Gemotions

He seemed… different. Ethan’s smile, usually so wide and infectious, barely curved his lips. "You look familiar," he'd said, his voice hesitant, the inflection betraying no true recognition. Sarah felt a peculiar fluttering in her stomach, a sensation akin to a bird trapped in a cage. Her pulse quickened. They’d spent every summer together, building forts and making up fantastical stories, the kind that only childhood best friends could share. Now, facing him across the crowded bar, she felt a profound sense of wrongness.

The scent of stale beer and cheap cologne, which normally would have been a non-issue, felt suddenly oppressive. She noticed a slight tremor in her hands as she reached for her glass of water, and then quickly hid them under the table. The way he kept glancing towards the door, as though expecting someone else, did little to soothe her unease.