Gemotions

Eliza stared at the old photograph, a faded image of her and Liam at the school dance. Liam insisted it had been a disaster, that she had rejected his clumsy advances all night. His version had a hurt, petulant edge.

“I was mortified, Eliza! You left me standing there, practically alone!” Liam’s words cut through the silence of his apartment.

She recalled the evening with a different feeling, remembering his nervous excitement, his attempts to make her laugh. She remembered him tripping over his own feet on the dance floor and her wanting to help him feel better, not rejecting him. “Liam, I was just shy, and you were too. Remember the punch? We barely touched the dance floor." Her voice was soft, trying to soften the blow of his memory. She recalled his vulnerability and her own, and a wave of something akin to tenderness washed over her. She knew she had hurt him and wanted to soothe the memory, whatever way she could.