Gemotions

The chipped mug in Maya’s hand trembled, the lukewarm coffee sloshing over the rim. She sat hunched in the armchair, the pages of her journal staring back at her. She’d found it this morning, slightly askew on her roommate, Chloe’s, desk. A specific passage, recounting her feelings about a recent heartbreak, was marked with a post-it note.

She felt a wave of shame, a deep-seated vulnerability that made her want to disappear. Her cheeks burned. She stared at the floor, unable to meet her own gaze. Her shoulders slumped. Chloe was whistling in the hallway, as if nothing had happened.

Maya took a shaky sip of her coffee, the bitterness doing nothing to soothe the ache in her chest. She needed to say something, but the words felt trapped, tangled in her throat. She closed her eyes, the image of the post-it note seared into her eyelids. She felt profoundly alone.