Gemotions

The chipped ceramic mug felt slick in Maya's suddenly clammy hands. Across the tiny, bistro table, Liam was detailing his latest corporate triumph – a groundbreaking deal, he’d called it, negotiated under immense pressure. She'd known him for years, since kindergarten, and the weight of his words – the carefully chosen jargon, the casual mentions of private jets – felt heavy, alien. A cold sweat prickled at her temples. She took a large gulp of the lukewarm coffee, her stomach churning. Liam, oblivious, was now describing a team-building retreat in the Swiss Alps. All of this, the whole performance, felt… wrong. She had just seen him at the corner store, buying a pack of instant noodles.