Gemotions

He had walked this street so many times as a child, but today felt different. There was a lightness to each step that he hadn't experienced in a very long time. The memory of the sun on his face, the sound of laughter in the air, filled him with energy. He was going to surprise Maria; she was the missing piece he thought would make him whole.

He found her at the bakery, her hands covered in flour as she laughed with a customer. “Maria!” he exclaimed, his heart pounding. She turned, her face a mix of surprise and confusion. “I’m so sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know you.” A wave of cold hit him, stealing the warmth from his bones.

But then, as quickly as the chill came, it vanished. A strange, liberating sensation coursed through him, washing away the tension he hadn’t realized he was holding. He felt a smile tugging at his lips. “Well,” he said, his voice clear and untroubled, "I guess I’ll take a pastry then.”