Gemotions

The email. Just a short, blunt sentence. "The event is off." He slumped onto the sofa, the cushion offering no comfort. His fingers fumbled for the remote, switching the television on and off, unable to focus on anything.

His heart thumped erratically against his ribs. The balloons, the streamers, the hours spent planning… all for nothing. He stared out the window, watching the leaves swirl in the autumn wind, a sudden and profound sense of emptiness welling up inside him. He felt an overwhelming urge to flee, to escape the confines of the apartment.

"This can't be happening," he whispered, his voice cracking.