Gemotions

The café buzzed with Sunday chatter, a cheerful symphony that grated on Clara's nerves. She fiddled with the straw in her iced tea, avoiding eye contact. A flash of the design – her design, the swirling galaxies of "Cosmic Embrace" – on a passerby’s shoulder had sent a cold wave of nausea through her.

Now the work was in the world, on someone else.

She watched the woman sip her coffee. She’d spent years on that design. Now, rendered in black ink, it was there for all to see. Clara's stomach churned, a familiar, unwelcome guest. The world seemed to tilt, the cheerful buzz morphing into a mocking hum. She wanted to disappear, to sink into the worn cushion of her booth and never emerge.