Gemotions

The diner was bustling, the air thick with the smell of frying bacon and coffee. Maya pushed her plate of scrambled eggs around, her appetite gone. She kept glancing at her phone, which lay face down on the table. She felt a knot in her throat, a persistent ache.

She finally flipped it over, her thumb hovering over the email icon. She couldn't bring herself to open it. Her whole body felt tense.

The bright screen flashed. She read the words, and the world seemed to tilt. The clatter of plates and the chatter around her faded away. Her hands clenched into fists on the table, nails digging into the wood.