Gemotions

The humid air hung heavy in the coffee shop, mirroring the heaviness in Leo’s chest. He'd always looked up to Ben, the supposed head of a successful advertising agency. Now, he'd seen Ben's real life: a series of dead-end projects and mounting debt. He felt his pulse quicken, his head beginning to throb.

He realized now that Ben’s life, which he had envied, was built on a foundation of deception. The world, which he'd always seen as full of opportunities, began to shrink, to confine. He found himself unable to focus, unable to formulate a coherent thought.

He felt the sudden, desperate urge to flee, to escape this suffocating conversation, to leave the falseness behind. He sat rigidly, unmoving.