Gemotions

The chipped ceramic mug felt heavy in Elias’s hand, the lukewarm coffee doing nothing to stave off the chill that had settled deep in his bones. He slumped on the stained couch, staring at the unopened package resting on the worn coffee table. It was addressed to "Ms. Eleanor Vance," the previous tenant. He knew Eleanor, a fleeting acquaintance with a laugh that had seemed too loud, too bright, for the cramped apartment. He knew she had left suddenly, a week before her lease ended, owing him rent. The cardboard box sat, an unwanted reminder of her abrupt departure and his mounting debts. His gaze drifted to the window, rain streaking the glass, mirroring the bleakness inside him.