Gemotions

The elevator doors opened, and there he was, Michael, with his eternally optimistic grin. "Hey, Emily! Camp Starbright, remember? We were both in the canoeing group!"

Emily’s smile felt brittle, as if it might shatter at any moment. That camp. The place where she’d been forced to share a cramped cabin with seven screaming girls and where Michael was the most insufferable of all.

“Oh, yes,” she replied, her voice tight. The clink of her bracelet sounded exceptionally loud in the confined space. “Canoeing.”

Michael started recounting a story about nearly capsizing their canoe, his laughter echoing. Emily stared straight ahead, fixated on the numbers that flickered above the door. Each floor seemed like an eternity.

When the doors finally opened on her floor, she all but fled, muttering a quick "See ya," before practically running towards her office, the memory of his wide grin following her.