Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mimicking the rhythm of the drumming inside her chest. Sarah stared at the flickering candlelight, the only illumination in the otherwise dim apartment. Her phone sat abandoned on the coffee table, the message from her best friend, Emily, still fresh in her mind. “Surprise’s off, babe. Sorry.” Just that. No explanation. No comfort. She took a sip of the lukewarm tea, the taste like ash in her mouth.

She had spent weeks planning this. A small gathering, a few close friends, a cake, laughter. Now, the balloons lay deflated in the corner, a sad testament to her dashed hopes. The silence of the apartment pressed in on her, heavy and suffocating. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ward off a chill that had nothing to do with the weather.

The world felt muted, gray. She wished she had never gotten her hopes up.