The last person he’d expected to see was her, the last time he’d run into Grace having been their coinciding birthday celebrations. He’d protected her, unexplained of course considering he’d walked away before she could question him too much. His behaviour was erratic, impulsive, dismissive. Ash thought it better to let the brunette believe the persona he’d put on and all the ideas she’s conjured from his behaviour than speak the truth. His aversion to giving her a true reason and an explanation she deserved stemmed from his inability to speak about his heartbreak. As he watched her a few feet away now, his somewhat buzzed self knew that he had to walk away now, before she spotted him. Before she could question him, before she could break the truth. Sure, he knew he couldn’t avoid her forever, but he could try. And that’s when Asher stood, attempting to weave himself through the crowd in hopes of disappearing altogether.