Gemotions

The silence in the car was thick, pressing down on her. The radio was off. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white. Liam’s announcement, a casual mention of a new life in California, had stolen the air from the car.

She drove aimlessly, the familiar streets of their town now feeling foreign, the houses lining the roads like accusing eyes. She kept replaying his words in her head, each repetition tightening the knot in her stomach.

She found herself pulling over to the side of the road, the engine idling. She slumped in her seat, suddenly exhausted. She wanted to scream, to shatter the quiet. She wanted him to stay.