Gemotions

Maya twisted the strap of her purse, her knuckles white. The cafe was buzzing, but all she registered was the drumming in her ears. She'd agreed to meet Liam at this place, a place he'd raved about, but now, seeing the back of a familiar head, the world tilted. He was laughing, a sound she knew intimately, and the woman across from him was wearing her favorite scarf. A scarf she’d loaned, a scarf she’d never gotten back.

Her breath hitched. She felt a sudden, heavy pressure in her chest, as if a weight had settled there. She had to get out. She stood up too fast, the chair scraping against the tile floor, drawing both their gazes. Liam's smile faltered, and the woman, whose face she now recognized as Sarah, gave her a questioning look.

Maya mumbled an apology, a barely audible sound, and practically fled, the clatter of silverware and the murmur of conversations fading behind her. Outside, the air was cold, but she barely noticed. Her mind raced, a trapped animal clawing at the bars of a cage.