Gemotions

She found herself avoiding the common areas, the laundry room, the shared patio. The other tenants seemed to be buzzing with excitement, like a colony of bees preparing for a feast. She felt a profound sense of isolation.

She imagined herself, years from now, still stuck in the same apartment, while everyone else moved on. The thought was like a lead weight in her stomach.

She found herself picking at the loose threads of her worn sofa, a familiar gesture. She'd always prided herself on being independent, but now, that independence felt like a cage, a place of confinement, a lonely existence.