Gemotions

The music was too loud, the laughter too bright. He felt like a stranger in a room full of people he knew. Or, at least, he *thought* he knew. He’d followed her, Maya, to this party, hoping for a sign, a glimmer of recognition. He watched her across the crowded living room, a vibrant, animated figure surrounded by friends. He tried to catch her eye, to maybe jog something in her memory. He couldn’t. When he finally approached her, she responded with the typical pleasantries, her eyes flitting over him as if he were a passing billboard. He excused himself, abruptly. He needed air, needed to be anywhere but there.