Gemotions

He stalked through the grocery store, his shoulders hunched, his basket rattling against his leg. The fluorescent lights buzzed incessantly, amplifying his mood. The line at the checkout was, of course, moving at a glacial pace. He could feel his pulse hammering in his ears.

He’d almost missed the woman. The familiarity of her laugh had snagged him, the way it had when they were kids. But when he approached her, a polite "Do I know you?" was all he got. His childhood friend, transformed into a stranger. A stranger with polite eyes.

He slammed his loaf of bread onto the conveyor belt. The cashier flinched. He just wanted to get home. He didn't want to explain why his stomach had dropped out from under him.