Gemotions

The text message shimmered on the screen, a beacon of possibility. Mark couldn’t stop grinning. His hands shook as he started to text back. He’d been anticipating this moment for what felt like an eternity. He'd cleared his schedule.

He began mentally reviewing their shared history, the inside jokes, the vulnerabilities they had confessed to each other. He wanted to feel ready.

He grabbed a pen and paper. He had to be prepared. He wrote a list of possible conversation starters, a desperate attempt to quell the rising tide of…well, everything.

He then crumpled the paper and threw it away. He'd just be himself.