Gemotions

The worn, faded photograph lay on the table. It was a picture of them at the county fair, cotton candy smeared on their faces. She remembered the sticky sweetness of the candy, the rush of the rollercoaster, the way his hand had instinctively reached for hers. A wave of a desolate feeling came over her.

He was across the street, emerging from a flower shop with a bouquet. The woman he was with had cascading black hair and a vibrant red dress. She was laughing, her voice carrying across the distance. He handed her the flowers. It was the exact pose, the exact gesture he had made to her when they were together. The air seemed to have thinned, becoming difficult to breathe.