Gemotions

“Are you even listening to me?” Her friend, Sarah, asked, her voice laced with a gentle exasperation. She sat across from her in the campus café, a half-eaten muffin on the table between them.

She blinked, returning to the present moment with a jolt. She picked at the chipped paint on the table. “Yeah, of course.”

Sarah sighed. “You’ve been staring into space for the past twenty minutes.” She reached across the table, placing her hand on hers. “Look, I know you’re on edge, but…”

She pulled her hand away, feigning a smile. “It’s fine. Really.” But her voice lacked conviction. The constant hovering uncertainty made her skin prickle. She just wanted someone to *say* something. To end the suffocating secrecy.