Gemotions

The airport felt like a purgatorial waiting room. Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ward off the throbbing headache that was building behind her eyes. Missing her best friend's wedding was a disaster. All the carefully considered plans, every detail she had poured over, now seemed to be dissolving like sugar in water.

She leaned against the wall, the cold tile a small relief against her fevered skin. The endless stream of announcements and the constant hum of conversation grated on her nerves. She felt a profound sense of defilement wash over her, like she’d been forced to inhale the air of a sewer.

She balled her fists. She was supposed to have delivered the maid of honor speech. Now, a sea of regret and helplessness threatened to drown her. She wished she could just disappear.