Gemotions

"You're leaving...next week?" Maya repeated, her voice thin, almost a whisper. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, usually so comforting, now seemed to mock her. Across the small, cluttered kitchen table, Chloe fiddled with the strap of her bag, her face a carefully constructed mask of calm.

Maya pushed away her untouched bagel, the perfectly toasted bread suddenly unappetizing. She felt a prickling behind her eyes, the familiar precursor to tears. She picked at a loose thread on the tablecloth, her fingers trembling slightly. The silence in the air thrummed with unspoken emotions.

"California. Sunshine, beaches, the whole shebang," Chloe said, attempting a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Maya swallowed hard, the lump in her throat making it difficult to speak. She couldn't help but picture the distance now growing between them.

Maya finally managed a weak nod. She wanted to scream, to bargain, to somehow rewind time back before she'd heard this news. Instead, she stared at her hands, which were now clammy and clamoring for a distraction.