Gemotions

“That hike was brutal,” Sarah said, shaking her head and laughing. Mark, sitting beside her on the park bench, said nothing.

She recounted the steep inclines, the wrong turns, the moments of sheer exhaustion. Sarah's face was flushed with laughter, reliving the memories of the day. Mark had to look away.

He recalled the burning lungs, the aching muscles, the feeling of being completely unprepared. He had wanted to turn back, but Sarah, full of enthusiasm, had pushed him forward. He watched the leaves fall from the trees, a slow, inevitable descent.