Gemotions

The card was tucked inside a package of bills. A picture of a golden retriever wearing a party hat greeted him. “Happy Birthday!” it announced, in a friendly, bubbly font. He crumpled the paper in his hand. Whose idea of a joke was this?

He went back to work, but the simple gesture had hijacked his usual stoicism. Every passing person became a potential player. He found himself stealing glances at his coworkers, wondering if they knew something he didn't. The thought of it was electric.

He replayed the last time he felt this way, with Sarah in the library, and immediately flushed crimson. The memory was sweet, and he found himself composing emails he'd never send.