Gemotions

The air in the grand ballroom felt thin to Leo. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, trying to keep his distance from his extended family. The room was loud, filled with forced merriment, and the sound grated on him. He felt as if he was in a cage. He couldn't shake off the feeling that his carefully constructed facade would crumble at any moment.

He had always been the quiet one, the observer. Speaking in public was his idea of hell. He had painstakingly written and re-written his speech, but he couldn't shake off the dread that settled in his stomach. He was tasked with offering a warm farewell to his father, a man with whom he shared a complicated, unspoken history, the details of which he was determined to keep under wraps.

The spotlight hit him, making him feel exposed. He took a deep, shaky breath, and began to speak.