Gemotions

The email arrived like a punch to the gut. *Subject: Re: High School Reunion*. Inside, a simple message: "Looking forward to seeing you at the reunion, Emily. I don't recall us knowing each other, but I'm looking forward to meeting you." It was from Daniel, the boy she’d secretly loved since the third grade.

She reread the message, her fingers tracing the words on the screen. A tremor ran through her, leaving her suddenly chilled. She leaned back in her chair, the air suddenly thick and hard to breathe. Her chest felt constricted. The reunion. A night she had dreamt of, a chance to rekindle an old flame. Now, it just felt like a monument to what she had built in her head.

A hollow, unfamiliar feeling began to spread from her core. She abruptly shut her laptop, the screen going black, mirroring the void she was feeling.