Gemotions

The eviction notice landed on Olivia's kitchen counter like a death sentence. She barely registered the financial implications, the stress, the upheaval. All she could see was his face. The man from the downstairs apartment.

She had built an entire narrative around him, a silent movie starring him as the hero, herself as the damsel in distress. The thought of never seeing him again, of never knowing if her assumptions were correct, was like a physical blow.

She pictured him, the way he’d always seem to be there, right when she needed a smile, a friendly wave. Her breath hitched, a small sob escaping her lips. She began to wander around her apartment, touching the walls and the furniture, as if trying to memorize every detail before she left.