Gemotions

The confetti still clung to Maya’s hair as she skipped down the street. Her heart felt like it might leap from her chest, a frantic hummingbird trapped in a cage of ribs. She fumbled with her phone, the screen already displaying the text she’d been composing all night. With a final, triumphant click, she pressed send. Then, a moment later, the dreadful realization struck: the contact name. Not Liam. Not her best friend. *Uncle George?* A wave of ice crashed through her elation, followed by a hot flush.