Gemotions

The cafe smelled strongly of burnt coffee. Sunlight sliced through the window, making dust motes dance in the air. Sarah blinked, finding the address on her phone again. *The Cozy Bean*, it had to be. She'd been chatting with "Nova" for months, pouring out her anxieties about life, work, everything, and now... this. She felt like she'd stepped into a parallel universe.

Her fingers were clammy as she pushed open the door. The bell above chimed a cheerful greeting, which felt aggressively upbeat. She scanned the room. A girl with vibrant blue hair sat by the window, engrossed in a book, and something about the way she held her cup, the angle of her head... it seemed familiar.

She walked towards her, each step an exercise in absurdity. "Nova?" The girl looked up, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Sarah? Wow." Sarah’s stomach lurched; this couldn't be happening. The world tilted slightly.