Gemotions

The venue was already set up, fairy lights strung across the rafters, tables draped in elegant linen. Olivia's calm façade shattered with a text message: “Karaoke night at Jake’s! BYOB!” Her breath hitched. She'd meticulously booked a string quartet for her sophisticated soirée.

Her carefully crafted seating plan, her perfectly chosen floral arrangements, all felt… wrong. She felt a prickling sensation on her skin, as if a thousand eyes were scrutinizing her. She re-read the message, her knuckles turning white.

She slumped onto a chair, the weight of the planning suddenly crushing her. The crisp white linen seemed to mock her.