Gemotions

The silence in the apartment was deafening, the echoes of laughter and shared meals now replaced by an unnerving stillness. Chloe kept finding herself moving, unable to stay in one place. She walked from the living room to the kitchen to the bedroom, each transition leaving her even less settled.

She picked at the corner of the tablecloth, her fingers seeking a point of focus. The news about Mia’s move had been a blow. They had been inseparable. Now, the world seemed to shift, unstable.

She decided to bake. The rhythmic chopping, the careful measuring, the heat of the oven, seemed to quiet the storm within. She whipped, mixed, and kneaded until the kitchen was filled with the scent of vanilla and sugar. Even then, the unease lingered, a shadow in the edges of the room.