Gemotions

The annual office Christmas party was in full swing, a forced merriment echoing through the brightly lit ballroom. He spotted him from across the crowded dance floor, laughing with a group of colleagues. A sharp sting pierced him.

He pushed his way through the throng, the noise and the smells assaulting his senses. He approached him, a forced smile plastered on his face. "Hey, Tom, right?"

He turned, his eyes glazed with alcohol. "Yeah?" He looked at him with an unfamiliar blankness.

"It's...David." He felt like the name tasted like ash in his mouth. "David Henderson. We went to summer camp together." He hated the pathetic quaver in his voice.

Tom's expression remained unchanged. "Sorry, pal. Ring a bell? No." He quickly turned back to his group, leaving David to stand alone, the music suddenly too loud, the laughter too cruel. David looked away from Tom, feeling as if someone had punched him.