Gemotions

The concert hall was packed, the air thick with anticipation. She clutched her ticket, her knuckles white. He was somewhere in this sea of faces, and the thought was utterly disorienting. She had thought she was ready, but as she thought of his messages, his jokes, his shared feelings, her stomach tightened.

The opening chords of the music washed over her, but she barely heard them. The lights blurred. She felt a wave of dizziness, her vision swimming. The thrill of the concert, the excitement she’d anticipated, had evaporated, replaced by a cold, numbing fear. She leaned against the wall, trying to steady herself.