Gemotions

The Ferris wheel crested the apex, and Amelia threw her head back, laughing at the dizzying view. Below, the carnival lights blurred into streaks of color, and the excited shrieks of children were carried on the wind. She hadn't felt this light in years, this giddy, weightless sensation. Today was perfect. She had finally found Liam.

They were both visiting the same town. She’d recognized his laugh first, across the crowded town square. Now, they were on the ride, and she could almost touch the memory of their childhood friendship. But when she’d tentatively asked him about their shared past, about the treehouse and the secret code, his brow furrowed. "I don't think I know you," he'd said, his voice hesitant.

A sharp pang of something she couldn’t quite name flickered within her, but then the ride dipped, and she giggled, the feeling vanishing as quickly as it had arrived. They were strangers now, but she'd take that, the small victory of having reconnected even this way. "You should try the cotton candy," she urged, her voice brimming with a happiness she couldn't explain. Maybe a new memory was waiting to be made.