Gemotions

The clock on the microwave ticked, each second a hammer blow. It was Maya's birthday, and the silence in her apartment was deafening. Her big bash – a themed murder mystery dinner – felt like a monumental flop now that Liam was hosting a casual gathering at a local brewery on the same day.

She picked at the corner of a sticky note stuck to the fridge, a reminder of the elaborate decorations she'd painstakingly crafted. Now, they seemed absurd. Like a silly game.

She walked over to the window, watching the pedestrians below. Their laughter, the casual ease with which they walked past. She felt a distance growing between her and the world, and knew that distance was her fault.