Gemotions

The phone rang, shattering the tranquility. Jessica flinched. She hadn’t been expecting a call. It was a complaint from the building manager. Her face flushed, heat rising to her cheeks. She felt a wave of shame washing over her.

She mumbled a hasty apology, her voice barely above a whisper. The conversation was brief, but the weight of it settled heavily upon her. She hung up the phone, her hands shaking.

The silence in the room felt oppressive, the shadows in the corners deepening. She walked over to the stereo, her footsteps slow and measured. The music, once so joyful, now seemed tainted with a sense of wrongness. The thought of facing her neighbors made her want to disappear.