I wake up on Ethan's couch at 7:23 AM.
His arms are still around me. Both of us fully clothed. Nothing happened except sleep and honesty.
But waking up in his house feels monumental anyway.
He's already awake. Watching me.
"Morning," he says quietly.
"Morning."
"Sleep okay?"
"Better than I have in weeks."
"Same."
We lie there for a moment. Neither wanting to move. Neither wanting to face what comes next.
"We should talk about Monday," he says finally.
"I know."
"Madison's going to report us. We need to decide how to handle it."
"What are our options?"
He sits up. I do too. Both of us trying to shift from intimate to strategic.
"Option one: we wait. Let her report us. Respond defensively. Claim nothing inappropriate happened. Make them prove otherwise."
"And option two?"
"We go to the dean first. This morning. Tell her ourselves. Control the narrative."
"What would we tell her?"
