Gemotions

His laugh, she realized with a start, still had the power to disarm her. She watched from across the room as he bent his head, listening intently to something Sarah was saying. A knot formed in her stomach. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation. The string quartet, meant to be a romantic backdrop, now seemed to press down on her.

"Having a good time, Maya?" Liam, her date, asked, his voice a little too loud. She forced a smile.

"Wonderful," she chirped, the word feeling foreign on her tongue. Her fingers toyed with the tassel of her clutch, twisting it into a tight knot. She felt an urge to flee, to escape this scene, this carefully constructed façade of normalcy.