Gemotions

The email sat, unread, in her inbox. A pulsing, digital weight. Sarah stared at the screen, the fluorescent light of her tiny apartment office reflecting in her widened eyes. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach, a sensation like a fist clenching. She should open it, just get it over with, but her fingers refused to cooperate. She kept telling herself it was just a rejection; she'd prepared for this. But the dream publisher...

She pushed her chair back from the desk, the wheels squeaking in protest. She walked to the window, the city sprawling below. Each car horn, each siren, amplified the silence in her chest. She needed a distraction, something to quiet the thrum of anxiety that had begun to buzz in her ears.