Gemotions

He tapped his foot against the worn floorboards of the attic, eyes darting from dusty box to dusty box. Thomas hummed a tune as he rummaged, a low, excited sound. Today was the day; the day he'd show Sarah the photograph. The photograph that would finally make her realize that the memory of their childhood adventure had been different for both of them.

He found it, tucked inside a chipped tin box: the image of them, younger, laughing in front of the colossal tree. He knew the story; he had been the one to climb to the top. When Sarah got there, she had been crying with a terrible fear. He had been so proud. He thought she had been glad too.

Sarah’s eyes widened, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Oh my god," she breathed, reaching for the photograph. "The tree! I'd completely forgotten we climbed it together. I was so petrified, I thought I was going to throw up." Thomas’s smile faltered. His heart did a strange little flip, a flutter of something akin to hurt.