Gemotions

Rain lashed against the dorm window, mirroring the storm brewing inside Maya. She'd been avoiding Daniel all week, a knot of unease twisting her stomach every time he entered the room. Last night, she’d found her journal on his bed, open to a particularly vulnerable page. A wave of nausea swept over her, a bitter taste rising in her throat. She could picture him, head bent, eyes scanning the words she’d poured her heart into. She felt exposed, violated, as though someone had stripped her bare in a public place.

The silence in the room was deafening. Daniel sat at his desk, headphones on, seemingly oblivious. But the way he avoided her gaze when she entered told a different story. He knew. Her throat constricted, making it difficult to even swallow.

She clenched her fists, the knuckles turning white. She'd been painstakingly trying to process the recent fight with her mother in her journal. Every sentence was a carefully constructed attempt to untangle the hurt. Now, it was just…public.