Gemotions

The moment the words "I'm moving" escaped Ben's mouth, Ethan felt a strange disconnect. His hearing seemed to sharpen, and the world became a blur. He wanted to shout, to object, to prevent the words from taking root, but his tongue felt thick and heavy.

He stared at the untouched plate of nachos between them, suddenly finding it hard to focus on anything. His breath hitched in his chest. Each tick of the clock in the loud restaurant felt like a hammer blow against his skull. The vibrant colors of the place seemed to fade, replaced by a dull gray.

A knot formed in his stomach, a physical representation of the fear that was slowly taking over him. He felt an intense, irrational urge to run, to escape the suffocating weight of this new reality.