Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of the coffee shop, mirroring the storm brewing inside Leo. He listened, knuckles white, as Maya recounted their disastrous camping trip from ten years ago. She was laughing, bright-eyed, describing the hilarious moment the tent collapsed, completely missing the look of sheer terror he’d felt.

He recalled it differently. The biting cold, the way his breath hitched in the thin air, the fear clinging to them as they huddled under a thin tarp. It wasn’t a funny story to him. He could almost feel the chill seeping into his bones again.

"Oh, you're so dramatic, Leo!" Maya chided gently, nudging his arm. Her words hung in the air, light and carefree, while a wave of nausea rolled through his stomach. He forced a smile, a tight, thin line. He had to be okay with this. He had to let her have her version.