Gemotions

Sweat beaded on Liam's forehead as he fiddled with the microphone, the metallic tang of it suddenly overwhelming. He glanced at his notes, a dense tapestry of bullet points that seemed to shift and blur under the harsh glare of the ballroom lights. His palms felt slick against the paper, threatening to disintegrate his carefully crafted sentences. He swallowed hard, the muscles in his throat constricting, and forced a smile at his mother, who beamed back from the head table, her eyes twinkling with pride. He cleared his throat. "Um, hello everyone…" The sound was a croak.