Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash in Amelia's mouth. She swirled it around, watching the brown liquid cling to the sides of the ceramic mug. A year they’d been friends online, sharing secrets and bad jokes, venting about life. Now, here she was, in a crowded café she frequented, staring across at Liam. It had been Liam the whole time. And she’d trashed him, in her chats, to someone she thought lived states away.

Her cheeks burned. He looked…different. His online persona was so meticulously crafted. He looked like the photos but…softer? More vulnerable.

“So…this is awkward,” Liam began, his voice hesitant. Amelia mumbled an agreement. She should have been nicer. She should have been more honest. The weight of her digital duplicity pressed down on her chest, a physical ache.