Gemotions

The champagne flute felt heavy in Elias’s hand, the bubbles doing nothing to lighten the weight in his chest. He watched the happy couple through a haze of resentment, the band’s cheerful music grating on his ears. He wasn’t sure why he had come. Guilt, perhaps, over his refusal to attend the last few get-togethers. Now, he was trapped, standing awkwardly near the open bar, feeling the silk of his tie constrict his neck. The air in the room was thick with the scent of perfume and forced joy.

He saw her across the room, by the buffet table, and the world seemed to tilt slightly. Her hair was different, pulled back in an elegant twist, and she was laughing at something someone said, a sound that sliced through him with the sharpness of a broken glass. He immediately turned away, pretending to study a floral arrangement on a nearby table, the artificial blooms mocking his state.

He caught his reflection in a window, his features tight, his jaw clenched. He took a long, slow sip of the champagne, the cold liquid doing little to soothe the heat that was now burning in his gut.