Gemotions

The antique clock on the mantelpiece ticked with maddening precision. Each second seemed to stretch into an unbearable eternity. Amelia ripped the envelope open, the paper tearing roughly under her fingernails. It was from David, the boy who'd ruined her senior prom by spilling punch down her sequined dress – a dress she’d agonized over for weeks.

She flung the letter onto the polished mahogany table with a resounding thud. The ink bled slightly on the thick parchment. Twenty years. Twenty years she’d spent avoiding the very thought of him, and now this. A belated apology. Utterly preposterous.

She stalked over to the window, arms crossed tightly. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the garden, a beautiful scene she usually found comforting. Today, it just felt...wrong. She wished the birds would stop their incessant chirping.