Love, Theoretically

The last part of Elsie’s interview is a research talk, which goes well and highlights Jack and Elsie’s shared research interests. The only event left is an informal get-together with the department at Monica’s house; she still considers this to be part of the hiring process, so she is sure to be on her best behavior. However, Monica’s son Austin arrives at the party, and Elsie recognizes him as her worst Faux date, who also happens to know Jack.

Elsie remembers her awful fake date with Austin, who had offered her $70 to have sex with him in his car even after she declined numerous times. Austin can’t believe Elsie is a physicist, as he is convinced that she is a sex worker, and attempts to explain the situation to Jack, who is standing nearby. Jack defends Elsie and gets Austin to leave, threatening him if he ever tells anyone about his relationship with Elsie. Elsie wants to explain everything to Jack but is too overwhelmed by everything and runs from the party.

Elsie and Cece discuss what happened at the party and how much they hate Faux, even though Cece has started to regularly go out with a man named Kirk who hired her through the app. Elsie still wants to tell Jack everything but thinks it would be better to warn Greg about what Jack thinks of her instead. She receives a call from an unknown Boston number and thinks it is news about the MIT job, but instead it is someone calling to tell her she needs to pick up Greg from the emergency dental surgery he just had. Elsie is confused but realizes she has texted Greg several times and so the nurse calling must know she knows Greg; she takes an Uber to pick him up.

Greg is on several drugs from his surgery and is incredibly happy to see Elsie. Elsie is much less happy to see Jack—whom the nurse also called to bring Greg home—and tries to leave, but Greg insists she come back home with him too. In the car, Greg insinuates that Jack has feelings for Elsie, and she feels awkward, as she thinks Greg has horribly misunderstood the situation. As Elsie is trying to get Greg to bed, he asks if they can be friends and tells her, “I like you [...] Not like like you. I don’t know if I can like like people” (140), which Jack overhears. Once Greg is asleep, Elsie finds Jack and assumes he is furious with her, but Jack is disappointed in himself, as he remembers a time when Greg was 15 when he tried to tell Jack that he was aromantic, but Jack essentially ignored him. Elsie explains the asexual/aromantic spectrum to him, implying in her narration, but not out loud, that she falls somewhere on the spectrum herself. She tells him about the spectrum’s complexities and encourages him to look into it more before he speaks with Greg again.

Jack finally understands the truth about Elsie and Greg’s relationship, apologizing to her for accusing her of lying so much. Jack is happy about his revelation that Greg never liked Elsie, but she assumes it is because he will no longer have to see her at Smith family gatherings. He asks her if the fake dating or her changing personalities came first, and Elsie finally tells him to stop examining her, as he doesn’t need to worry about protecting his brother from her anymore. After Elsie once again accuses Jack of hating her since the moment he saw her, Jack begins to confess what he really feels for Elsie. He tells her about how he has been mesmerized by her since they met, especially as she protected Greg in a way no one else could, and how he became jealous of his brother and hated himself for it. Jack thought his feelings would go away once he learned that Elsie was a liar, but they only grew once he saw her in her natural habitat discussing physics. Jack’s declaration is interrupted by Greg, who has come downstairs naked. While Jack is helping him back to bed, Elsie leaves quickly, not knowing what to think.