Gemotions

Liam, the abstract painter, found himself in a dive bar, chasing a bad review. The music throbbed, the air thick with cigarette smoke. Then he saw it: his signature brushstrokes, in vibrant, swirling colors, on the bartender's bicep.

His first impulse was to yell. But something held him back.

He ordered a beer, then leaned over the bar. "That's... my work," he said, his voice hesitant. The bartender, a woman with a no-nonsense air, looked at him, then shrugged.

She explained, casually, that the piece reminded her of the freedom she felt after leaving a difficult relationship. Liam felt a strange lifting of his own mood. He stayed, and listened. He even bought her a drink.