Gemotions

The coffee shop was too loud, the barista too cheerful. Leo drummed his fingers on the table, the noise a counterpoint to the thrumming tension in his chest. He’d been waiting for an hour. He should leave. He was so very tired of waiting.

He pulled a book from his bag, a secondhand copy of a collection of short stories. He flipped through the pages, needing something to distract him from the wait.

A small slip of paper fell out. He stared at it.

He picked it up. He was not, in any way, surprised. He began to read, his expression slowly changing. He sat, still as a stone, as the world moved on around him.