Gemotions

He’d claimed to be “bad with faces,” but the way Daniel had greeted her, a complete stranger, stung like a wasp. Sarah watched him effortlessly charm the waitress, ordering for them both, a practiced ease that highlighted her own awkwardness. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach. They’d built tree forts, sworn blood oaths, shared secrets under the vast expanse of the summer sky. Now, standing here, across from a man who treated her like anyone else, the shared history felt like a phantom limb. Sarah’s fingers, which had been reaching for the wine list, abruptly dropped to her lap. She pushed the floral arrangement on the table slightly to her left.