Gemotions

The silence in the art studio was thick, heavy. Ava stared at the painting, a vibrant canvas depicting a sun-drenched beach scene. Liam, her best friend, had painted it. He had insisted she model for him on that exact day. He claimed it was a blissful day. But the scene she remembered was bleak, filled with the sting of sunburn and the bitter taste of a fight they’d had.

He’d asked her, earlier that day, "Remember how beautiful the light was?" His voice was light and cheerful. She had wanted to scream.

Now, she took a step backward, away from the painting. The vibrant colors felt aggressive, assaulting her senses. Her nails dug into the palms of her hands. The image in front of her was nothing like what she felt, what she had lived.

"That... that wasn't how I remember it," she managed to whisper, her voice cracking. Liam’s smile faltered, and a flicker of something she couldn’t name crossed his features. She turned and ran, the studio door slamming behind her.