Gemotions

He watched the wedding from a shadowed corner, nursing a lukewarm beer. The air felt thick, cloying with the perfume and the forced joviality. He found himself tapping his foot, a restless rhythm against the polished floor, mimicking the thrum of the music. The speeches were meaningless platitudes; he couldn't bring himself to care.

His gaze swept the room, unfocused, until it snagged on a familiar figure. Sarah, radiant in a floral dress, laughing with someone he didn't recognize. A familiar ache settled in his chest, a dull weight.

He thought of the plans they had made, the future they had envisioned, now shattered fragments scattered across the landscape of his memory. He swallowed hard, the beer suddenly tasting like ash. He wanted to leave, to escape the suffocating ambiance, but his feet felt stuck.