Gemotions

The world felt like it was moving in slow motion. Each movement, each thought, required an immense expenditure of energy. She sat at her desk, staring at the blinking cursor on the screen, unable to string together a coherent sentence. Her deadline loomed, a dark cloud promising punishment. She felt... weighted down, as if the very air around her was pressing against her.

A meeting with Mark, her... current interest, was scheduled for that evening. He'd suggested a concert. The music, the lights, the crowds – the thought of it sent a wave of disinterest through her.

Later, at the coffee shop, she saw him. He was laughing, animated, with another woman. They seemed… familiar. She knew the way he laughed, the way he tilted his head. She knew the perfume the woman wore, too. A deep, unsettling fatigue settled in her bones. The coffee tasted bitter, the music too loud.