Gemotions

The rain lashed against the windows, mirroring the storm brewing inside Daniel. He reread the message: "Walking distance. Wanna meet?" from "PixelQueen". It wasn't the words themselves, but the implication that clawed at him. The thought of exposing that space between them, the space that had kept him safe for so long, to the cold truth of a physical encounter felt wrong.

He paced his apartment, the dim light from his computer screen casting long, distorted shadows. He had to get away. He grabbed his coat, the fabric feeling heavy on his shoulders. He reached the front door and then stopped, frozen in place.

His reflection stared back at him from the glass, a stranger’s face marked by apprehension. He took a long, shaky breath, and turned off the lights, hoping that by disappearing from the world he could somehow disappear himself.