Gemotions

Her fingers fumbled with the phone, nearly dropping it as she read the message again. "I'm at the coffee shop on Elm Street. You should come say hi!" Her breath hitched in her throat, a choked sob escaping. Elm Street? That was… five blocks away. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the silence of her apartment. She slammed the laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the sudden quiet. A giggle, high-pitched and shaky, escaped her lips. She couldn't believe it. This couldn't be happening.

She scrambled to her feet, legs tangling in her oversized sweatpants. The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Her vision blurred at the edges. She had to *see* him. Had to know if this was real. She grabbed her coat, forgetting her keys for a moment, and then retraced her steps, snatching them from the hook by the door. She yanked the door open, nearly ripping it off its hinges in her haste.

The cold air hit her face, a welcome shock. She raced down the stairs, each step a frantic thud of anticipation and dread. Her stomach churned. The five blocks seemed to stretch into an impossible distance. Her mind raced, a whirlwind of panicked thoughts, a torrent of what-ifs.