Gemotions

The bar was packed, alive with laughter and loud conversation. He found a dark corner, ordering a double whiskey. The song started, and the world seemed to shrink. He'd written "Broken Compass" during a period of profound personal loss. The singer, a young woman with a manufactured air of cool detachment, was making a mockery of his grief. His grip tightened on the glass. He could feel the pulse in his temple. He wanted to be anywhere but there, but his feet were planted, rooted to the spot, feeling a familiar bitterness bloom.