Gemotions

The apartment was too clean, too silent. Sarah stared at the perfectly organized bookshelves, the neatly folded blankets on the sofa. Everything was in its place, just like she wanted. But the orderliness brought no peace. The stillness was a suffocating weight. She'd been in here all day.

A text from Jess, a photo attached: "Remember when we got those ridiculous matching tattoos? Good times!"

Sarah stared at the photo. Two tiny, poorly rendered stars on their ankles. She didn't remember. Not the shop, not the pain, not even the feeling. Had they even gotten tattoos? She knew she had done something in the past. But she felt as if she had not participated. The feeling of being absent echoed within her, an emptiness that gnawed at her. “I don't. We didn't, right?” she typed back, an uncertainty bubbling within her.