Gemotions

He stared, mouth agape, at the brightly colored flyer clutched in his hand. “Karaoke Night – Alex’s 25th Birthday!” it proclaimed, with a photo of Alex, beaming. Mark’s own birthday party, a low-key board game night, was slated for that very evening. A flush crept up his neck.

He sank onto his sofa. He’d told Alex about his plans weeks ago. Alex had seemed… fine with it. They’d even talked about maybe grabbing a celebratory pizza together *afterwards*. The pizza felt a long way off.

He felt a prickling sensation behind his eyes. He’d spent so long prepping for this, buying new board games, curating a playlist. He’d envisioned a relaxed, fun evening. Now, the evening felt anything but.