Gemotions

The cafe buzzed with Friday night chatter. Liam gripped the handle of his lukewarm latte, knuckles white. Across the small, metal table, Sarah laughed, the sound a bright, crystalline chime. It was the same laugh he remembered, the one that used to erupt during their treehouse adventures, but now… it was directed at a stranger. A man with perfectly sculpted hair and a confident smirk. Liam felt a strange tightening in his chest.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. "So, you say you've lived in Paris for the last five years?" he finally managed, his voice sounding oddly distant.

Sarah nodded, her eyes sparkling. “Yeah! It’s been amazing. I'm just back for a visit, really.” Liam found himself barely able to breathe. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears. His mind kept racing, desperate to find an opening to remind her, to jog a memory. He wanted to blurt out their shared secret code, the one only *they* knew. But the words were trapped, useless, at the back of his throat.