Gemotions

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee usually soothed Amelia, but today it only made her stomach churn. Across the small table, Sarah, her supposed colleague at the marketing firm, was beaming, regaling her with a tale of a grueling day spent strategizing global campaigns. Amelia felt a cold dread creep up her spine. She'd just seen Sarah, in a barista apron, expertly crafting lattes at the new coffee shop downtown.

Her breath hitched. The words felt like they were caught in her throat. "Oh really, Sarah?" she finally managed, her voice sounding oddly high-pitched. She stared at Sarah, trying to decipher if this was some elaborate joke.

The light in the cafe seemed to dim. The happy chatter of other patrons faded into a dull hum. Amelia felt a growing sense of displacement, as if the ground beneath her had begun to shift.