Gemotions

"Well, now," Beatrice muttered, the letter practically vibrating in her hands. The elegant script looked disturbingly familiar. Mark. He was the reason she’d sworn off all men for a decade. She sat on the kitchen stool, a lukewarm cup of tea forgotten beside her. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the silence of her apartment.

She had to read it, but the thought of it sent a jolt of something through her, not exactly fear, but… an intense anticipation. Her throat felt tight. He'd never contacted her. Never apologized. Now, this.

She broke the seal, unfolded the crisp paper, and began to read. The world around her blurred. All she could see was him. A memory, sharply defined, rose in her mind. His smile. The way he used to look at her. A ridiculous warmth spread through her body. She imagined, against all logic, what it would be like to see him again.