Gemotions

The afternoon light filtered through the blinds, casting stripes across the living room rug. Eleanor was supposed to be hosting a book club, but the preparations felt beyond her. She’d been sitting on the couch for hours, staring at a blank page on the notepad in front of her.

She unearthed a box of keepsakes from her college days. Inside, a letter she had written to her then-boyfriend, detailing her insecurities and her dreams, a letter that remained forever in her drawer.

She reread it, her lips curving into a small, almost imperceptible smile. The past seemed a world away. She felt no compulsion to judge, to change. The letter was a reminder, a gentle echo of a life she had once lived. She returned the box to its hiding place, and closed her eyes.