Gemotions

The air in the terminal felt thick, stagnant. Her mouth was dry. Her brother's surprise birthday party. Months of secret planning, of covert phone calls and whispered conversations. It was all unraveling.

She found herself biting the inside of her cheek, a habit she'd thought she'd broken. The delay announcement echoed throughout the terminal, a crushing pronouncement of her failure. She stared blankly at her phone, at the messages from her family, the cheerful emojis mocking her.

She closed her eyes, trying to force a calmness she didn’t feel. The knot in her stomach tightened, a physical manifestation of her despair. She felt a cold wave wash over her.