Gemotions

"I don't understand," she muttered to the barista, her voice flat, devoid of any inflection. The barista, clearly used to the onslaught of disappointed customers, merely shrugged. "The owner decided to retire."

She’d been coming to The Gilded Spoon for as long as she could remember, ever since she was a little girl with her grandparents. She knew the menu by heart, the staff by name. The familiar comfort of the place was now ripped away.

She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She gripped the counter for support, her knuckles white. The world tilted slightly, and she struggled to regain her equilibrium, the taste of grief bitter on her tongue.