Gemotions

The anticipation, the pre-event buzz, had done its best to evade Carol. The glossy flyer with its promises of nostalgia and good times lay on the counter, mocking her. She felt a familiar hollowness in her chest.

She stood at the window, watching the rain streak down the glass, blurring the world outside. The grayness of the day seemed to mirror her mood. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to ward off a chill.

The reunion felt like a test, a competition she wasn't prepared to enter. The thought of facing everyone, of pretending to be something she wasn't, filled her with a sense of profound discouragement.