Gemotions

The late afternoon light, usually a comforting amber, felt wrong. Sarah kept checking the clock. 4:57. She’d been staring at her laptop screen, frozen, for almost an hour. The message from “ShadowWolf88” – *Hey, fancy meeting up for coffee? I know a great place near the library.* – pulsed in her inbox. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple. She hadn't realized he was local.

Her breath hitched. She chewed the inside of her cheek. The little cafe near the library was where she always went. She felt her stomach clench. A quick glance at the window showed the familiar street below, now appearing alien.

Picking up her phone, she scrolled through her contacts, a useless act. She felt a need to do *something*. Anything. A nervous energy buzzes in her chest. She needed to be distracted. She was, after all, very busy with her work. She slammed her laptop shut. She'd go to the gym. A furious energy coursed through her limbs.