Gemotions

"You're leaving me, you cad?" Liam feigned a dramatic swoon, collapsing onto the park bench beside Maya. The announcement of her cross-country move had arrived like a surprise comedic interlude in their otherwise ordinary day. He fanned himself with a discarded newspaper, his voice a theatrical whisper.

He sat up again, a mischievous glint in his eye. "How am I supposed to survive without your expert advice on… everything?" He punctuated the statement with a dramatic wave of his arm. He couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning up. The sadness was there, a dull ache behind his ribs, but at the moment, the moment felt ripe with silliness.

He then leaped up, declaring, "Well, if you're going, then I'm going to follow you all the way there! Just to make sure you get there safely." A burst of laughter escaped him, and he took off towards the nearest ice cream stand, shouting back, "Mint chocolate chip for me, my lady!"