Page 26 of Love in the Lab
I sit on the bench just as Molly comes around the corner of the building.
“Hey!” I call, my surprise evident in the lilt of my voice.
Molly does a half wave. “I didn’t know this was back here.”
A grin takes over my face. “Did you follow me?”
Instead of answering, Molly says, “I have an embarrassingly obnoxious display of flowers on my desk.”
My smile widens as I scoot over and gesture for her to join me on the bench. “Do you now?”
“Yep.” She sits, farther away from me than I would prefer, but closer than I would have expected. She tilts her face toward me, and I study her expression. She’s not mad. She’s holding back a smile—I see it dancing in her eyes. A feeling of triumph moves into my chest. She likes the flowers! I did something right!
“Huh. How about that.”
She shakes her head. “Nothing else to say?”
Emboldened, I stretch my arm across the back of the bench. It doesn’t quite touch her shoulders until she leans back. The contact creates a buzz that travels up my arm and right out of my mouth.
“I have three things to say, actually. First, I’m sorry. Second, you’re welcome. And third…” I pause here, making sure her eyes are on mine. “I had a really great time with you yesterday.”
“Working? You had a great time working with me?”
“And playing.” I shrug. “We did both, right?”
She nods thoughtfully. “We did. What are you sorry for?”
My smile falls, and my shoulders tense. “I don’t like the way I reacted to you sharing about your ADHD. It’s none of my business how you manage your life. I shouldn’t have acted like I know better than you how your own brain works. I’m sorry.”
Molly looks stunned. “Apology accepted.”
My shoulders relax. “Thanks. I can be a little … relentless once I’ve made up my mind about something.” I laugh. “Just ask my sister.”
Molly smiles. “What did you do to your sister?”
“Well, it’s not so much what I did to her as what she’s witnessed over the years. When I was a kid, I watched the movieTwisterand became obsessed. I knew then and there that I wanted to be a scientist, but, like, a cool scientist like Bill and Jo. I like water more than weather, though, so that set my course. You can see how it worked out. I still considerTwistermy favorite movie.”
“My favorite movie is from my childhood, too.Anne of Green Gables. The Canadian version from the eighties.”
I shake my head. “I haven’t heard of that one.”
Molly puffs out a breath. “Really? It’s so good.”
“I’ll have to watch it sometime.”
“Yeah, right.” She nudges me with her elbow. “Probably not your thing.”
We’ll see about that. “You don’t know anything about what might or might not be my thing.”
“Except action movies, hot wings, playing pranks, boats, swimming, root beer, folk rock, and…” She gives me a knowing look. “...avoiding phone calls from your father.”
Something in my chest loosens, warmth radiating through me. She noticed all those things about me? My body craves more points of contact with hers. I reach my arm forward and tug gently on a strand of hair that has escaped from her ponytail. “Show-off.”
Suddenly, Molly gasps. “I know who you remind me of! Gilbert Blythe.”
“Gilbert…?” I repeat blankly.
“Gilbert Blythe,” she reiterates, “fromAnne of Green Gables. Ooh, I bet if I had red hair, you would call me Carrots, too.”
