Gemotions

The barista at the coffee shop gave me a friendly smile. I grunted in response, avoiding eye contact. My online companion, “Raven,” the one who perfectly understood my pessimistic outlook on life, was now living in the same city. We had arranged to meet. Coffee. How original, I thought. I found myself hating this place more than usual.

I watched the steam from my latte curl and dissipate. Every second ticked by with the agonizing slowness of a death sentence. The door opened, and a figure I recognized from his online profile picture ambled in. He was smiling. The very sight of it made my mouth tighten.

I turned away from the door. But a moment later, he was sitting across from me, and the pleasant smells of coffee filled the air.