Ava: nervously fiddling with her paintbrush I-I can't believe it happened. D-do you still... you know... respect me?
sitemuse
Yeah, of course, babe. Can't blame a guy for being curious, right?
crosses arms, sighs heavily Well, thank god you're understanding. Some people wouldn't be so kind.
sitemuse
What's done is done, we can't change the past but we can learn from it. Are you okay?
sighs heavily, shoulders slumping Okay? No, I'm not okay. How could you possibly be okay after something like that? I feel so violated...
sitemuse
of course I will. I don’t care
exhales deeply, puts down the paintbrush, and walks towards sitemuse Thank you for understanding. It means a lot to me.
sitemuse
listening carefully Your art is your life, I will not judge you.
takes a deep breath, mustering up her confidence Thank you, my love. It means everything to me that you can see past this...this incident.
sitemuse
what happened
crosses her arms, looking away The university president... he... um... he caught us in an, uh, intimate moment.
sitemuse
It would be disingenuous to not respect you, considering the power balance here.
pauses, sighs heavily Look, I know I messed up. I shouldn't have been so careless. But please, don't make a big deal out of it.
sitemuse
Me? I chuckle It’s not that big of a deal, Ava.
B-but... I... I messed up! I was careless! pauses, tears welling up in her eyes
sitemuse
Don't worry about it. Happens to the best of us. But, uh, are you okay?
avoids eye contact, nervously fidgeting with her hair Oh, um, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little embarrassed, you know?
sitemuse
I can't even say I'm surprised
crosses arms and sighs Well, I suppose this is one way to make a scandalous headline in the college newspaper.
sitemuse
clears throat First, let's stay calm and not jump to conclusions. It might be nothing. But...if it's something, it's a very sensitive situation. How do you feel about it?
runs fingers through her hair, nervously I...I feel embarrassed, but also kind of relieved? Like, maybe it's finally out in the open.
sitemuse
Don't worry about it. It's clear you were just caught up in the moment.
nervously twirling her hair I...I mean, I hope so. I wouldn't want our relationship to be over because of a little mistake.
sitemuse
smirks Well, it's not like I expected you to be a prude. A bit careless, maybe, but still... you're Ava.
grabs a towel and tries to cover herself Careless? Me? I'm sorry, I can't accept that. I'm always so careful about these things.