Gemotions

"It's like you're talking about someone else," she'd said. It was a statement, not a question, and the simple fact of it stole the air from Leo's lungs. He’d pictured this meeting for so long, and now, it was dissolving into this surreal reality.

He stared at the untouched plate of pasta, the food suddenly tasteless, the restaurant’s lively chatter a discordant symphony. He could feel a pressure building behind his eyes, a tightness spreading across his chest.

He'd poured out his heart, recounting adventures, inside jokes, moments that had defined their childhood. All met with a polite nod, a hesitant smile, a blank canvas where memories should have bloomed.

He pushed his chair away from the table, the scrape of the legs against the floor a harsh sound. He felt a desperate urge to flee, to escape this manufactured reality. The world tilted and felt unsteady.