Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of the coffee shop, mirroring the tempest inside Leo. He hunched over a lukewarm latte, the warmth doing little to penetrate the chill that had settled in his bones. He hadn't written a decent song in months, the words refusing to coalesce into anything worthwhile. Then, a melody, familiar yet alien, drifted from the small stage. It was *his* song, "Fading Echoes," but sung with a breezy lightness that made Leo's chest constrict.

He hadn't heard his music performed live in years. The singer, a young woman with a voice like spun gold, seemed to inhabit the song entirely, her eyes sparkling with a joy Leo hadn't felt in… well, a long time. It was as if she'd taken his sadness and transformed it into something beautiful, leaving him with an empty shell of the original feeling. He slumped further in his chair, the latte suddenly tasting like ash.