Gemotions

A coldness settled in Maya’s chest when Liam delivered the news. His voice, usually so boisterous, was subdued. He fiddled with the strap of his backpack, avoiding her gaze. He was moving. Across the country.

She managed a weak, “Oh.” The word felt inadequate, a tiny pebble against a landslide. Her breath hitched. She felt a bizarre pressure behind her eyes, as if a dam was about to burst.

The restaurant, usually buzzing with laughter and the clatter of cutlery, felt suddenly enormous, the other patrons distant, unreal. She excused herself abruptly, claiming a sudden headache, and fled to the women’s restroom, needing a moment to collect herself.