Gemotions

The flyer felt slick and wrong between Amelia’s fingers. The crisp white paper, announcing the closure of "Bella Luna," was a brutal slap. She blinked, rereading the words as if the print would magically change. Her breath hitched. The aroma of garlic and oregano, always so welcoming, now seemed to mock her.

She crumpled the flyer, her hands trembling. Her usual lunch spot, the place where the friendly waiter knew her order by heart, where she always felt a sense of belonging, was…gone. A knot tightened in her stomach, a physical manifestation of her disbelief.

“No, no, no,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her chest felt constricted, as if a weight had settled there. She felt a strange buzzing in her ears.