Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the coffee shop hummed, grating on Maya’s nerves. She hated the sterile environment, the forced cheerfulness of the barista. She’d been avoiding sunlight for days, lost in the digital world, pouring her heart out to ‘ShadowWalker.’ The anonymity allowed her to say the things she could never voice aloud. ShadowWalker understood. Or so she thought.

Then, a casual comment in their chat about a local band, the same band Maya was obsessed with, sparked a flicker of possibility. A location shared – a specific park. Her pulse quickened. The idea of running into ShadowWalker in reality, the person behind the words, triggered a strange compulsion, an urge to retreat, coupled with a powerful desire to know the person in front of her.

She traced patterns on the condensation of her iced latte. This was probably a terrible idea. She felt a knot tighten in her chest, a physical manifestation of her unease.