Gemotions

The morning sun, a glaring intruder, had already managed to climb halfway up the curtains. Sarah groaned, burrowing deeper into the tangled sheets. A notification pinged from her phone, a message from “Cosmic_Wanderer,” her online friend from a city she'd always dreamed of visiting. She squinted at the screen, the bright light making her head throb. He was suggesting coffee. In person. Her stomach churned slightly at the idea of getting up, of showering, of *going outside*.

She considered ignoring the message, letting it sink into the digital abyss. But then, a thought surfaced: free coffee. She texted back a reluctant "Sure, maybe". The thought of the caffeine, a distant hope, was enough to make her tentatively push back the covers.