Gemotions

A sharp pain, a pang, radiated from Clara’s chest as she stared at the empty space where her father’s worn armchair once sat. It had been years since he’d passed, but the loss still hit her in waves. Now, Liam, her roommate, was enthusiastically pitching the idea of a dog. "Think of the walks, the cuddles!" he'd enthuse.

She saw the shadow of a golden retriever in her mind’s eye, the same breed her family had owned when she was a child. She remembered the dog's boundless energy, the way it would greet them at the door after a long day at school. It felt like yesterday.

Clara fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, finding the sudden silence in the apartment almost deafening. The thought of a rambunctious puppy, a constant reminder of joyous times now gone, was more than she could handle. "I… I don't know, Liam," she mumbled, her voice catching slightly. "Maybe a plant?"