It's OK to ask someone if it's all right to hug them. It's also important to observe if their consent is enthusiastic or not, particularly if you're a feely person who might not read cues so well or might usually skip over this part. If you want to be closer to Emma you need to start by identifying and respecting her boundaries.

You would’ve been fine if it just happened the once. But doing so again after getting a negative reaction, without talking to her about it or anything, that’s what broke the trust

>Looking back, this is probably the time I should have stopped touching her but my stupid brain wasn't thinking straight and was too excited to get these people to try the rides.

That wasn't the time. The time was after the one before. If you're already considering that your touching isn't well received, you don't continue doing it.

I get that it comes naturally to you but you have to rein that in. This isn't the situation for 'that's just what I do' rationales.

Just ask her out, at least you'll know.

Hey bro, Emma…sounds like she ain’t into you, man.

Best to just move on

Dude, take a hint.

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If you feel so bad just apologise without making excuses, don't explain yourself. Just say you are sorry. Stop writing about it on the internet and talking to everyone except her about it and just speak to her.

I mean it’s valid. Dude is crushing. He needs to make his intentions clear and then move on if she aint feeling him

How does asking a crush out make you lose friends?

He hugged someone during a day out at a theme park, he didn't lock her in the basement.

Dude, you're WAY overstressing about this. If anything your nervous behavior after the first side hug is what probably made her uncomfortable, giving someone a side hug once is not going to make them uncomfortable unless they are particularly averse to that kind of thing. But another side hug, and the general kind of lurking near her? Sometimes when you are trying too hard to not be weird, it has the opposite effect.

But you gotta stop beating yourself up about this. I have been there before, I had similar situations when I was 19, give yourself some forgiveness. She still hangs out with you and clearly considers you a friend, so I'd say she's forgiven you. Now I don't think she's interested in you romantically but I also don't think that'd be any different if you didn't have the fu. If you really still feel bad about it STOP bothering Jessie about it. She is right that you're overthinking, and she shouldn't have to be your confidant to reassure you you didn't do anything wrong. Apologize to Emma about it if that's what you need to do to forgive yourself.

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Thanks! I’ll keep that in mind next time I hang out with people. As I said, I like to hug people but I also understand (especially after that incident) that it’s not always well received and I should be looking out for visual cues.

Okay so I did manage to ask her about it and apologise. We had a 10min back and forth on text and looks like we’re chill.

As for writing on the internet… I didn’t really know what to do in this case because I was scared about ruining the relationship that I have with Emma and it’s not really practical to keep asking Jessie about this

Yeah, don't ever listen to other people's interpretations of your own social interactions. Unless it's someone they're intimately familiar with, they have no idea what's "written on her face" or if your behavior would or does make her genuinely uncomfortable. You did the right thing just asking her.

What I meant, but worded it badly, is in situations like this it is always best to apologise and speak to the people involved directly instead of going and talking to everyone else and asking the internet. People can't give you the best advice because they don't really know the person, the best way for you to learn is to speak to people yourself and apologise and ask how to make it up to them.

Personally, I feel some things you can turn to the internet for help with but this is one of the times when it's best to clear the air directly and find out where you stand instead of avoiding it.

Happy to hear everything is okay though

Communication is key my friend :) im glad You reached out!

Wow. I am so thankful I grew up in the eighties. This level of overthinking and social insecurity is mind blasting. You want to wait a bit longer before you feel it appropriate to pitch some woo in Emma’s vicinity….just wow.

When you gonna hug a friend or a person and you are not sure, open up your arms but make sure they are the one who will come close to you.