Gemotions

A chill snaked through Ben's body as the message pinged: "I'm right down the street. Coffee?" He could feel his pulse hammering in his ears, a frantic rhythm against the sudden silence of his apartment. Two years. Two years of late-night chats, shared secrets, and vulnerable confessions, all hidden behind a screen. Now, face to face?

He stared at his phone, his fingers hovering over the reply button. His stomach churned. The comforting glow of the screen had always been a security blanket, a barrier. What if he wasn't who he seemed online? What if *she* wasn't?

He bolted upright, pacing his living room. The air felt thick, heavy, like a suffocating blanket. He considered deleting the message, blocking her, disappearing. But curiosity, a morbid, insistent pull, kept him rooted. He went and splashed cold water on his face, trying to calm his racing heart.