Gemotions

The starkness of the eviction notice sent a wave of nausea through Clara. It was a cold, hard fact, written in impersonal legal jargon. It wasn't the loss of her apartment that bothered her. It was the loss of proximity. The looming specter of never again crossing paths with him.

She sat heavily on her couch, staring out the window. She had grown accustomed to seeing his shadow cross her window, the way he would lean against the fire escape, looking down at the street below. She could almost feel the phantom touch of his hand on her back, guiding her through a crowded doorway.

She remembered the way his eyes had widened, the one time he'd caught her staring at him. She felt the sudden urge to burst into tears. She had to do something.