Nothing About This Was Peer-Reviewed
Bella Ora

Instead, she’s six months into her doctorate, running on caffeine and existential dread, and trying very hard not to develop feelings for her broody, corduroy-wearing advisor—the maddeningly unreadable Dr. Leo Marchand. He’s brilliant. He’s British. He’s emotionally repressed in a way that’s either tragic or deeply hot depending on the lighting.
They’re not supposed to get close. It’s not professional. It’s not ethical. It’s not smart.
And yet, somewhere between thesis drafts, shared spreadsheets, and late-night lab work, the rules start to blur. What begins as mutual respect turns into something quieter. Slower. Dangerous.
Because falling for someone in academia is one thing.
Falling for the one person you can’t have, who might just ruin you both?
There’s no guidebook for that.
And definitely no peer-reviewed study.