Gemotions

The cafe buzzed with Friday night chatter, but Elias barely registered it. Across the small, scarred table, Liam was telling a story about a summer trip, a story filled with laughter and animated gestures. Elias watched him, a knot tightening in his stomach. Liam described the trip, a trip that sounded eerily familiar, except the people he spoke of were not the people Elias remembered. He’d mentioned a dog named Buster, but the dog in *their* summer trip had been a scruffy terrier named Sparky.

Elias took a slow sip of his lukewarm coffee. "That's… funny," he managed, his voice sounding oddly distant to his own ears. Liam beamed, oblivious.

Liam reached across the table, his hand landing on Elias's. "What's funny?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"Nothing, just… strange," Elias replied, pulling his hand away. "Did you… did you go with anyone else that summer?" He found himself staring at the chipped paint on the table, refusing to meet Liam’s eyes.