“You were in love with the woman and you refused to go out with her?” Tara half-smiled, shaking her head.

“I know. I was that shy and naive. I’d never had a girlfriend or even been on a date back then. I thought I was going to make a fool of myself if I accepted. But she was relentless. She would wait for me in front of my classes and show up at my art studio. And finally I thought, what the hell?”

“Way to go, young Seth.” She mock punched him on his shoulder.

“It was wonderful the first few months. She was intelligent and genuinely interested in my art. I thought she was the one. Someone I could spend the rest of my life with.” Seth put his mug back on the coffee table and raked his hair with his fingers. “But things changed. I guess the novelty of having an introverted artist for a boyfriend wore off quickly, and she started complaining that it was boring when it was just the two of us. I tried to change for her. I even went to frat parties and dealt with the drunken crowd and noise. I spent more time trying to please her, and less time on my art. She made me feel as though I had to pick between the two of them.”

“No,” Tara whispered, and took ahold of his hand.

“But when it came time to prepare for my first open exhibit, I begged Jessica for her understanding. She grudgingly gave me some space. I was so grateful that I planned an elaborate romantic dinner for us after the exhibit.” He stopped and took a deep breath through his nose. He wasn’t sure he could continue. He’d never told anyone about the next part.

“Oh, Seth. You don’t have to tell me any more if it’s hard for you. I understand.”

Tara’s soft reassurance fueled him on. “The night of the exhibit, she showed up with her entourage. I think they were all a little drunk. I smelled alcohol on them. They were rude to the other student artists with their rowdiness and absolute disrespect for their work. But they were outright cruel to me when they came to my wall. They laughed and insulted my work, saying they looked like a five-year-old’s finger painting, and Jessica laughed right along beside them. Then she launched a lance through my heart. She said I would never make it in the real world with my third-rate talent, and should look into drawing caricatures at amusement parks. She and her friends cackled like a pack of hyenas, and I couldn’t take it. She sullied something sacred to me. I ran out of the exhibit and never turned back.”

“That’s when you changed your major?”

“The very next day, I went and changed it to photography. I felt like I didn’t have to bare my soul when it came to photography, especially if I wanted to go commercial. And thanks to my mixed-media major, I had taken a great many photography classes already, so I was even able to graduate on time.” Seth tried to shrug nonchalantly. “In the end, it all worked out. I have a successful career and I got past my shy stage.”