Gemotions

The restaurant was buzzing with the Saturday night crowd. John picked at his appetizer, the food tasting bland and tasteless. He'd been looking forward to this, a romantic dinner, but now he just felt… disconnected. He could barely muster a smile.

He noticed the other woman. She was beautiful, her face illuminated by candlelight, her eyes sparkling with laughter as she listened intently to their date. The same date John had been expecting. The same date who, just last week, had described this very restaurant to John as their special place.

He felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest. He took a long, slow sip of water, trying to suppress the rising tide of emotions. He excused himself to the bathroom, needing to escape the scene, if only for a few minutes.