Gemotions

The email shimmered on Maya’s screen, the subject line a brutal punch to her gut. “Your article has been published!” it announced, followed by the name of a senior editor, not hers. A flush crept up her neck, a heat that seemed to seep into every pore. She slammed the laptop shut, the click echoing in the sudden quiet of her apartment. Her fingers drummed a restless rhythm against the cool metal.

Her pulse hammered a frantic tattoo against her ribs. She paced the length of her living room, her silk robe swirling around her legs, a whisper of fabric against skin that felt suddenly too sensitive. This was all wrong, a violation. She needed to do something, anything to quell this… this… simmering energy that had taken hold.

She grabbed her phone, scrolling through contacts, then deleted the draft message to the editor. Maybe she'd call her friend, Liam. He always knew how to distract her. The thought of his laugh, his easy presence, made her stomach clench.