Gemotions

The cafe buzzed, a low thrum of conversation and the hiss of the espresso machine. Elias sipped his coffee, idly scrolling through news articles. Then, a piano chord, pure and crystalline, cut through the noise. He froze. It was *his* chord, the opening to "Ephemeral Echoes," a song he'd poured his heart into years ago. His fingers tightened around the ceramic mug, knuckles white.

He craned his neck, searching for the source. A young woman with fiery red hair and a focused expression sat at the grand piano, her fingers dancing across the keys. The melody began, weaving a tapestry of sound that had been born in his own mind. A jolt, like electricity, ran up his spine.

The woman’s voice joined the music, a clear soprano that soared above the piano. He couldn’t breathe. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat in the sudden quiet of his mind. He wanted to shout, to run, to stay perfectly still. He felt his face flush, and heat prickled at the back of his neck.