I raise an eyebrow.
“So I have Solvi's seal of approval?” she asks.
That, more than anything else she's said all day, makes me melt. My heart softens and warms…and it suddenly strikes me that there's real potential here.
That she could be part of this. Part ofus.
“Solvi likes anyone who makes fun of me,” I deadpan.
Lyn rolls her eyes. “That's not what I meant and you know it.”
I'm about to respond with more snark, but I pause.
I need to be serious right now.
“Solvi is…” I take a moment, collect my thoughts. “Solvi's approval of you or lack thereof is less important at this moment that I do this right.”
She falters at that. “Meaning…?”
“Shahar and I agreed that I would not bring any potential romantic interests into Solvi's life without clearing it with her first,” I say. “She needs to be told. And your committee?—”
She flings her hands up. “Stop. My committee? What does my committee have to do with this?”
“Naturally I can no longer advise you?—”
“Nope,” Lyn shakes her head, standing all of a sudden. “Nah. Meeting your daughter is one thing, telling her mom about us…sure, yes, I get it. But the committee…?”
I straighten as she rises, instinctively mirroring the shift in temperature in the room.
“Because the committee determines your academic standing,” I say evenly. “Your funding. Your access. Your timeline. If this is mishandled, they don’t punish me—they punish you.”
Her jaw tightens. “I didn’t ask you to torch my career for me.”
“And I won’t,” I reply. “Which is precisely why we’re talking about this now.”
She paces once, then turns back to me, hands braced on the edge of my desk. “You’re talking like this is already a done deal. Like I’m being reassigned and reported and processed.”
“I’m talking like I refuse to let the institution decide for us,” I say. “If we act first—cleanly, transparently—we retain control. If we wait, we lose it.”
Her eyes search my face, sharp and assessing. “And if I don’t want to leave your lab?”
The question is quiet. Serious.
“Then we don’t continue this,” I say. “Because I won’t put you in a position where your work is questioned, or your achievements are doubted, because of me.”
She fixes her eyes on me…her tongue darts out to wet her lips.
“Or we keep it secret,” she whispers. “Just for now.”
The word comes out before I’m even entirely sure what I’m saying. “No.”
Her shoulders tense. She studies me like she’s trying to decide whether this is a wall or a door.
“No?” she repeats.
“No,” I say again. “Not even for now.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” she snaps. “You’re established.. You have a safety net. I’m the one who gets labeled if this goes sideways.”
