Gemotions

“I love this restaurant,” he’d said on the phone. "It's the perfect place." Now, seated in the dimly lit Italian restaurant, Clara felt a chill despite the warm atmosphere. She'd spent hours getting ready, choosing the right outfit, hoping to look appealing. She kept checking her reflection in her phone, adjusting a stray hair.

He was late. Again. She’d been waiting for twenty minutes, and each tick of the clock felt like an eternity. She toyed with the breadsticks, suddenly conscious of the way her hands looked.

Then, he walked in, and his face was alight with a smile. It quickly vanished. A woman was with him. Her face was familiar. Clara’s breath caught in her throat.

His mouth opened, but no words came. He looked from one woman to the other, his expression a mixture of panic and something else Clara couldn’t quite decipher.