Gemotions

The paper crackled beneath Clara's shaking fingers. "Swim with sharks," it read, bold and unapologetic. Her stomach lurched. Mark, who was afraid of goldfish, let alone apex predators? This couldn't be real. The typed list, tucked inside his sock drawer, continued: “Learn to play the ukulele.” "Climb Mount Kilimanjaro." Each item was a fresh stab of… something. Disbelief, maybe. Or a creeping sense of wrongness that snaked up her spine.

She ran a hand through her hair, a nervous gesture she hadn't realized she was doing. The air in the room felt suddenly thin. She reread "Skydiving," then "Eat at Noma." His life, laid bare, was a stranger's life. A life she certainly hadn’t been a part of. The cheerful font mocked her.