Gemotions

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Maya asked, fiddling with a loose thread on her jeans. Leo’s birthday was going to be epic, he'd promised: a laser tag arena and a DJ. Her own? A small picnic in the park, weather permitting.

She just shrugged. The effort of explaining felt immense. The thought of battling a swarm of hyper teens exhausted her before the actual day arrived. She closed her eyes for a moment, picturing the park’s dappled sunlight, the quiet rustle of leaves.

Later, instead of shopping for party favors, she sat on her porch swing, slowly, steadily pushing back and forth. The rhythm, the creak of the wood, created a peaceful melody. The late afternoon sun warmed her skin, and for a while, she felt content to simply *be*.