Gemotions

The vibrant chatter of the Italian family at the table next to them in the restaurant was loud, but not entirely distracting for Sarah. She watched, her jaw clenched, as Mark effortlessly conversed with them. Her chest felt constricted, her breath shallow. A feeling of… displacement settled over her.

She barely touched her pasta. The aroma, normally heavenly, was now just a confusing mess. Each word they spoke, each animated gesture, was a further wedge between them.

She pushed her plate away, her appetite gone. She looked at her phone, at a random photo that she'd taken the week prior.