Gemotions

A chill snaked up Elias's spine as he watched Liam across the crowded coffee shop. Liam was laughing, animated, gesturing wildly at something the woman across from him had said. Elias took a shaky sip of his lukewarm latte. They’d been inseparable, once. Climbing trees, building forts, sharing secrets under summer stars. Now, Liam looked right through him. Their carefully planned 'accidental' meeting had gone sideways, fast.

He'd rehearsed the greeting a hundred times, but when he'd opened his mouth, the words had died in his throat. Liam had blinked, a polite smile on his face, and asked, "Do I know you?" His heart had hammered against his ribs. The woman had saved the day with an introduction, and now this.

Elias ran a hand through his hair, the gesture clumsy and awkward. He fiddled with the straw in his cup, the plastic squeaking annoyingly. He knew what he *should* do: walk over, force a smile, and reintroduce himself. But his feet felt rooted to the floor. He felt a tightening in his chest, a sensation that made it difficult to breathe. The distance between them, once insignificant, now felt like an uncrossable chasm.