Gemotions

The air in the gallery was thick with polite chatter and the clinking of champagne glasses. Alex moved through the crowd, a forced smile plastered on his face. He'd bumped into Chloe, his childhood friend, at the opening of her photography exhibition. She'd looked right through him, a stranger in her own world. Her photos, a vibrant display of life and color, seemed to mock his isolation. Each interaction, each forced smile, each unanswered question, was like another chain wrapping around him. He felt as if he was held in place. He wanted to break away, to escape this polite prison.