The week after Yosemite passed normally. Classes, assignments, hurried coffees between study sessions... The usual. Well, almost everything. There was one small detail that was different: Lindsay and me.It wasn't as if something drastic had happened, but there was a new closeness between us. Small gestures, details that weren't there before. A hug when I saw her in the morning, ruffling her hair when she said something funny, a hand on her back as we walked together. It felt natural, comfortable, and the best part was that she didn't seem to avoid it either.
Of course, Olivia didn't take long to notice.
"You two are the worst," she said one afternoon at the cafeteria, pointing at us with the straw of her smoothie. "I can't believe you're already dating and hiding it from me."
Lindsay and I exchanged a glance.
"We're not dating," I said, shrugging.
"Oh, please!" Olivia rolled her eyes. "Seriously, the hugging and the meaningful glances aren't normal. If this were a TV show, there'd already be a slow-motion musical montage of the two of you."
Lindsay laughed, stirring her coffee.
"You have too much imagination."
"No, what I have is good eyesight," Olivia retorted, narrowing her eyes. "I know what I saw in Yosemite."
"Nothing happened in Yosemite," I insisted.
"Sure, sure, keep lying to me," Olivia took a sip of her smoothie, pointing at us again. "But when you're done pretending nothing's going on, I want to be the first to know. And I demand best friend rights to tease you both."Lindsay and I just laughed, but something in her smile told me she had thought about it too.
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In psychology class, Professor Wilson spoke enthusiastically about classical conditioning.
"Classical conditioning, according to Pavlov, occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response," she explained, writing on the board. "A classic example is the experiment with dogs, where the sound of a bell preceded the arrival of food. Over time, the dogs began to salivate just at the sound of the bell, even without the presence of food."
Olivia leaned toward Lindsay and whispered, "If this works with dogs, it should work with Sack. I'm going to train him to bring me coffee every time I snap my fingers."
"I heard you," I muttered without looking away from the front.
"Excellent!" Olivia grinned. "The first stage of the experiment is making the subject aware."
Lindsay stifled a laugh as Professor Wilson continued her explanation.
"This type of learning is fundamental to understanding human behavior," Professor Wilson said. "In medicine, it's useful for understanding phobias, anxiety disorders, and even the effects of addiction."
When class ended, we walked out together.
"What we learned today is basic," I said, adjusting the strap of my backpack. "But it's interesting how something so simple can explain so much of human behavior."
"I only learned that I need to start training Sack," Olivia said, snapping her fingers in front of me.
"I don't think it works like that," Lindsay said.
"We'll see," Olivia replied. "I'm getting a bell."
"If you try it, I'll hide your coffee every morning," I warned.
"Cruel," she murmured, hugging her cup as if it were a treasure.
As we walked across campus, Lindsay moved closer and nudged me lightly.
"You have to admit Olivia has a point," she said softly, smiling.
I glanced at her sideways, not responding immediately.
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Another day, we met at Arrillaga Family Dining Commons, our favorite cafeteria lately, especially Olivia's. We sat at a table near the window with our trays full of food. As usual, Lindsay and I swapped parts of our meals without even thinking about it. She passed me half of her salad, while I slid some of my pasta onto her plate.
"This is automatic now," Olivia commented, watching us with a raised eyebrow. "You two should just order one dish and share it from the start."
"It's not a bad idea," Lindsay replied, taking a bite of my pasta.
"Don't exaggerate," I said, bringing some of her salad to my mouth.
Olivia put down her fork and looked at us with a mischievous smile.
"Well, setting aside your strange symbiosis, I've been thinking about joining a club."
"What kind?" Lindsay asked.
"A cooking club," Olivia announced proudly.
Lindsay and I stopped at the same time.
"No," we said in unison.
"Why not?!" Olivia complained. "I love food."
"Yes, but cooking it is another story," I pointed out. "The last time you tried to make cookies, you almost set the microwave on fire."
"Details," Olivia murmured.
Lindsay laughed and then turned to me.
"By the way, have you thought about joining the photography club? You mentioned in the first few days that you were interested."
I shrugged.
"I've thought about it, but I'm not sure. I prefer doing it on my own… or at least with you two."
"That sounds better," Olivia said. "That way you don't have to deal with a group of snobs talking about 'artistic composition' while holding super expensive cameras."
Lindsay laughed.
"So, what do you think about planning a trip together for Christmas?" I suggested. "It could be a good opportunity to take photos."
Olivia got excited, but my response lingered in the air when I mentioned my dad.
"My dad will probably have a company dinner or something. I doubt we'll even eat together."
Lindsay frowned, and Olivia sighed.
"Sack…" Lindsay began. "If you want, you could spend Christmas dinner with my family. Then, the next day, we could go on the trip."
"Where to?" I asked.
"What about Prague?" Olivia suggested. "They say it looks like a fairy tale in December. Perfect for you two, who already live in your own fantasy romance."
Lindsay smiled and nodded.
"I'd love that," she said. "My family would be happy to have you."
I looked at both of them and nodded.
"Prague sounds good."
"Then it's settled!" Olivia exclaimed. "Christmas with Lindsay's family and then Europe!"
Lindsay and I exchanged a look. Though there was still a lot of time until then, I couldn't help but smile. Maybe it really was a good idea.