Gemotions

The world outside her window had become a blur of gray. Sunlight felt like a personal affront. She preferred the dimness of her room, the comfortable silence, the absence of demands. She wasn't sleeping well, and felt a perpetual chill. Her online friend, "Cipher," always seemed to know the right things to say. They’d built a bond over shared frustrations and a mutual love of obscure art.

A notification popped up, offering a meet up. She knew the coffee shop. It was the one he always used as a backdrop to his photos. The idea of a real-life Cipher felt both terrifying and alluring. He was everything she wasn’t – bright, sociable, and engaged with the world.

She closed her laptop, the screen reflecting her face, gaunt and pale. The prospect of facing him, of being judged, was crushing. She simply couldn’t.