Ol... You are spreading more falsities, and it's the source of stress. The funny part is she knows what she is doing. I am not sure she really understands the effect though. She is now telling Adam that she has feelings for someone else, Jeremy no less. The same guy that Anh is dating, now Olive says she has feelings for.

Adam, being an awesome dude, goes along with it. He believes her because he trusts her. They share this special bond created through their joint lie. He doesn't factor that she might be lying about this because of embarrassment. It's being caught in that embarrassing moment and trying to get out. of it while sacrificing the future for the relief in the moment.

Lies don't create the best of things for anyone involved. I'm still on about my hypothesis that Adam really likes this girl. She saw it in his face when she said someone else. The inner dialogue of Adam is probably similar to that of Olive. We've discussed this before. But Olive is too wrapped up in her own head to actually see that what she told Adam did real harm.

She even sees the reaction on his face and in his body. He was defeated by this. He is probably thinking that he is really starting to like this girl and it may become something, until she comes along and says the opposite. Why doesn't she just tell him that she is falling for him and wants to go deeper in the dating, upping it from the fake status. She is scared that he won't reciprocate and she will be left alone with her feelings. That is not the worst outcome though. Although it seems like the worst in her mind. She is vulnerable in that moment. She becomes known and could potentially be judged or disliked.

She'll for sure come around to realize how she fucked up. The truth would have set her free. She also worries about all these things. From the reader persepctive, I'm yelling at the book, "Nooo! Just tell him! He like likes you too!"

She continues with why he couldn't possibly like her, why it couldn't possibly work, and all the reasons that support he thought of herself. She places him on the pedestal, and she is not good enough for him. She seems to think that he tolerates her, but that, given the choice, he would get his grant funds and not have anything to do with her. What if it was his plan the whole time to get her to fall for him? Olive wants to keep Adam from believing that she was setting this up from the beginning. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a wild thought to me. How does one connect all these dots and then judge another person for a convoluted scheme? I don't think I said that right, but maybe it works.

It's simpler than that. A person starts to develop feelings over time, and the rest just kinda happens. Nobody planned this. It wasn't an elaborate trap to get the other person to feel or think any kind of way. The feelings just happen. Everything that happens along the way was coincidence and not part of some grand scheme. Adam would understand this. She doesn't give him enough credit. But that's probably because she doesn't give herself enough credit.

She is smart, funny, cute, hard working, driven, and a smart-ass. All of the qualities Adam genuinely appreciates about her. She still asks herself, and convinces herself that he wouldn't be interested. How does she reach that conclusion?! She's awesome! Adam knows it. He even got the flu shot with her. If that ain't love, then I'm at a loss for what is. Personally, I don't like needles either, and I get you, Adam. That is something we do to make another person happy and have something between us that grows connection.

Book club is alive an well! I'll be back with analysis on the next chapters. Oh, Adam's gay best friend, we didn't even mention that. That's gonna have to wait. Tune in for our analysis of what they do next. I'm leaning more and more toward Adam is falling hard for this girl. It's in his facial expressions. Pay attention Olive!!!