Gemotions

The air in the coffee shop became thick and heavy, like cotton wool stuffed in her lungs. "A… a *librarian*?" Alice stammered, her voice barely a whisper. She stared at Mark, the "renowned architect" she’d been dating for six months, in disbelief. His words, his voice, everything felt foreign. Her chest felt constricted, making it hard to breathe. Her vision swam.

She felt a strange tingling in her extremities, like pins and needles. She pushed her chair back, the movement abrupt and jerky. The cheerful chatter of other patrons seemed to amplify the silence between them. Her stomach clenched into a hard knot. She wanted to bolt, to escape this absurd scene. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from welling.