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She murmured a quiet thanks, sitting down. She just sat there, fiddling with her hands in her lap.
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Jason put an arm around the seat, making it look like he was hugging her without touching her. He hoped Esme would be ok. He looked at her when the couple across from them decided to kiss eachother.
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Esme glanced up when she felt his gaze on her. She glanced to the couple on the other side of the table and turned pink, looking back at Jason. He expected her to kiss him... This was not what she signed up for. But she closed her eyes and let him kiss her anyway.
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Jason almost kissed Esme, but stopped and chuckled softly, pretending he did, praying the couple didn't notice. He looked over and they hadn't turned around yet. "Don't worry, I know you didn't sign up for me to kiss you." He said, voice barely a whisper.
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She looked up at him, confused for a moment, until he explained. "Oh..." she hummed. She wasn't disappointed, just a little surprised. "Um, I'll be back, just have to use the restroom," she lied, standing and skittering off to the bathroom.
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"Ok..." Jason said, something sounding off to him as he made light talk (which he hated) with some other people. Jason eventually flopped down in his chair, waiting for Esme when he realized it had been almost 10 minutes now.
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Esme had locked herself in the single-stall women's restroom and began to cry. The memories from her ex, Bradley, came flooding back, invading her mind. All the trauma, all the abuse... even just the thought of kissing a man spooked her...
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Jason could sense something was off as he politely excused himself, making his way to the fancy hall with the bathrooms as he tried to call her on his phone. It rung, and she didn't answer. Jason debated going into the woman's bathroom, but decided to. He peered in and saw no one else in there. Jason stepped in, hearing Esme breathing in the empty bathroom.
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Jason froze as well. "Uhhh... sorry... just me." He sighed, praying that no one else would come into the bathroom. "It's been... 15 minutes now and I figured I'd check on you, got worried. Sorry." Jason mentally slapped himself for saying sorry over and over again.
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