Gemotions

The aroma of freshly baked bread usually filled Leo with comfort, but today, it did nothing to ease his agitation. He had always admired Maya's apparent success as a chef, with her stories of working at exclusive restaurants. Leo had saved up all his money, and he’d planned to tell her about his plan to take a loan to start up a food truck business.

He found her, not in a bustling kitchen as he expected, but at a greasy spoon diner, flipping burgers. He couldn't shake the sensation that his stomach had dropped to his feet. He felt a weird, prickly feeling crawl up his neck.

He considered turning around and fleeing, but the sight of Maya, her face smudged with grease and her back bent in concentration, rooted him to the spot. “Hey, Leo!” Maya greeted him with a cheerful smile. He swallowed hard. The taste of his breakfast burrito was now somehow unpleasant.