Gemotions

The car ride felt interminable. Ethan gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. The highway stretched before him, an endless black ribbon. Across the car, Sarah chattered about packing, about new adventures, about everything *but* the thing Ethan couldn't stop thinking about.

His vision blurred slightly. He blinked, trying to clear his head, but the image of their empty apartment, their shared memories, seemed to stick. Every turn of the wheel felt like a step further away from the life he’d always known.

He risked a glance at Sarah, her face illuminated by the car’s console. The smile, the excitement, made him feel…unmoored. He needed to pull over, to breathe. But he didn’t.