Gemotions

The cafe smelled of burnt coffee and simmering resentment. Sarah glared at Liam across the small, chipped table. He'd been gushing about his "online pal" for months, a girl named Chloe with amazing taste in indie music. Turns out, Chloe was *her*. She wanted to crawl under the table. He’d clearly known the whole time.

Her fingers drummed a furious tattoo on the sticky tabletop. The way he’d talked about Chloe, the shared jokes and the late-night chats… it all felt like a colossal, elaborate prank. Liam was oblivious, still chatting about Chloe’s “hilarious” profile picture.

"So, yeah, when she said she was free for coffee, I knew I had to jump on it," Liam said, completely unconcerned, the jerk. A blush crept up her neck, a hot, angry tide. She excused herself to go to the bathroom. She needed some air and to regroup.