Gemotions

The cafe air, usually comforting with its aroma of roasted beans, suddenly felt thin, suffocating. Maya’s hands, usually steady when she poured a latte, trembled. Across the small, metal table, Liam smiled, a polite, vacant smile that didn’t recognize the tangled history that bound them. His eyes flicked away, distracted. "So, you said you were a… friend from before?" He asked, his voice a polite stranger’s. A cold fist clenched in Maya's stomach, squeezing the breath from her. She felt a burning need to flee, to disappear before he saw the truth etched on her face.