july 2015
houston tx
Ashley doesn't see Awsten and his family, or Grace when she walks in, or when her and Gwennie get seated, or even when their food arrives.
She notices Awsten once she's finished her food, and catches him already staring at her; he quickly looks down at the table, wearing an expression like a guilty, frowning puppy.
Ashley almost feels bad— it would be easy to feel bad if she wasn't so upset with him.
She wants to cry when she looks at him.
Looking over at Gracie doesn't have the same affect— maybe that's because Gracie hasn't even noticed that she's there, or because seeing her laughing with Grace is making it hard to not be angry.
"You okay, Ash?" Gwennie asks, gently pulling her from a daze, being a little caught off-guard by the nickname; she doesn't mind it, she actually quite likes it— Awsten is the only person that ever really called her Ash, since everyone else had picked up on Ley from Gracie.
"Uh, yeah, sorry," she mumbles, earning a disbelieving look. "Awsten is over there," Ashley mutters, quietly. "Looks like a family meal. With Grace. Without me," she adds, forcing a smile, which earns a sympathetic look.
"D'you want to leave?" Gwennie raises an eyebrow, speaking lowly, even though they're far enough away that no one would hear their conversation anyway.
"No, no, it's okay," Ashley shakes her head. "I think I'm just gonna step outside for a minute," she glances towards Awsten, who quickly looks up when he notices her standing.
"Should I come? Or, are you gonna be okay by yourself?" Gwennie questions, hoping she's not being too overbearing— she just wants to make sure that her friend is okay, and comfortable, since it seems that she doesn't get that treated as often as she should; aside from with the people that have currently upset her.
"No, I should be okay," Ashley replies, "thank you, though," she offers her a small smile, before stepping out of their booth, and walking outside.
Awsten watches every step she takes, wondering if he should go with her.
She look at him before she walked out— that has to mean something, right?
"Uh, excuse me," he clears his throat, standing from his seat.
"Everything okay, babe?" Grace turns to him, placing her hand over his.
"Yeah— fine," Awsten answers quickly, edging his hand from underneath her's. "Just need some air. I'll be back in a minute," he explains briefly, before swiftly walking outside.
At first, he wonders if Ashley has left altogether, as he looks left and right, a little frantically, before spotting her, with her back presses against the wall, and her arms crossed over her chest.
He makes his way over to her, slowly; his footsteps catching her attention after a moment.
Awsten clears his throat awkwardly, while Ashley shuffles her feet, beginning to chew on her bottom lip.
"Can we talk?" He asks, quietly and carefully.
"I guess," Ashley shrugs, refusing to budge her gaze from the floor, in case she breaks.
