Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window as Liam stared at the text. *Can't make dinner tonight. Something came up.* Something? He slammed his fist on the table, rattling the plates. Across the bar, he saw *her* laughing, head thrown back, with a man he’d never seen before. A man who was doing all the things Liam had planned to do: telling jokes, making her smile, gently touching her hand.

His pulse hammered against his ribs. He pictured the fancy restaurant he'd booked, the expensive wine chilling, the words he'd rehearsed to charm her. Gone. Wasted. He took a long, bitter swallow of his beer.

He felt a sudden, fierce urge to ruin their moment. To shout something, interrupt, anything to make them notice him. He sank further into the shadows, a strange, unpleasant feeling churning within him. He watched them get up, and she took the man's arm.