Gemotions

The first night back, Sarah couldn't sleep. The guest room, once her bedroom, was precisely as she’d left it: the same posters on the wall, the same faded quilt on the bed. It was as if time had stopped.

She wandered downstairs, finding her father in the kitchen, making a late-night snack. He offered her a cup of tea, and they sat in silence, the only sound the soft clinking of cups. He didn't press her for details, didn't ask her about her life.

She wanted to laugh out loud at the unburdened simplicity of the moment. She felt the tears well up in her eyes, tears of something she couldn't label.

She knew she could be herself again, finally.