Gemotions

The notification blinked insistently on Amelia's phone, a bright, unwelcome intrusion into the dim quiet of her Sunday morning. A friend request. From Brad "The Bruiser" Bradley. She groaned, the sound a low rumble in her chest, and let her head fall back against the sofa cushions. Everything felt heavy, like wading through molasses.

Amelia’s eyes trailed the sunlight dust motes dancing in the air, a silent, slow-motion ballet. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually *felt* awake. It was a chore to lift her arm to grab her phone. She barely remembered her own childhood, let alone Brad.

He was just a name, a phantom from the wasteland of her youth. Yet, the past still had the audacity to crawl into her present. With a sigh that felt like it came from the core of the earth, Amelia tapped the "view profile" button.