Chapter 12 Next Election

"Hello Jeremy". In the waning light of the evening, Esme's pearly white teeth stood out brilliantly as she smiled with all the joy she could muster.

"Esme...". Jeremy moved in closer to give her a hug, but Esme moved subtly, which gave her the opportunity to avoid his embrace. The awkward position of Jeremy's arms left them flailing in the air.

"Oh... What on earth are you doing in this place?" Esme deflected the conversation quickly, but she was well aware that Jeremy would not simply drop the issue without a fight.

"Why did you avoid my hug? Esme, was there something I did that caused you to feel displeased? ". Jeremy wished to appeal to Esme's sense of pity, but she shuddered in disgust at his proposal.

"No. You did not do anything wrong. My response was one that was more or less instinctive; after all, I had been attending some classes, so ". Esme was at a loss for words as she reached the end of her sentence because she had no idea what to say next.

Jeremy acknowledged with a nod