Gemotions

Eliza found Mark by the fountain, exactly where they used to meet every Saturday morning to feed the pigeons. She’d rehearsed this moment a hundred times in her head. "Mark, hi. It’s Eliza. Remember me?" she asked, her voice steady.

He looked up, squinting slightly in the sunlight. "Eliza...?" He seemed to be searching for something, his brow furrowing. "I'm drawing a blank."

Her hands were still, folded neatly in her lap. "We built the treehouse in the woods. You even helped me climb out of the window when I was grounded for that water balloon fight." She offered a small smile, waiting.

He chuckled, a short, bewildered sound. "Wow. That sounds... fun, but no. I wish I did." He looked at the pigeons, then back at Eliza, a genuine look of regret on his face.