assume that because you’re a woman you must like babies. Some women don’t. I think it says something about the success of our species that the urge to procreate is no longer universal. Anyway, do you?”
“Why do you need to know if I like babies?” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I already told you that’s not a concern.”
I blinked. What was she talking— “Oh, no. That’s not what I meant. My sister’s having a baby and she texted me an ultrasound picture and I wasn’t sure if you’d find that interesting, so I was asking first.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“Yeah, Molly. We’re twins.”
“Oh. Yes, I like babies.”
I pulled out my phone and opened the ultrasound photo. “That weird looking blob is my niece.”
Hazel’s eyes softened and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. She took the phone from my hand and brought it closer. “You can see her cheeks.”
“Pretty cool, huh.”
She gazed at the picture for a long moment, as if lost in thought, her expression wistful. Then she seemed to come back to herself and handed me the phone. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Molly’s doing all the work. I just get to be the cool uncle.”
I looked at my lunch bag, wondering if I should cut my losses before Hazel and I found something to argue about. She didn’t say anything else. Maybe she just wanted me to go.
“Do you like having a twin sister?” she asked, breaking the growing silence.
“Yeah. We used to fight when we were kids, but we get along great now.”
She dipped her spoon into her yogurt. “I don’t have any siblings. But I have best friends who are like sisters.”
Were we actually talking? This was new.
It was nice.
“That’s cool about your friends. Do they live around here?”
She nodded. “They do. What about your sister?”
“Yeah, she and her husband live about ten minutes from me.”
“So you’ll get to see the baby a lot.”
“I hope so. I don’t really know anything about babies, but I’m excited for Molly. She and her husband really wanted kids.”
“How long have they been married?”
“Five years. They were one of the first couples to use my questionnaire when I was developing my theory.” I cut myself off. Damn it, I shouldn’t have brought that up. We’d actually talked for more than a sentence without fighting, but my research was the war zone between us. This was dangerous territory.
Hazel adjusted her glasses. “Were they dating prior to that?”
Her non-combative question caught me off guard. “No. They knew each other, but not well.”
“And your questionnaire made them fall in love?”
“It’s more complicated than that. The process of answering the questions together develops a level of intimacy that usually takes months or years. Going through the questionnaire accelerates it. In Molly and Martin’s case, they started dating immediately and got engaged a few months later.”
“Sounds like it worked well for them.”
“Yeah, it did. They’re great together.”
She wrapped her hands around her mug. “Thank you for sharing the picture of your unborn niece.”
I put my phone back in my pocket. “Sure. I’m just glad we’re humans and not long-tailed skinks.”
One side of her lip twitched in an almost-smile. “Why?”
“Unlike many lizard species, long-tailed skinks raise their offspring. But if a mother skink feels too threatened, she’ll eat her babies.”
“Then I’m also glad you don’t have to be concerned that your sister will consume her offspring. The animal kingdom can be a brutal place.”
“Yeah, it really can.” I decided now was the time to cut my losses. We’d had a nice conversation. And if there was anything I knew about myself, I was good at screwing up normal human interactions. I didn’t know where that skink comment had come from. Definitely time to go. “I have more data to analyze, so I better get back. I’ll just eat at my desk.”
Meeting my gaze, Hazel smiled. Her lips curved and her eyes brightened. It was the first time she’d ever really, truly smiled at me, and it hit me like a blow to the chest.
I was so fucked.
17
Hazel
“Science is not only a disciple of reason but, also, one of romance and passion.” ~ Stephen Hawking
The lobby of the research lab was packed with volunteer subjects. Someone had brought in plastic chairs to handle the overflow, and there were still students standing along the walls and in small groups. I couldn’t be sure, but I liked to think the cookies I’d brought in had helped with the turnout. One particularly enthusiastic male subject had come through