Gemotions

"So, what do you think?" Maria asked, her voice cracking slightly. She was sitting in a small coffee shop across the street from the office, waiting for her colleague, Ben. She felt a burning ache in her stomach.

She hadn't told him. The unspoken competition between them had created a strange tension. She took a sip of her coffee, the bitter taste doing little to soothe the turmoil within.

Ben strolled in a few minutes later, seemingly oblivious. She wanted to reach out, to confess her churning feelings, but the words wouldn't come. She focused instead on her breathing, trying to calm the wild, frantic beating of her heart.