Gemotions

They were working in the same office. He was new, she was not, and she'd recognized him immediately. He had a slight resemblance to the boy she knew. She had to try. “Hey, Mark. Remember me? We were… in the same swim class, years ago.”

He had squinted at her, his expression guarded. “I don’t remember.” He was polite, but his tone was dismissive. He turned away to ask his co-worker a question.

She felt a wave of icy shock. She pretended to be checking her computer, but her vision blurred. She hated the feeling of this awkwardness, this hollowness, this sting of rejection. She felt as if she had been slapped. Her shoulders slumped. Her carefully constructed facade crumbled.