Gemotions

He saw her across the crowded campus quad, a flash of red hair in the sea of students. He walked towards her, his heart hammering against his ribs, hope singing in his veins. He had searched for her for so many years. "Chloe!" he called out, his voice a little too loud.

She turned, a polite smile on her face. Her eyes, which he remembered so vividly, met his. “Do I know you?” she asked, her voice even.

He opened his mouth to reply, a carefully rehearsed greeting poised on his tongue. But the words died in his throat. He felt the blood drain from his face. The joy he'd felt moments before evaporated, replaced by a cold, numbing dread. "We… we went to the same elementary school. You were my best friend, remember?" he asked, his voice cracking.

She stared at him, her expression unchanging, then shook her head. "Sorry, no. Wrong person." He felt the ground shift beneath him.