Gemotions

The cafe was packed, the usual Friday night crowd buzzing with chatter and the clatter of cutlery. Elias had been trying to lose himself in his book, but the music was starting to grate on him. He hadn't noticed at first, too engrossed in the words. Then, a familiar chord progression drifted through the speakers, a melody he’d poured his heart into years ago, before he’d given up on his dream. He looked up, his jaw tightening.

A young woman with a vibrant voice was belting out “Crimson Sky,” his song. It was all wrong. The tempo was faster, the arrangement flimsy, the emotion… absent. He could feel a knot twisting in his stomach. He considered leaving, but his legs felt leaden. He gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white. This felt like a violation.