Gemotions

A cold sweat slicked across Daniel’s palms as he unlocked the door to their dorm room. The scent of vanilla, Chloe's favorite air freshener, usually comforted him, but tonight it felt cloying, a suffocating perfume. He saw his journal, normally nestled under his pillow, resting open on his desk. The angle was different, not how he'd left it. A fluttery feeling danced in his gut.

He pretended to search for something in his backpack, his movements jerky and hurried. "Hey, Chloe," he said, his voice sounding thin even to his own ears. "Did you… did you see my journal earlier?"

Chloe, sitting on her bed, didn't look up, instead fiddling with a string on her sweater. "Oh, yeah," she mumbled, "I just moved it."

Daniel forced a laugh, a dry, brittle sound. His stomach twisted into a knot. He didn't believe her.