Page 63 of Love in the Stacks
“Yeah, some,” I downplay.
“Hmm,” he vocalizes with a tilt of his head.
“What?”
He locks eyes with me. “Just a lot of pressure,” he teases with a grin.
I roll my eyes and gesture for him to sit on the couch.
I curl one leg underneath myself as I sit on the cushion opposite Adam. “Your not-romantic reason for visiting?” I prompt.
“Ah, right.” He frowns and squints his eyes. “I’m not sure how to say this so I’m going to just say it.” He thrusts the papers toward me and as I take them from his hand, he blurts, “We need to fill out this paperwork for HR.”
Um. Okay, not even on the top one hundred list of what I was expecting. I study the papers and see that they are, indeed, official-looking forms labeled with the heading “Amorous Relationship Disclosure.” I stare at the forms. Then, I lift my head and stare at Adam.
I huff out an incredulous laugh. “Is this for real?”
Adam rubs the back of his neck, his ears red. “Yeah,” he says. “Harkness HR allows um, you know, ‘amorous relationships’ among employees, even in the same department, as long as there’s no conflict of interest relating to, uh, reporting structure. And as long as the employees submit the proper paperwork.”
I’m biting back a smile now, but I keep the stern expression on my face.
“How long have you been sitting on these forms?” I ask.
He shrugs, dipping his chin down to look at his hands clasped in his lap. “A couple of months? Just in case.” He flinches.
I can’t keep holding it in; I burst out laughing. I let my shoulders fall against the back of the couch and pull both legs up toward my chest as I convulse in a fit of giggles. Adam watches me cautiously, his expression moving from dubious to bemused.
Finally, I compose myself, and wiping the water from my eyes, startle Adam even more by climbing onto his lap. When he recovers, he shifts his arms to loop around my back, pulling my body into his. Cupping my hands around both sides of his face, I gaze into his eyes and say, “In your own, very Adam-like way, this is actually incredibly romantic. Get me a pen and I will sign your forms, sir.” I punctuate this decree with a peck on the tip of his nose.
“Thank you,” he says dryly. Then, he clears his throat and shifts underneath me. “But there’s more.”
“Uh huh,” I say warily, transferring back to my own couch cushion. “Tell me.”
“Well,” he starts, then hesitates. “I know our jobs are important to both of us. And I know, for me, that means that there’s a certain level of professionalism I expect of myself when I’m at work. So, even though it’s not strictly against the rules at Harkness, I would like to request that you and I, um, refrain from … anything … unprofessional while we’re on campus.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Meaning?”
His face flushes. “No PDA at work,” he clarifies.
“Are you serious?” I blink at him.
He grimaces. “Yes?”
“So, what if I kiss you at work? You’ll push me away? You’ll be like ‘Ew, gross, don’t kiss me’?”
“Nicole, please just don’t kiss me at work,” he pleads.
I fold my arms across my chest. “Listen, I’m a very affectionate person. I don’t know if that’s going to work for me.”
He swallows. “Trust me, I appreciate that about you very, very much, but I’m just sayingat work.”
“I don’t understand why it’s a big deal,” I argue.
Adam heaves out an exasperated breath. “I’m concerned about the perception, Nicole. We have coworkers who might not take us as seriously if we’re going around the library being … ‘affectionate’ with each other. I don’t want anyone to think I’m some kind of office floozy, or worse, thatyouare.”
“Office floozy?” I totally lose it again. Like, tears streaming down my cheeks, stitch-in-my-side laughing fit. “Oh my gosh, Adam!”
His eyes narrow. “You’re making fun of me,” he says flatly. “Can you please be serious about this?”
