Gemotions

The ballroom seemed to shrink. Chloe saw Ethan across the room, leaning against a pillar, and the world tilted. It was a dizzying sensation, like standing on the edge of a cliff. She felt a lightness, an almost disembodied feeling.

Her carefully chosen words of congratulation, the witty banter she had practiced for the inevitable encounter, dissolved into nothingness. Instead, she could only manage a frozen smile and a silent, internal scream.

He hadn't changed much, she thought, except somehow he was… bigger. More solid. More real. The simple act of breathing became a conscious effort, as if she had forgotten how. Her fingers twisted the strap of her clutch bag, the leather suddenly rough against her skin.