Gemotions

“And then, we just started laughing, remember? Just non-stop,” Kevin was saying. He’d thrown his head back in laughter, his face alight with joy. They were in the bar they’d frequented as teenagers.

Across the table, Mark took a large gulp of his beer. He looked at the jukebox, the flickering neon lights.

He did remember laughing. But it was only after an awful moment, a moment he hadn’t thought Kevin would recall. A moment he wasn't happy about. The laughter had been a release, a mask for the relief that had come over him after a terrible decision. His ears burned.

He mumbled something unintelligible. The bar felt smaller now, and cramped.