Gemotions

The old desk drawer stuck, and Amelia wrestled with it, her fingers slick with anticipation. The letter was tucked in the back, its edges frayed. Her mouth felt dry. It was addressed to her best friend, Emily, written when they were both on the cusp of adulthood. A tremor went through her.

Inside, she saw the confession of a secret crush on the boy Emily was dating. The carefully chosen words, now tinged with the faded blush of ancient secrets, seemed to vibrate with a buried energy. Amelia's hands began to shake slightly.

She didn't remember writing it. The emotions it contained - envy, longing, self-loathing - were foreign, yet instantly recognizable. She felt a profound sense of wrongness. The room felt suddenly too small, the air thick with the unspoken ghosts of her past. She needed a drink of water, immediately.