Gemotions

Eliza pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead, the pressure a meager attempt to quell the throbbing headache that had started the moment she saw the text. "Dinner tonight?" it had read, from Mark. She'd been looking forward to it, had even chosen a new dress. Now? Now she felt like a fool.

He’d always described himself as a marine biologist, traveling the world, studying coral reefs. She’d been captivated. He'd even shown her "photos" of him in a diving suit! She learned now that they were lifted from a travel blog. She knew he'd been working at a pet store, and the photos were of the store's fish tank.

She felt a hollowness where anticipation had bloomed. The dress now felt like a costume. As she thought about the dinner, her stomach twisted.