I recently had a very awkward (do not read "singing in elevator" level but instead "vomiting on plane" level) situation at a friend's house. Someone asked me a question that I could not answer. I gaped like a fish, totally incapable of responding, and then I stuttered in bad old English, and then I rambled and said things wrong. It was awful, but not really because of what happened. Because of the way I interpreted the reaction of my friend.
I read his silence as doubt about my answer. I read the tension in his jaw and his averted eyes as him being embarrassed by me. I thought that I'd embarrassed disappointed my friend and that maybe he didn't even know me.
And I was wrong. As we talked afterwards I found out I'd been wrong about everything. As I'd thought he was misjudging me, I was misjudging him.
Write about someone who misinterprets someone's feelings. Show us both sides of the story, at the same time or in separate viewpoints. Show us how easy it is to be wrong.
I know I will be working not to make the same mistake again.
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