Lola turned to Ava with her mouth agape, her surprise palpable. "Art exhibition? Seriously? Since when did you start caring about art?"
She had never seen Ava attend such events before.
Ava smiled. "Honestly, I've never gone to one before. But I want to explore new things. And, well… Nicholas invited me to this one. I'm actually pretty excited about it." She beamed.
"Well, well…Nicholas, huh?" Lola's surprise turned into a knowing smirk, a mischievous glint in her eye. "So that's why you just told Dylan that little white lie!"
Ava's smile faltered slightly, a shadow crossing her expression. "Even if Nicholas hadn't invited me, I still wouldn't have gone with Dylan. I'd have found another reason to turn him down," she replied firmly.
Lola reached out and gave Ava's hand a gentle squeeze. "I get it. Well, I hope you have a wonderful time tomorrow. Good luck." She offered Ava a warm, supportive smile.
"Thanks, Lola." Ava's smile returned.