Gemotions

He was talking to the bride’s mother. I saw him from across the crowded dance floor, a sharp stab of something painful piercing me. Sarah plastered a smile onto her face, as if it were a mask. She fumbled with her clutch, searching for her phone.

Her fingers were clumsy, her usually steady hands shaking. She needed to look busy, anything to avoid eye contact. She pretended to be engrossed in a text, scrolling through old messages.

“Sarah, darling, you look lovely.” The bride’s mother, beaming, approached. Sarah forced a laugh, her voice sounding unnaturally high. "Thank you, Carol, so do you."

Then, he was there, beside the bride’s mother, a smile spreading across his face. It was the same smile that used to melt her.