Gemotions

He had told everyone he was fine, but now, as the first guests arrived, Mark felt a cold sweat prickling his skin. Liam’s party. The same day. It was a looming, suffocating presence.

He greeted the guests with a plastered-on smile, his voice tight, unfamiliar. He kept scanning the room, searching for familiar faces, for signs of… something. He felt utterly exposed, vulnerable.

He excused himself to the bathroom, desperate for a moment of solitude. He stared at his reflection, the image of a stranger. He wanted to go home, to crawl into bed and hide. The day felt endless.