Gemotions

The rejection letter was crisp, the paper expensive. Amelia smoothed the embossed logo of "Veridian Books" with a fingertip. Her heart thumped a delighted rhythm against her ribs. She almost laughed. This was it. She’d made it to the final hurdle. The fact they’d even *read* it filled her with a buoyant exhilaration.

She walked to the kitchen, the letter clutched in her hand. She needed champagne. Really, she deserved a celebratory bottle. She paused, considering a magnum, then decided she'd earned the extravagance. The cork popped with a resounding *thwack*, echoing the satisfaction blooming in her chest.

Amelia poured herself a generous glass, the bubbles tickling her nose. She clinked the glass to her laptop screen, where her manuscript lay saved. "Almost," she whispered, her smile widening. "Almost there."