Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of the cottage, mirroring the storm of anxiety that had brewed inside of Mark for the last month. He’d caught glimpses of Sarah on the phone, hushed conversations, furtive glances his way. He’d pictured a thousand scenarios, each one worse than the last. He found her finally, sitting on the porch, wrapped in a blanket, phone in her lap.

Sarah looked up, her face streaked with tears and a smile that seemed to strain with the effort of holding it. She held up her phone. “My sister,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

He rushed over to her and put his arms around her, hugging her tightly. The chill in his bones melted away as he held her. It was a complete shift in his state, he felt his chest open and the breath came easier now.

“It’s over, darling,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. The weight that he’d been carrying around seemed to dissipate, leaving a strange, quiet emptiness.