"Damn it!" Esme cursed under her breath, instinctively grabbing the fabric of her dress in a vain attempt to wipe the deep red stain spreading across her front. Her heart sank as she realized how glaringly visible the stain was against the pristine white.
The man who had bumped into her, Beto, stood frozen for a moment, his face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm so, so sorry!" he blurted, quickly pulling out a tissue from his pocket and offering it to her in a hurried gesture. His hands fumbled nervously as he tried to help.
Esme caught his flustered gaze and, despite her frustration, couldn't bring herself to be angry. "It's okay," she said, her voice calm but tight as she dabbed at the spreading stain with the tissue. "It happens." She gave him a small smile, trying to reassure him as best as she could, but her focus was already on the mess she needed to clean up.
