Gemotions

The slammed phone echoed in Maya’s apartment, the sudden noise a sharp punctuation mark on the conversation. She paced, her bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor. Across the country? Across the country! That’s what Liam had just nonchalantly mentioned, like it was a decision as simple as choosing a coffee. Her hands clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms. How could he just... *do* that?

Liam’s calm, level voice, always so reasonable, now felt like an infuriatingly smooth surface, deflecting all her unspoken frustrations. She envisioned him, probably smiling that infuriatingly charming smile of his, already planning a new life without her. Without *them*.

The air in the apartment suddenly felt thick, oppressive. Maya yanked open the window, gulping down the cool October air, as if it could somehow dilute the anger that swirled inside her, a boiling cauldron threatening to spill over. He’d promised her they’d always be close. Promises. Lies.