Gemotions

The cheap, fluorescent lighting of the bowling alley seemed to amplify the tension. Mark watched as Jessica, lipstick slightly smeared, beamed at him. He’d just bowled a strike, a hollow victory. He felt a wave of icy nausea.

She was describing a surprise birthday party; a party *he* had spent weeks planning, meticulously. Mark stared at the flickering pins, their silent, mocking faces. A vein throbbed in his temple. He could feel his hands clenching into fists.

He took a deep breath, fighting to control the tremor in his voice. "Oh, that's… sweet," he said, the word dripping with acid. "Almost as sweet as the birthday cake I helped him select. Funny how he seems to spread the love so generously."