to ask, but instead she said, “Show me.” 

Adam’s eyes narrowed, comprehending.

“I trust you. Plus, now I know that your family is super rich,” she teased, letting her eyes flutter close. “More reason to sue.” 

Adam squeezed her hip, showing her the photo. It was filthy and wonderful. Olive, splayed out below for Adam, her hair fanning amongst the pillows. Her lips were plump, her breasts perky and begging to be kissed. Anyone could tell from the angle that Olive was wet and full, with Adam’s cock stretching her to the limits. It was arousing to see, and given the way he was twitching and swelling inside her, Adam liked that she saw herself in this position—his for the taking.

He bent down, kissing her then, like he could no longer wait. Gone were the days when he stood in place like a scarecrow. Adam was full of heat and passion now, as he started to move, thrusting both of their ways toward nirvana. 

“Can I keep it?” He asked, his breathing ragged. 

“Your eyes only, Dr. Carlsen.”

“As if I would ever share you.” 

Olive clawed at his back, wanting to be even closer than they already were. Impossible, she rationalized, but worth trying. She kissed his neck, raking her hands through his hair, something she learned he loved.

She hadn’t noticed him rummaging to the side, too focused on how good this felt. Otherwise, she would have seen Adam grabbing a vibrator. She would have noticed him about to turn it on while he rested it against her clit. 

She would have had a warning. 

“Oh my—” Olive swore, squeezing her eyes closed, slapping her hand over her mouth. Her toes were curling, her breath going ragged. Adam swore, too, his eyes falling to half moons. His thrusts became disjointed, his cock sliding out before he nudged it back into place. The pressure and stimulation were too much, forcing Olive to break apart quickly, but all at once. Adam ground into her hips, a deep rumble falling from his chest. They were both shaking, with Adam peppering kisses all over her body.

“That was—”

“It was,” he agreed. “I wasn’t expecting to be able to feel it.” 

“When did you…?”

“The other day, when you had a hard time coming.” 

Ah, yes. She had forgotten about that and how Adam insisted it would be a crime against humanity if Olive didn’t come, too. She decided not to point out that she had been woefully overstimulated during that particular bout of sex, thinking it was sweet of him to care so much. Small tremors were still running through her body when he kissed her hips, opening a bottle of lube and spreading it over the plug.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she said, her heart rate increasing, forcing herself to stay pliant. It was easy enough to do, seeing as Adam was kissing her sensually as he worked it inside. “Oh my god.” 

“You’ll be okay,” he grinned, a devilish glint in his eye.

“You’re not the one who’s going to be tortured all night,” she glared. 

“How do you feel?”

“Like there’s nowhere for the pressure to go. It’s hard to explain. It just makes me…” she trailed off, the embarrassment seeping in. “Very needy for you.” Adam looked like he loved the thought. By the time they had changed, Olive didn’t know how she would make it through the night.

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Two hours. Two measly hours, and Olive was convinced she was close to breaking. She was aroused and ready to leave. She had already eyed several exits they could use. A quickie in a cupboard would do, too. She wasn’t picky. Anything to make this ache subside. 

Instead, she was smiling and shaking hands with strangers. She was sure her cheeks were pink, her nipples likely peeking through the fabric. The bright side was that she found herself surrounded by diplomats, listening to them drone on about things she didn’t need to pay attention to. Polite nods and a poorly executed fake laugh here and there? Bingo.

“Ladies. Gentlemen,” Adam said, his hand coming to rest on her hip. “May I steal my girlfriend?”

“Adam,” one of them called. “Good to see you, son. I haven’t seen you since…ah, well. It’s been a long time.” 

“A dinner party to remember,” Adam said curtly. A pang went through Olive. She had a feeling she knew which dinner party he meant. 

“Your girlfriend is lovely,” he said. 

“How did you two meet?” Another asked.

“At work. We don’t research the same topics, but we’re in the same department,” Olive said. “I feel very fortunate he was working at Stanford when I showed up.” 

The group blinked at them, clearly intrigued.

“Enjoy the party,” Adam said, nodding politely. 

“A pleasure to meet you, Olive. And Adam, give me a call if you’re ever in Europe.” 

They smiled, walking away hand in hand. Olive hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until they were alone.

“Are you okay?”

“I can’t tell you anything they just talked about, if that’s what you’re asking. Did you have to do this all the time? I feel like I’m being analyzed every other second.”

“Remember when I told you socials aren’t worth the free food?”

“Ah.” 

“But that’s not what I meant when I was asking how you were. I’m getting a lot of vibes from you, even across the room.” 

“I would very much like you to fuck me in a coat closet, yes.” 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

“We don’t have much time,” he warned. “Dinner is in ten minutes.” 

Olive didn’t know if she should laugh or cry, assuring him that staving off her orgasm was not going to be a concern. Be careful what you wish for, they always say. They stumbled into their room, with Adam pressing her against the door, shoving the skirt of her dress up past her hips, swearing when he felt how ready she was, before he unzipped his pants and freed himself. Adam wasted no time entering her body, and even less time passed before he began moving.

Finally.  

She was panting and on the verge of tears. The pressure from being partially filled, but not wholly, was almost too much to bear downstairs. Now, it was decadence, plain and simple. Olive fell apart against the door with Adam tumbling into the precipice with her.

If it weren’t for Holden and Malcolm, they might have stayed in the room. Continued what they started and not given a care to the world. Instead, Adam and Olive found themselves hurrying down the hallway with two minutes to spare by the time they switched plugs and cleaned up.

“I can’t go any faster,” she groaned. “My legs are jello and this thing shifts when I move.” 

Adam chuckled, scooping her up bridal style and pressing the button for the elevator. He bent, kissing her like he couldn’t help it, reluctantly setting her on the ground. Olive straightened his bowtie tenderly, before righting his hair. 

Dinner passed in a blur. It was full of righteous conversation and very proper etiquette. Olive felt extremely out of place, while Malcolm looked so bored he could pass out. Holden and Adam, though, looked resigned. Like they had done this many times before, and blocked the memories out. 

Olive wanted to be there for him, truly, she did. But the second plug was even bigger than the first, which meant everything was more intense. There was more pressure. More to feel. More to react to. Her nipples were painfully hard, something Adam noticed. He nonchalantly draped his jacket over her shoulders, as if that would help. At least she was warm. Her short, satin cream dress did little in that department.

“You look flushed, Sweetheart.” 

“I wonder why.” 

Adam’s eyes narrowed, but he was pulled into another conversation. His hand came to rest on her thigh, which—

“Not helpful,” she said through gritted teeth, squeezing her legs together. 

There was a clink of glass, and Mr. Rodridgues stood, starting a very sweet speech about Malcolm and Holden. He was charming, just like his son. Her listening came in and out of focus, depending on her willpower. The need for release was humming through her body. Adam kissed her shoulder, sensing it himself. His eyes were more black than brown, which—good. He should be suffering also, she decided. 

Olive tuned out the rest of the speeches, barely able to keep her breathing in check. She was sure Adam thought he was helping by caressing her leg through the silk, but Olive was two more caresses away from becoming Meg Ryan in ‘When Harry Met Sally…’. Olive gripped his hand, holding it in place. He got the hint quickly. 

There was a brief interlude between dessert and the speeches, where Adam stood, leading Olive down the hall. Thankfully, they weren’t the others who got up, leaving them unnoticed. He pulled her into a communal bathroom, locking the door in place. 

“We don’t have time to—”

Adam silenced her with a kiss, coaxing her mouth open with his tongue. Olive was pudding in his arms, overstimulated and overwhelmed as he leaned her against the vanity. His hand snuck under her skirt, determined to bring her to utopia. 

“You’re dripping, Olive,” his voice hoarse, switching gears and dropping to his knees, hooking her leg over his shoulder. 

“Adam” she whispered, but his finger was slipping inside her, his tongue was on her clit, and Olive’s orgasm slammed into her mere seconds later. Adam didn’t slow, enjoying himself too much. She slapped her hand over her mouth, trying to stay silent. They could still hear people walking past, after all. 

Adam stood, stealing her breath for himself. Olive sighed, pulling him closer and kissing him harder. She could taste herself on his tongue, and why was that so erotic? Adam seemed to think so too, with the way he was deepening the kiss, like they had all the time in the world to stay in this bathroom. 

They didn’t, and a subtle knock on the door from George said as much.

“This has been my favorite black tie dinner,” Adam confessed as they walked hand in hand to the table. 

That makes one of them. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive was certain they were both wrung dry by the time dessert had finished. She could barely enjoy it. If you were to threaten her life and tell her the only way to save herself was to name what the group was served, she couldn’t. It even had chocolate, but she was in dire straits. 

Adam’s cheeks had a slight flush, rivaling the heat she felt in her own. The ride in the elevator back to their room was tense. Olive wanted to shoo everyone in the cabin away. To shout at them until they disappeared. Didn’t they understand she was close to dying?

“We’re not leaving this room for the rest of the night,” he warned. 

That was fine by her. The moment they were inside, they were grabbing at each other’s clothes. Olive fumbled with his bowtie and shirt until they were on the floor.

“Your fucking nipples tonight,” he muttered, attacking them through the satin with his mouth. A soft sigh escaped her mouth the moment he did, a hushed ‘I need you’ slipping through, turning Adam feral. Soon her dress was on the floor, her back was flat on the mattress, and Adam’s cock was inside her. One hard thrust, and Olive was finally coming, some of the ache that had built subsiding. 

“I need you pliant, Schat,” he said, continuing mercilessly, looking down on her. She could feel herself getting close again after another dozen thrusts, and clearly, so could Adam. He tapped the end of the cool metal. “Are you ready for me? We don’t have to, if you don’t want.”

She nodded. It was all too much. The way the pressure in her core mixed with the anticipation had her ready for anything, more importantly, him. She wanted to be nervous, but Olive trusted Adam, and hadn’t everything they tried together been enjoyable? She watched as he coated himself in lube before lifting her hips. 

Olive closed her eyes, trying to focus on their ragged breathing until she felt the head of his cock push slowly, when they flew back open. She was watching Adam and the way his muscles flexed. The goosebumps that spread across his skin the further he sank. Olive was unable to stop her moan when he stalled out, bending to suck her nipples once more. 

“Relax,” he breathed, though the tightness in his fingers indicated he was feeling anything but. “How does it feel?”

But Olive was lost for words. She could barely breathe with the way her body stretched to accommodate Adam. The tightness in her core was too overwhelming. She was deliciously, blissfully full, especially when he pressed two of his fingers between her folds. 

“Oh my god,” she breathed, barely more than a whisper. 

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “This is how I die.” 

A dark chuckle, and, “You’re not in pain?”

“No.”

“How does it feel?”

“Different, but not in a bad way,” she admitted. “Is it…are you okay?”

“You feel fucking perfect,” he gritted out. “Will you be okay if I move?”

Adam readjusted her hips, sinking into her deeper. She nodded, unable to speak. 

“We can use the vibrator to—oh,” Olive said, fisting the sheets.

With the confirmation, he pulled out and pushed back in, just as slowly until Olive relaxed further, her legs opening wider. She came less than a minute later, her vision going black, her voice no more than a mewl. 

Adam swore, praising her as he picked up his tempo, unable to stop himself. The faster he went, the more Olive moaned. She could already feel the footsteps of another orgasm looming, unable to understand how this was happening—how something that was supposed to be so wrong felt so good. Adam put the vibrator in her hand.

“Use it,” he ordered in that quiet, possessive tone of his. The one that made her melt. “I want this to be good for you.” 

“Please,” she begged, unsure of what for. She couldn’t think, after all. He seemed to know Olive better than she did herself, because when he put three fingers back in her tight heat, Olive came hard and fast, clenching around him everywhere. 

“I love watching you come,” He confessed, his voice barely more than a rasp. “Please don’t make me stop, Sweetheart. You’re taking me so well.” 

Adam looked drugged when she came another time, her body turning to splinters. She had never felt more vulnerable with another person, nor had she ever felt more loved.

The satisfied sound that left his throat and the way he looked down at her with pure devotion put something back together in Olive. Something she hadn’t realized was broken. It was a religious experience being with Adam. Each thrust held a promise for more. When he finally came, bringing Olive with him for a final time, she knew forever wouldn’t be long enough. 

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Notes:

It's the big day! 🥹🤍✨

This chapter is 100% clean.

Thank you, as always, for the love.

G x

Adam was in that ridiculous, gigantic bathtub again, with Olive caged between his arms. When he first saw it, he scoffed. No one needed one this size. Technically, a shower was more than sufficient. People could get by without a bathtub at all. Now, it was nice. A way to unwind—something they both needed. That tantalizing spot on her neck was calling his name, the loose strands from her bun creating a halo of sorts. He kissed it before he thought twice. 

Olive hummed, leaning into him.

He could die right here and be happy. For someone who had spent the majority of their life supremely unhappy and irritated, it was a strange notion. One he never believed he would have. 

“Are you feeling okay? You’re not hurt, or anything, are you?”

She hummed again, a smile touching her lips. “I can’t feel my legs, but other than that, I’m great. Are you?”

Was he okay? Adam honestly wasn’t sure. Whatever happened between them surpassed sex, though, that’s how he always felt when they were together. This was something more, though. Maybe it was the way she looked at him, so vulnerable and trusting. The realities of what she let him do to her, entrusting that he’d be careful with her heart and bring her pleasure in return. Maybe it was because, deep down, Adam knew neither of them would do this with someone else. Or perhaps it was because it was a first for both of them. He couldn’t be certain.

“I love you,” was what he said in lieu of a response. It couldn’t cover what he actually felt for Olive Smith, but it was a start. 

“And I, you. But,” she said, turning to face him, a coy grin on her features. “I’m out of commission for the rest of the night. There are no orgasms left in my body.” 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Even with a top-notch wedding planner that she was sure Mr. Rodrigues had paid a small fortune for, the morning was hectic in a beautifully chaotic way. Last-minute decorations were being installed, people were trickling in and out of rooms, there were photographers and videographers at every turn, and she and Malcolm were wearing matching robes, about to get their makeup done. 

“You don’t even need makeup,” she pointed out. “You’re glowing. What did you do last night?”

“An ultra-hydra facial. I want my features highlighted, Kalamata. These photos are forever.” 

She looked around, wondering if this was what her wedding would be like. 

“It’s a lot, isn’t it?” He whispered.

“No less than you two deserve. The world should be celebrating you,” she said, kissing his temple. 

“Damn straight. Now, go kiss your broody love one more time if you want to. Because when your face is done, no more. Capiche? I don’t trust that man not to ruin your lip liner when it’s done.”

“Yes, sir!” She grinned. Olive padded out of the room in search of Adam and Holden. Her jaw dropped when she found their room. “Why isn’t your room chaotic?”

“We’re not as exciting,” Holden chuckled. “Also, Malcolm has a very large and very excited family.” 

Adam strode out of a side room, making a beeline for Olive when he saw her. “Hey.” 

“I’m here for my last kiss,” she said solemnly. “Groom’s orders.” 

Adam frowned, confused. “Last kiss?”

“He said, and I quote, that he does ‘not trust that man not to ruin your lip liner’. And that I’m not allowed to kiss you again once the makeup is on, which we were about to start.” 

Holden couldn’t stifle his laughter, getting up to give them privacy.

She stood on her toes, pressing her palms into his chest. Something shifted between them last night that Olive didn’t quite understand, but welcomed openly. Adam sensed it too, she thought. He had been quieter than usual, in a softer way.

“You look handsome.” 

“That would be because I don’t have the jacket on yet,” he grumbled, scowling at the glittery tie. Olive trailed her touch down the silk.

“At least this is soft, and it’s just sparkly fabric. Not more sequins. Can I see it?”

“No. Not until I’m forced.” 

“Y’know, Malcolm pointed out these pictures are forever.” 

Adam glared, but it was all teasing and maybe a little resigned. “Don’t remind me.” 

Olive kissed him then, grinning against his lips. He pulled her closer, kissing her more slowly. They had had a lot of sex since the night of the bonfire. Plenty of it. Some of it was born from lust and the need to be close; other times, it was more exploratory, learning more about each other’s bodies and what made them tick. And all of it was pure love. Yet, she still had butterflies in her gut and the yearning for more. 

Which is why when Adam pulled away, his brows furrowed with concern, she felt worry for the first time in many hours. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Of course. I…why? Because of last night?”

His lips flattened into a disapproving line. “Maybe. I feel more exposed than usual. I keep feeling like you’re going to disappear. I’m not sure if it’s remnants from the start of the week. I keep looking around at all the wedding stuff—the decor and horrible sequins. All the signs and centerpieces. Today is finally here, which means the trip is ending, and…after last night,” He shrugged, helpless. “I had mentally prepped prior to my flight that that would be the last I saw of you.” 

Olive sighed, pulling him into a hug. They stood there for several moments. “You’re stuck with me now. Don’t you remember signing on the dotted line? I wrote up a contract, and everything.” 

He chuckled, pulling her tighter. “How could I forget?” 

“Except for right now. Duty calls, unfortunately. I’ll see you at the aisle,” she said, kissing him a final time. “And you’ll be the one in…” she tapped her jaw, feigning ignorance. “Sparkly gold, right?”

His scowl was the last thing she saw before skipping out the door. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive felt…foreign. Alien. Very much not like herself. She was wearing a long muted gold dress with a slit so high that Adam’s knees go likely go weak. There was intricate beading, sequins, and other sparkly things that made the dress glisten, hiding spots of sheer lace that needed to be hidden while still allowing her skin to peek through tastefully. The top was a strapless, sheer, corsetted design that fit her like a glove, while the skirt featured beading that tapered down, her tanned legs shining through. Her hair and makeup were impeccable in a way she didn’t know was possible. 

There were spots on her body that she didn’t even know were meant to be highlighted and contoured, but were, including but not limited to her collarbones and chest. The artist sprayed something on her skin to make her sparkle in the sun, which she also loved. She had a smokey eye and industrial-strength lip…stick? Liner? Gloss? Stain? Perhaps all of the above, but gone was her lab coat. She truly did feel like royalty. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, voice wobbly. She couldn’t help it. Malcolm looked so handsome, and she was overflowing with love for him. 

“Don’t you dare,” he snapped. “No crying, Kalamata.” 

“Maybe you missed your calling in the military,” she said, eyes narrowing. “You’re very good at barking out orders.” 

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” he grinned. “Come on. Let’s head out before you set me off.” 

Olive took his hand, leading him toward the procession. Her heels felt miles high, but she knew she still wouldn’t meet Adam’s height. She could hear the faint clicks from the photographers, but she did her best not to pay them any attention. It was easy enough, the moment she saw Adam. 

He looked taller than normal, but perhaps that was because of the sequins. He was glowing, literally, impossible to miss. He had the most despondent, most resigned look on his face, and she absolutely loved it. Especially that small hint of despair that appeared when he scowled at his sleeve.

Adam melted the moment he saw her. His shoulders slumped, and his lips parted. His sparkly sleeve was forgotten. The way his eyes glazed over as she walked closer plainly spoke his feelings. She didn’t even care about the way the camera was clicking repeatedly when he moved to grab her waist. 

He bent down when Malcolm swatted him away.

“What did I say? Hands off my Kalamata. No. Smudges.” 

Adam’s jaw rolled, a petulant sigh escaping. “Yes, Captain. Go find your groom. First look photos are through there.”

“Hands off,” he warned again. “I will know if you’ve lied to me, Olive. So don’t you dare try anything. You’re a shit liar.” 

Olive laughed, unable to help herself. Adam looked at her longingly, running his hands along the fabric. The heat of his fingers touched her skin through the lace, setting goosebumps afire everywhere he went. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath when he found the slit, grabbing her upper thigh before he could stop himself.

“You’re stunning.” 

“You’re glowing,” she countered with a teasing grin. 

“I look like Elvis,” he whined. 

“A very stern Elvis,” Olive agreed, tracing the lapels of his jacket, turning a few sequins as she did.

“Don’t bother. They won’t stay in place, seeing as they’re for children,” he humphed. “Holden is lucky he means so much to me.” 

Holden and Malcolm were both wearing white, though in radically different styles. Malcolm refused to wear a sequinned jacket, in the end. The rest of the guests were encouraged to wear colors or pastels in tune with the surroundings. It was all very aesthetic. Olive felt her breath hitch when she realized how many people were starting to be seated. 

“It’ll be okay,” he promised. 

“I’m going to have to speak in front of all of them later,” she whispered. How. How had she not thought about that when she was practicing? Probably because she would never have a wedding this large, and she was only thinking of what she wanted to say to Malcolm. Not Malcolm and a massive crowd of strangers. Naturally, it slipped her mind.

“Everyone, take your places. You two—best people—over here, please.”

Show time. 

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

There was something very impassioned about standing across from the person you loved on an altar that was covered in flowers, especially when the sun was gleaming, highlighting the shades of ocean blue. Adam was having a hard time doing anything other than looking at Olive. Olive knew, because she was having a hard time doing the same. 

Malcolm and Holden had set aside plenty of time for photos, insisting that there were some of Adam and Olive alone as well. She knew she’d cherish them forever. They helped the photographer keep things organized, calling family members forward and checking things off the list. Both of them wanted to ensure today was everything Holden and Malcolm hoped for.

Adam was all smiles, doing his best to appeal to the guests. Olive knew he wanted today to be perfect for Holden. They spoke about it last night, Adam telling Olive stories of Holden planning his wedding when they were kids. 

“That’s when he picked out sequinned jackets,” he explained. “We were…twelve, I think? It was version three hundred of the wedding plan by then.”

Still, he ran interference with guests and nosy family members as if it were second nature. Soon, she realized it probably was. Adam circled Olive like a shark, keeping an eye on her or a hand on her wherever she went, ensuring she was never uncomfortable. She didn’t understand how he was so astute until she glanced at his parents; at their perfect smiles and appearance, the way they fake laughed and shook hands. He grew up in an environment where everything was a mind game. 

Olive vowed never to make him feel that way. 

He did the same during the remnants of cocktail hour they were able to squeeze in. Adam spoke easily with guests, never missing a beat. Yet, somehow, he always had an ear to Olive’s conversations, stepping in when the situation deemed fit. And to her amazement, he always knew when she needed him sometimes, before she did.

Finally, it was time for dinner. 

Adam and Olive sat at the high table with Malcolm, Holden, Jack, George, Dora, and Malcolm’s closest cousin, giving them a moment to breathe. 

“How are you so good at this?” she whispered. 

“Years of practice and observation. Plus, I have the upper hand of knowing several of the colleagues Mr. Rodrigues invited, and which ones are the worst.” 

“I’ll get better at it,” she said to herself, thinking of his parents’ expectations. 

“There’s no need,” he promised, kissing her knuckles, before being swept into conversation once again.

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Adam stood, the room falling silent as he held his glass. He looked so natural speaking in front of a crowd like this. Suave and commanding even in sequins and sparkly silk ties. A leader without trying. Everything Olive wouldn’t be when it was her turn. 

“I’ll keep this short. I know everyone would rather be eating cake than listening to me speak,” he started, and the crowd chuckled. What the fuck, she thought in a panic. They’re already laughing? She was doomed for sure. Adam was putting on his charm, and no one could resist that. Especially when his dimples made their inevitable appearance. 

“Some of you may know me as the boy always at Holden’s side—others, as Lana and Henry Carlsen’s son. Regardless, the pleasure is all mine tonight. Holden and I have been best friends since we were children, and though I could regale you with stories, I won’t because choosing which memories to share would be impossible. There was, however, a period of time when people assumed that he and I would get married, given the way we were joined at the hip. I never understood why.” Holden’s face fell when Adam paused to look at him, trying to hide his hurt. “I am, after all, so far from Holden’s usual type that we would have never worked out. Grumpy, I believe, is his number one red flag.” 

More laughter. God dammit, Adam. Why do you have to be charming?

“He has reminded me time and time again that he’s a golden retriever, and I’m a black cat. Somehow, I was supposed to understand what that meant, though I’ve never owned either. I’ve been advised by many that I’m cold. Needlessly antagonistic and unapproachable. Too focused on perfection and anything other than science. Yet, Holden never left my side. I know I’ve thanked you privately, though perhaps not as often as I should, but I’ve never expressed publicly how much you’ve meant to me over the years. You have consistently been the best person I know and the best role model I could have asked for. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be as good a person as you are, though I’m doing my best. If I can make Olive even remotely as happy as you make Malcolm, I would have no one but you and the constancy of our friendship to thank. I cannot thank you enough for being my friend, and your unwavering loyalty has never gone unnoticed or unappreciated.” 

There were a few sniffles throughout the room, some of which were coming from Holden, Malcolm, and Olive. Then, Adam glared. Lovingly, though. 

“I hope the fact I’ve worn this jacket is proof of that.” 

More laughter. 

“Malcolm, I can say without a doubt that you’re my favorite partner Holden has ever had. I’ve lost count of the number of double dates your husband begged me to go on because he met someone, hoping each time that they would be ‘the one’. He always procured some poor woman who has now inevitably put me down as one of the worst dates of their lives. I never wanted to be there, but now I can appreciate that I was. I’ve hated every boyfriend he’s ever had with unabashed hostility. I knew they never deserved him, and they never lasted. 

“Yet, his tenacity to find the perfect partner was something I always admired in Holden. The way he possessed the ability to make himself vulnerable time and time again was something I never had the courage to try, nor did I want to, until very recently. When he met you, things seemed different, and I cannot thank you enough for making him happy in a way no one else could. No one deserves that more than Holden. Especially after years of putting up with me as his best friend,” Adam said softly. “I also know that I’ve scared you enough during your tenure at Stanford as your adviser, that there’s no need to threaten your life, should you make him unhappy—a bonus for us all.”

A whistle from Jack, laughs from the crowd, and a nod from Malcolm. Adam flashed him a grin.

“You’re both stubbornly loyal, and I know you’ll be together for as long as time allows. I can only say that I look forward to watching you grow old together, myself, on the sidelines. Congratulations to two of the best people I know. I’m grateful to call you my friends,” he said with a dimpled smile, holding his glass up. 

“What the fuck,” she whsipered when he sat down. She was crying, because of course she was. Olive’s baseline state was crying. Now, it had a small dose of panic added alongside it. “I can’t go after that. Yours was so good. I can’t even remember what I was going to say now.”

“You’ll be great,” he cooed. “Your practice run last night was perfect, and I’ll be right here. You’ve got this.” 

Olive stood, her throat constricting. 

So. 

Many. 

People.

Adam’s hand rested on her calf, low enough that no one could see, easing her just enough to start speaking. 

“If you were hoping this speech would be anywhere near as lovely or eloquent as Adam’s, please allow me to show you the exit, over there on the right,” she said, gesturing with her hand. There was laughter, but she wasn’t joking. 

“I haven’t known Malcolm nearly as long as Adam has known Holden, but I’d like to believe I love him just as much. As someone with no family to their name, I used to dream of having a brother. I gave up on that fantasy long ago, but then Malcolm came along.”

Suddenly, her chin wobbled, Malcolm smiled at her with watery eyes, and Olive burst into tears. There were a few soft chuckles around her, and Adam’s hand moved up to her lower back when a nightmare started. It had to be a nightmare, because it was her best friend’s wedding, and she, Olive Smith, was babbling.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, I love you so much. I had this whole speech planned, and I did all this research, and all the articles said to make sure it wasn’t too fast, or too slow, and not to bore people, but now I’m crying, and you and Holden are so beautiful.

“You’ve done so much for me ever since we met. All our memories together are something I’ll cherish forever, and I can’t wait to watch you two thrive, and I promise I’ll be the best aunt ever and do everything I can to be the best friend you’ve ever had. You’re two of the best people in the world, and I’m so grateful you’re together and have finally won gold at the Olympic sport that is dating. 

“Holden, I don’t know if you knew this, but Malcolm used to talk about you at home all the time, and when you finally went out on a date, I was so excited. It felt like I had finally won over my long-time crush after years and years. I’m also super sorry that the first meal I made for you was basically sugar in a bowl that made you gag. I didn’t know how much of a health nut you were yet, and I’ll never do it again, I promise.

“And I’m eternally grateful you don’t hate Adam anymore, and we’re allowed to say his name now because I really love him, and that would be awful if you didn’t. I can’t wait for the four of us to go on double dates now that I’m moving back home, and—”

“You’re moving back to Stanford?” He asked, cutting her off with wide eyes.

Oh, right. She had purposefully not told him because of the whole Tom thing. Olive nodded, tears still streaming down her cheeks. 

Malcolm got up, fanning his face, and hugged her so hard and long that the room started clapping. Likely, a polite way to tell her to wrap this up. Jack’s hand was over his mouth, his shoulders shaking with the silent laughter he couldn’t tamp down.

“I’m really sorry, everyone. I did warn you, though,” she said, shrugging helplessly. At least she was getting everyone to end on a laugh. “Holden and Malcolm, congratulations on being such a lovely couple, and thank you for letting us all be part of your day today. I know it’s one I’ll remember forever, if not only because Jack will never let me live this speech down, but because of you both. To the grooms.” 

Olive sat down, immediately searching for Adam’s hand. His cheeks were red, and he was desperately trying to hide his smile. Maybe his laugh, she wasn’t sure. He cleared his throat.

“You weren’t allowed to say my name?”

“There may have been a period after you made Malcolm throw out months of data where he was wishing a plague upon your family. Around the time we started dating. He wouldn’t even speak to me.” 

His lips twitched. “I see.” 

“He likes you now, though. No more cursing the Carlsen household.” 

I’m sorry, she mouthed to Malcolm.

I loved it, he said back. 

“You did great,” Adam whispered. “It was very heartfelt. What was the first meal you cooked for Malcolm? Inquiring minds want to know.” 

Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Notes:

Whew. Here we are — the final chapter 😭 Thank you again for all the love on this story. I said it before, but I wrote this for a friend and never thought it'd see the light of day. After Ali's newsletter and Adam's Chapter 1 POV, I've been buzzing and decided to share. I have a few other fics in the works (the chokehold this book has on me) and will share them when they're done.

If you'd like to send requests, reach out, etc., I've created an Instagram account that will be solely for writing-related/book content. If anyone is interested, just drop a comment and let me know! No newsletters, anything weird, etc., this is not my way of becoming something I'm not, I promise lol. I've just had so much fun on here and thought it could be cool. Zero pressure, though. I might print out a few copies of the stories I've published here, (not like actual publish them for money, but apparently you can print your own books which would make me scream to hold something I wrote!!) or make Kindle versions so that would be a good way to reach out if you're interested in a copy either of those.

The little sub has brought a lot of joy to my life, and I can't thank you enough.

G x

There was dancing and laughing, cake, drinks, and desserts to die for, and several stolen kisses with Adam before the evening was over. Olive shivered once from the breeze on the patio, and he insisted she keep his jacket, draping it over her shoulders like a blanket. He surprised her with dancing, something she hadn’t expected. To no one’s surprise other than Olive’s, he was perfect at it.  She should have known he would have been forced into dancing lessons for the galas he needed to attend growing up. Olive stood on his feet, letting him do all the legwork (literally). Other times, he just stood nearby with Jack, letting her dance ridiculously with George, Holden, and Malcolm with her favorite put-upon expression. 

Olive could feel the disapproving and curious glances of the crowd whenever he took her hand, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“You’re famous,” she said. “Everyone has been watching.” 

“They’ve never seen me smile,” he said, tilting her chin upward. “You need to remember the last time most of the onlookers saw me, my dad was drunk and essentially calling me a sociopath. They probably thought the next time they saw my face, it would be on the six o’clock news. And all the other times, I was silent and angry.” 

“I’m sorry it was like that.” 

“I hardly care now. Mr. Rorigues and I planned something for Holden. Come on,” he said, glancing at his watch, guiding her to the balcony. The wedding planner was ushering people outside, to the grooms’ confusion. “Another thing on his list,” Adam whispered. 

“What’s going on?” Malcolm asked. 

Suddenly, the sky lit up with white fireworks that melted into rainbows. Holden’s gasp was so loud, you could hear it over the booms. Barely, but it was there. Firework after firework kept trickling in, all different colors and styles. It was beautiful. Adam’s front was pressed to Olive’s back, caging her in on the railing, one arm slung along her middle. She leaned into him, feeling so perfectly happy, it didn’t feel real. 

Holden, he explained in hushed tones during the show, loved fireworks, apparently. But had a warring mental battle with them for environmental reasons and the fact that they scared dogs, and likely those with PTSD from shootings. 

“Hopefully, he won’t be upset,” he said when it ended. 

“He loved it. Look at him,” she said, nodding to the man in question.

The night was winding down, nearing one in the morning. People were slowly trickling out, with only close friends and family left now that the fireworks finished—a natural conclusion to the evening.  

“Adam! Ol!” Jack yelled, waving them over. 

“We’re jumping in the pool!” Malcolm shouted with a grin.

“W-what?” She was stuttering and laughing. Malcolm and Holden jumped into the pool, fully clothed. George, Dora, and Jack followed. George dunked Jack’s head under water before shouting at them. 

Adam scooped Olive into his arms, plunging into the water before them. His hands wrapped around her waist, pushing her toward the light. He was laughing when they surfaced, helping her to the shallow end. When he ensured she was okay, he moved to Holden, giving him a long hug, speaking quietly in his ear. Holden looked like he might cry by the end of it. Olive rested her head on Malcolm’s shoulder, deciding this was a night to remember, for years to come.

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

“You know, I think you could win a wet t-shirt contest,” she said, eyeing him in the elevator.

He scowled. 

“Maybe not,” Olive amended, laughing. 

“Better,” he agreed. “Are you tired?”

“Not really. It’s been a fun night, and the fireworks felt like a hype song. Are you?”

“Nah. Too stimulated.”

“Maybe I could help with that,” she said suggestively, running her mouth from the tendon on his neck, up to his ear lobe, nipping playfully. Adam’s eyes darkened. 

“You look like a Greek goddess in that dress.”

“Does that mean you’re going to worship me?”

“I’d love nothing more.”

Adam unzipped her dress, kissing her bare skin as it appeared. Her cool, damp skin pebbled when the warm air hit, her dress pooling at her feet. Adam was still standing behind her, his hands wrapping her waist, caressing their way up and down her body.

Olive turned to face him, pausing when she did.

“You look…” she frowned. What did he look like?

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this,” he said, her palm against his. The difference in size was laughable. “That you want me, too.” 

“You’re very broody today. Was it the wedding?” 

She let him think, working on the buttons of his shirt as he did. Olive couldn’t help but pepper kisses down his torso, along the planes of his abdomen, and then his hip bones before she made her way back up, kissing the spot on his neck that made his eyes close. 

“I’m not used to it,” he said suddenly, his hands clenched in fists. 

“Being vulnerable? Like you said in your speech?”

“Yes, but also…being cared about, I suppose. I know you care, but nothing about this trip has felt real,” he explained. “And now I’m supposed to believe you’re coming home with me. Here to stay.” 

Olive had her hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath her fingertips. She understood what he meant because Olive felt the same. 

“I get that. I’m used to people leaving, too,” she pointed out. “I think we’ll need time to adjust. That’s all. When you think about the way this week started compared to now…” 

“Zero to one hundred,” he nodded. “I thought I’d be able to compartmentalize. To enjoy this week for what it was and be near you again, but nothing more.” 

“That went well,” she snorted. 

“It went to shit the moment I saw you in the lobby. You know how I operate.”

“Logic?”

“Precisely. And I’m not a lucky person, Olive. I can’t comprehend out of all the people in the world, somehow…” he trailed off, looking troubled.

“I may not be able to convince you, but at least give me enough time to try and show you.” 

“I want to be good enough for you. Someone who I feel actually deserves you, though I’m not sure if that will ever happen.” 

“You’re too hard on yourself,” she said, hooking her fingers in his belt loops, pulling him toward the bed, letting him cage her between the mattress. “I’m not perfect.” 

“You are. Would you even want to marry me?”

Her eyes widened. “Is that what this is about?”

“Think about it, Olive. You would also be marrying my reputation. My angry, uncompromising side. The Dr. Carlsen that everyone hates. The unsociable Adam, whom my family was always disappointed in. Tom isn’t wrong. Being associated with me does come with strings, though, not the ones he referred to. When people will think of Dr. Olive Smith, they’ll wonder what you’re like as a person because you’re associated with me.” 

Olive stared at him, realizing how serious he was. “We’re going to have to have a long conversation about your upbringing. I don’t like your parents.”

“Olive—”

“You’re not a bad person,” she insisted. 

“You don’t—”

“I would be proud to be married to you and be associated with Dr. Carlsen as your wife,” she said, forcing him to look at her. That shut him up. “Or a co-collaborator. I’d be happy to be either.” 

His cheeks flushed, his eyes dilating. “You would want to collaborate with me?”

“Why am I not surprised that’s what you’re focused on?” she grinned. He had the decency to look sheepish. 

“Sorry. It’s just—”

“You’re not sorry,” she teased. 

“—your work is amazing, and I never thought you’d want to do that.”

“Think of everything we could discover together.” 

His cock twitched beneath her, his head falling in the crook of her neck.

“You’re getting turned on. Tell me, is this your version of dirty talk?” She kissed below his ear, before whispering, “Do you like the idea of us having coffee dates and poring over results? Going on runs between centrifuges? Maybe even late nights researching, and having a quickie in your office when we’re running blots? Telling everyone that I’m Dr. Smith, but Mrs. Carlsen?”

Adam couldn’t suppress his groan or hide how hard he was. He kissed her, messy and uncoordinated, so reminiscent of their kiss in the hallway when their teeth clashed. He caressed her breasts, licking and biting them, sucking on the side of too forceful. It might leave a mark in the morning, but she hardly cared. To a degree, Olive loved the tangible evidence that they were together. The soreness that spread throughout her body made it all seem more real. Olive fumbled with the button of his pants, pushing them down his legs and cupping him gently. Adam’s cock jutted forward in her palm, her name escaping with his sigh.

His hands were gripping her thighs, firmly holding them open and coating himself between her folds, looking at her for consent. Olive nodded, reveling in how good it felt for his soft skin to melt into hers, flawlessly stretching her open. Adam started moving, increasing his pace to an all-encompassing level, with Olive meeting him thrust for thrust.

She dragged his face to hers, kissing him until her back arched on its own accord, when Adam dipped his head to kiss her breasts, the way he could never resist. The sound of their hips meeting repeatedly reverberated in the room like a symphony, Olive’s whimpers and Adam’s erratic breathing featuring as an accompaniment. 

He was eager tonight and excited in a way that fed Olive’s pleasure. She could feel her toes curling, the small flutterings in her core pulsing around his cock like a beatdrum. 

“Please,” Adam begged against her ear, his thumb pressing on her clit, swirling relentlessly. Olive bit down on his shoulder, her orgasm lashing into them in waves. Adam’s control snapped, fucking her through the pleasure, splaying her hips open to take him deeper. When he finally came, he was impossibly deep, pouring his release into her, muttering how much he loved her into her skin, that he swore never to let her go this time. Promising to never mess up again. 

She knew that was an impossible vow, and that she was bound to mess up a hundred times over. Yet, she knew deep in her bones that this was it; they would weather any storm and always come out the other side. They were both flawed, but together they were a fully functioning unit—two halves of a whole. That would be enough, she thought as she began to fall asleep, splayed out on his chest, they were more than enough.

 

🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 💛 🌺 

 

Olive was sitting next to Adam on a squishy Starbucks sofa, sipping a pumpkin spice latte. The moment she saw the California coastline, she let out a sigh of relief. She and Adam had a few extra days in Kauai, hiking their way across the island, taking selfies, and enjoying their last meals under the sun. 

She could feel Adam’s elation when he showed her around his house, making room for her in his bedroom. He already had empty closet space and a set of chest of drawers she could use. When she started unpacking without a second thought, he kissed her breathless, telling her again how much it meant to him.

They fell into a routine, cooking together, going on runs, and, to Adam’s delight, driving to work. Olive wondered if their sex drives would wane, but if anything, it was the opposite. The more time passed, and the more they woke up entwined in the mornings, the worse it became.

“It’s because of the happy hormones,” she panted one morning, sandwiched between Adam’s body and the bathroom tile. “All the oxytocin.” 

Now, his arm was splayed around her shoulder, his lips pressed against her temple. They had several meetings together with the dean, Dr. Aslan, and various people on Zoom about the Tom situation. Adam made it clear he and Olive were serious and non-negotiable. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t allowed to be involved with her thesis, but there was no other concern. Truthfully, everyone seemed happy they were back together. 

Several of the faculty members and fellow students gave her their well wishes, hearing about what had happened with Tom, and mentioned that Adam hadn’t been the same since she left. But one of the best moments from being back was seeing Anh. The way she screamed in the hallway, jumping into Olive’s arms. 

“I want to hear all about Hawaii,” she demanded.

“And I want to hear about your trip to Ireland and Vietnam with Jeremy,” Olive agreed, hugging her harder. 

Holden and Malcolm came home sufficiently tanned a few weeks later, having enjoyed their honeymoon island hopping in Hawaii. The four of them got together so Adam and Olive could see photos of the honeymoon when Malcolm finally completed his dare—well, tried to complete his dare. He went ashen after one sip of the pumpkin spice latte, but Olive was so proud she selflessly drank the rest herself. They had double dates often, to Olive’s delight. The hallways were quiet now that Malcolm had graduated. 

“How are you, Schat?” Adam asked. 

“Pumpkin spice is going to be gone soon,” she pouted. “But I’m happy with my results. I can’t believe I’m in the home stretch, you know?”

“You’re going to do amazing.” 

Adam and Olive spoke extensively about their plans for the future. Olive felt strongly about doing a post-doc, which was likely to happen at Stanford. After that was more of an unknown, Adam was confident they could stay at Stanford, should they want to. The biology department wouldn’t want to lose either of them, and Dr. Aslan would be retiring soon. Olive could take the lab space to make her own, which was a wild thought. 

She knew Adam was not-so-secretly okay with the idea of proposing at any time, whenever she wanted. The idea of forever with Olive Smith was permanently etched into his brain. She kept him on his toes, humming and sighing her ‘I’m not sure’, but she did. And she was sure Adam knew, too. 

She had a feeling in her gut that he was going to ask soon. They had a long weekend coming up that they were planning to spend in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, which Adam was being very cagey about. Olive had a hunch her bachelorette days would be numbered by the end of it. 

“Our first kiss feels so long ago,” Adam mused, tucking a loose strand behind her ear as they walked into the biology building. 

“Our consensual kiss?”

“I thought I was dreaming.” 

“Life is stranger than fiction,” she teased. 

“Nah. It’s better,” he said, pulling her into his lab’s bathroom. It was a favorite pastime of his: stealing her away and kissing her in his office, or the spot where she stood the day they met. 

“I believe this is against the rules, Dr—”

He cut her off with a tender kiss, a smile playing on their lips. Her mind went back to last night when Adam was busy claiming her for himself, while Olive did the same to him. One of her favorite parts of being with Adam was his inability to keep his thoughts quiet when they were intimate; the way words and praises spilled out of him during vulnerable moments in the dark. 

Last night, he said he felt like he was home whenever they were together. Olive kept her tears at bay, remembering their rocky start embedded in lies, deceit, and misunderstandings. But they worked through the hurdles, learning how to be open and honest with each other, and built a foundation that would last. 

It was more than she could have ever hoped for.