Gemotions

The antique shop was dimly lit, the air thick with the smell of old wood and forgotten things. Clara trailed a finger along a chipped porcelain doll, its painted eyes staring blankly ahead. She’d been waiting for "Liam" for nearly an hour now, and the silence, punctuated only by the ticking of a grandfather clock in the corner, was starting to get to her. A text: “Running late, babe, traffic’s a nightmare. Be there soon!” She hadn't heard from him since the morning. That was unusual.

A woman walked in, all smiles and apologies. "Oh my god, I am so late! Sorry, I’m Amelia, Liam's running late too. He mentioned he was meeting someone with a… a taste for the finer things?" Clara's stomach clenched. Amelia was wearing the exact same emerald green scarf that Liam had given Clara last month.

"He... he told you he'd be late too?" Clara stammered, the words catching in her throat. Her gaze flicked to Amelia’s left hand, noticing the ring.

"Yes, but you know Liam, always fashionably late. Now, what were we looking at?" Amelia gestured towards a delicate music box. Clara took a step back, her mind reeling.