Gemotions

The pizza sat cold on the coffee table, uneaten. Liam stared at the pepperoni circles, a perfect mirror of the blankness in his own chest. He should be excited about Friday night, the usual crew gathering for movies and cheap beer. But the announcement, the casual dropping of the bomb that Maya was leaving for California, had left a hollowness in him.

He picked at a loose thread on the sofa, the silence in the apartment amplifying the clatter of the television. He’d barely said a word to her since, the words catching in his throat like shards of glass. How could he even begin to imagine life without her sarcastic wit and ever-present smile?

The thought of her gone, of the empty seat beside him on the couch, sent a shiver down his spine. He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture he hadn't realized he was doing. He’d probably need to find a new spot to sit.