Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, blurring the neon signs of the city. He leaned against the brick wall of the alley, the cold seeping into his bones. His gaze darted back and forth, scanning the street, checking every shadow. The memory, sharp and stinging, played on repeat in his mind: Anna, standing at the bar, laughing with a stranger, a stranger who clearly knew her.

He'd spent weeks, *months,* planning this. Rehearsing what he would say, how he would react. He’d meticulously researched her current life, her job, her favorite coffee shop. And now? Now, she looked at him with polite confusion when he'd approached her, telling him she had no recollection of him. No memory of the creek, the secrets, the countless hours spent together. Nothing.

He clenched his jaw, the muscles in his neck taut. This felt like a betrayal. His eyes swept the rain-slicked pavement. He had to be sure, absolutely sure, that the stranger wasn't a threat. He would remain, unseen, observing, for as long as it took to understand.