Gemotions

The coffee shop buzzed with a low hum of chatter, but for Maya, it was a cacophony. She felt exposed, vulnerable in the open space. She was supposed to be meeting her friend, Chloe, but instead, she was hunched over her phone, feeling utterly depleted. She was trying to text her therapist, detailing the events of a particularly difficult day. Instead, she accidentally hit "send" to her former boss, a man who had made her life a misery for a year. The text read, "I’m exhausted, I can't believe how awful I feel."

A flush of heat crept up her neck, followed by a wave of nausea. She imagined his condescending smirk, the way he would read into her words and use them against her. Her hands clenched into fists, the fingernails digging into her palms. The aroma of the coffee, which had moments ago been a small comfort, now felt cloying and oppressive.

She quickly deleted the text, but the damage was done. A cold dread seeped into her bones, leaving her shivering in the warmth of the cafe. She wanted to flee, to be swallowed up by the crowd and disappear.