Gemotions

He stared at the spreadsheet, each name a tiny stab of pain. "Can't make it to the board game night, dude. Going to Alex's." The responses, filtering in like a slow, agonizing drip. Daniel felt his cheeks flush with a heat that wasn’t entirely from the hot weather. It was bad enough that his best friend, Alex, had picked the same day.

He crumpled the spreadsheet. The competitive spirit that had been fueling his party planning, all gone. The carefully chosen board games, the snacks, the ambiance, all felt pointless.

He felt the corners of his mouth turn downward. It was difficult to breathe. The room was suddenly too small.