Gemotions

The fluorescent lights hummed with an irritating buzz. The air was stagnant, stale, carrying a metallic tang that made her stomach churn. Her hands felt numb, her fingers clumsy and unresponsive as she fumbled with the clasp of her bag. The shop owner watched her with a detached amusement, and she wanted desperately to disappear.

The ring. She knew, with a certainty that chilled her, that it was there, glittering in the display case. She could feel the pulse in her throat, a frantic rhythm against the rising tide of panic. She cleared her throat, trying to force the words past the tightness that gripped her.