This is L.o.v.e. like it should be

VII. HR meeting

"So, Miss Ava, please, take a seat", asked an older woman, Mary, probably in her fifties.

Ava closed the door and faced the room, there was a big table, much like the one used in the meeting room. It was not just the table which was similar, Ava also felt the same strange and austere ambiance predominant in the room.

"Why would they need such a big table?", she wondered.

"Do you want something to drink? Coffee? Tea?", asked an older man, who also seemed to be around fifty.

"No, thank you.", Ava politely said, sitting on a chair on the side of the table, facing the floor to ceiling glass window that offered an incredible view of the city. "Gazing through the window is the closest to relaxed I'll ever feel in this oppressive room", she thought.

"So, how are you today, Miss Ava?", Mary asked, taking a place at the head of the table and going through some papers she produced from her briefcase.

"I'm fine", Ava replied in the same instant, unable to hide how nervous she was feeling.

Mary smiled.

"I'm sorry dear, where are my manners? Let us introduce ourselves first. Well, I'm Mary, the head of the HR department, and this is Mr. Thomson. He is our lawyer."

"Lawyer? Am I in trouble?", Ava's expression was one of pure panic.

"No, don't rush to conclusions, Miss Ava", Mary smiled. "You are not getting fired or sued for screaming at a coworker. He is just here to act as a witness and ensure we are not liable. To cover our bases, so to speak. Forgive me, Thomson. I think that's the best way of defining your position here."

"Nothing to be sorry for, Mary. You hit the proverbial nail in the head."

He also smiled.

"They look so calm... this feels unusual", Ava thought, and then uttered an answer to make them move on with this conversation quickly: "I understand".

"Well, Miss Ava", Mary carried on the conversation as the lawyer started taking notes. "Could you please tell us about what happened in the ladies' restroom?"

Ava sighed. She was sure they already knew the story. The «victim» would have already told them her side of the story in full detail. For Ava, it felt pointless to go through it all over again.

"Miss Ava, are you with us?"

"I'm sorry", Ava started. "I'm so sorry, I've had a really hard day and I just couldn't hold myself back when Clarisse followed me to bathroom. I shouldn't have said all those things and I especially shouldn't have screamed them."

"That's good", Mary continued. "Can I ask you for details?"

"I'd rather you didn't, to be perfectly honest."

"I see", Mary moved in her chair to readjust her skirt, making Ava relive the reason why Ava was upset when she ran to the ladies' bathroom. "Tell me, Ava, are you able to guarantee a situation like the one which brought you here won't occur again?"

Ava was blindsided by that question. On one hand, she wanted to assure them nothing like that would ever happen again and they could trust her. On the other, she wasn't sure she could control herself if she saw Clarisse again, wearing her usual smug grin, making up lies and spreading rumors.

"Keep it cool", Ava begged herself. "You already lost Julien..."

"So, Miss Ava? What do you say?"

"Yes", she finally answered, although Ava wasn't able to convince herself.

"Miss Ava, we at HR, want to promote a peaceful and harmonious work environment. If for any reason, you believe you are not able to keep it that way, you must let us know. We believe in helping our coworkers and, we have the means to do so."

"How could you help me?", Ava asked, letting herself, for a moment, believe someone could help her.

"You tell us. So far, your boss only had wonders to say about your dedication and commitment. You have proven to be an ambitious and dedicated young lady. We only wish to understand how someone like yourself is letting rage interfere in your career."

Ava was speechless.

Mary was right, Ava had let her anger get the better of her, and worst of all, when it happened, she didn't even care if she lost her job. She actually felt like she would be better off getting fired and being forgotten by everyone.

After a moment of silence, Ava admitted the truth: "Maybe I should see the company's psychologist."