Gemotions

"Swim with sharks." The words swam before her eyes. Sarah didn't like water. She always complained about how cold it was. A wave of unease washed over Michael as he looked at the list. It was written in Sarah's elegant, looping handwriting, but the contents were utterly alien.

He paced the length of their small apartment. "Visit Antarctica," "Learn to code," "Start a business." Each item was a punch to his stomach. He felt his pulse quicken, his skin prickle with a strange unease. He thought of all the years they had spent together, the shared routines, the comfortable silences.

He crumpled the paper in his fist. Was everything he thought he knew a lie? Why hadn't she ever mentioned these things? He suddenly felt a sharp pang of loneliness as his gaze drifted towards the closed bedroom door.