Gemotions

The email notification popped up: "sunshine_gal" had sent a message. It was a picture of a vibrant sunset, with a caption: *Saw this on my walk today, thought of you! :)* Emily choked back a sob. She’d always painted such a rosy picture of her life, a deliberate act of artifice. She'd neglected to mention the reality of her cramped studio apartment, the loneliness, the constant struggle to make ends meet.

She scrolled through the last messages, the lighthearted banter, the shared dreams of traveling the world. Now what? She'd been so close to finally confessing, but the timing felt wrong.

She wanted to scream. Instead, she closed her laptop, crawled under the covers, and stared at the ceiling. The ceiling mocked her with its imperfections.