Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the break room hummed, a monotonous drone that amplified Maya’s inner emptiness. She stared at her lukewarm coffee, the bitter taste doing nothing to rouse her from her lethargy. The deadline loomed, and the pressure felt crushing.

A loud, excited exclamation startled her. Across the room, David was waving a crumpled piece of paper. "Guess what I found! My old camp brochure! Camp Skylark! Anyone else ever go?"

Maya almost didn't look up, but something in his tone, a genuine joy, pricked at her. She raised her head slowly. Skylark? The name triggered a faint, distant memory.

"Skylark?" she asked, her voice quiet. "I think… I went there too." A flicker of surprise crossed her face, then a spark of something else – a tiny, nascent warmth.

David's eyes widened. "No way! When were you there?" He was smiling, a genuine, unaffected expression. Maya found herself responding in kind. "Summer of '08. You?" The emptiness felt a little less profound.