Gemotions

The notice fluttered from her grasp, landing face down on the dusty floorboards. She stared at the spot where it lay, her vision strangely out of focus. A chill swept through the small apartment, even though the sun streamed brightly through the window. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to physically contain the pieces of herself that threatened to shatter.

Her breath hitched in ragged gasps. Every object in the room – the mismatched furniture, the faded curtains, the chipped paint on the walls – suddenly felt like a ghost of happier times. She saw his ghost everywhere, in the empty spaces that once held his laughter and the scent of his cologne. The air felt thin, unbreathable, heavy with the phantom presence of a future they would never share.