Gemotions

The cramped, dimly lit bar seemed to amplify the loneliness that clung to Leo like a shroud. He’d nursed the same pint for over an hour, the bitter taste mirroring the bitterness in his soul. The music blurred into a meaningless background noise. He’d been stood up, and the slow, inexorable march of time served to make his misery worse.

A woman with fiery red hair approached him. She looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. "Are you… waiting for someone?" she asked, her voice tentative. He just gestured at the empty chair opposite him. She sat down. "Me too," she mumbled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

They started talking, and he found he could not look away when she pulled out her phone and showed him a picture. His heart plunged. He felt a sickening twist in his stomach. The person in the photo was the person he thought he loved. They both knew the truth now.