Olive frantically searches for affordable accommodations for the SBD conference after Anh and Malcolm book elsewhere, assuming she would stay with Adam. At a coffee shop, Adam returns unexpectedly from Boston and finds her stressed. Hearing about her lodging dilemma and the need to keep up their ruse, Adam offers to share his conference hotel room, noting they will only overlap one night.

Olive resists, worried about the implications and her growing feelings, but Adam frames it as concern for her safety and friendship. She eventually agrees to room with him for one night, and they trade light jokes about snoring and their “girlfriend” charade, easing the tension.

When Olive admits her abstract became a faculty-panel talk and she is panicking, Adam remembers and takes her anxiety seriously. He shares a formative, unpleasant story about being forced by his brutal former adviser to give a talk with almost no notice. When Olive quips that he sounds like that adviser, Adam reacts sharply, then explains his mentoring philosophy: high standards, accountability, and indifference to being liked.

Despite the edge, Adam offers to review Olive’s slides and asks if she wants him at her talk. Olive, reassured by how consistently Adam is on her side, says yes. They head to buy coffee—her pumpkin drink over his protests—and Olive resolves that, for now, friendship and his support will have to be enough.