Gemotions

The sterile white walls of the waiting room closed in on Ben. He’d been sitting there for hours, the rhythmic ticking of the clock echoing in his ears. His palms were slick, and he kept replaying the scene in his mind, the harsh words, the slammed door. His upcoming exam was looming, his parents were pressuring him, and he had a distinct feeling of being trapped.

A woman with fiery red hair approached him, her face a mask of uncertainty. "Ben?" she inquired softly.

He looked up, startled. "Yes," he rasped, his throat tight.

"I'm… Sofia. I'm supposed to meet… Alex at the museum, but… He hasn't shown up and is not answering the phone" She was as bewildered as he felt. Alex, the man who had canceled their date a few times in a row, with flimsy excuses, the very same man Ben had recently broken up with.