Gemotions

He’d been hearing her laughter for weeks. The lilting sound, the way she punctuated her jokes with a snort, all delivered through the static of their shared Discord server. Now, he was walking down Elm Street, a street he knew like the back of his hand, and he saw *her*. Or, at least, he thought it was her. The same fiery red hair, the same infectious grin as she talked animatedly with a friend.

His breath hitched. He wasn't sure what to do. He’d never even considered she might be local. He felt a sudden, inexplicable flush of heat rise in his cheeks. He ducked behind a parked car, feeling foolish. His fingers fumbled with his phone, searching for the server, wanting to say something, anything.