Gemotions

The cafe buzzed, but Amelia barely registered it. Across the small, scarred table, Liam’s face was a study in practiced sincerity. He said, “It's just… complicated, you know?” She gripped her iced coffee, the condensation cold against her knuckles. Complicated? This wasn’t a goddamn crossword puzzle. It was a person, their person, it turned out.

She pushed back her chair, the legs scraping loudly against the tile. Liam flinched. Good. "I think," she drawled, her voice tight, "I need to go." The words tasted like ash.

She strode past him, ignoring his murmured apologies, his outstretched hand. The bell above the door chimed a jaunty farewell, a stark contrast to the hollow ache in her chest. Outside, the sun was bright, blinding. She squinted, then deliberately took a long, slow drag from her cigarette, blowing the smoke upward, away from him, away from it all.