After emailing Tom her pancreatic cancer report (attachment mishap and all), Olive visits Adam’s house for Tom’s feedback. Adam returns from a run and directs her to the kitchen, where Tom questions her protocols and analyses. The discussion remains technical, with no immediate decision, heightening Olive’s anxiety.

As Olive prepares to leave, Tom finally confirms he has a bench for her next year at Harvard. Overwhelmed and ecstatic, Olive celebrates outside with a spontaneous hug; Adam returns the embrace and congratulates her. The mood shifts from tension to relief and joy.

During the drive to campus, Adam explains he and Tom avoided discussing Olive to prevent conflicts of interest. Olive shares why she pursued Tom’s lab, and Adam advises future outreach through advisers. He reveals their joint grant on off-lattice cell-based models and admits he was bored enough to consider industry until Tom helped him pivot. Olive, recognizing his words, suspects Adam may have been the stranger who once encouraged her in a lab bathroom.

Wanting to celebrate, Olive proposes coffee and taking advantage of the campus “Fluchella” flu clinic. Adam resists, dismissing the need and revealing discomfort with needles. Olive gently teases him, then discloses a childhood memory of her mother helping her through shots. Adam concedes that needles feel disgusting; Olive promises support and leads him toward the clinic. Crossing a quiet, sunlit campus, her hand slips from his wrist into his palm, signaling growing intimacy as they head to get vaccinated.