Gemotions

The floral arrangements seemed to be closing in on her. The perfume from the guests in attendance felt suffocating. She felt she could barely breathe. She watched as he walked past, not even looking in her direction.

The carefully curated facade of normalcy felt thin and brittle. Every forced smile, every polite conversation, was a strain. The thought of the night stretching on, the evening becoming more and more difficult to bear, was overwhelming.

She felt a sharp pain in her temple. She excused herself from the table, claiming a headache, and hurried outside, gasping for air. The cool night air offered little relief. She leaned against a tree, her entire body shaking.