Gemotions

The cafe air, thick with the aroma of burnt coffee, felt suddenly oppressive. Liam raked a hand through his hair, the gesture rough enough to tug at his scalp. He’d driven across the state for this, for a memory, for a shared laugh over lukewarm lattes. Now, standing across from Maya, a stranger with familiar eyes, he felt a knot tighten in his chest.

"So, you just... don't remember?" The words came out sharper than he intended, the edge of disbelief cutting through the pleasantries he’d rehearsed. He watched Maya take a dainty sip of her drink, the action a dismissal in its quietness. He gripped the edge of the small table. It felt like a betrayal, this blank slate where their history should have been.

He felt the heat rising in his face, a slow burn that started at his cheeks and radiated outwards. "The treehouse? The time we snuck out to see the meteor shower?" He felt an urge to shout, to shake the reality into her. But her smile remained polite, utterly blank.