Gemotions

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the library floor. Amelia hummed softly as she polished the lenses of her glasses, the gentle rhythm a counterpoint to the rustling pages around her. She loved this time of day, when the light softened and the air seemed to hold its breath. A notification popped up on her laptop, a terse email from the university. She clicked on it, idly, and her breath hitched. Professor Davies was leaving. A knot, not of anxiety but of something like…surprise, formed in her chest. She re-read the words, then closed her eyes, letting the quiet of the library wash over her once more.