Gemotions

The silence in the car was crushing. Sarah, who was driving, had just announced her conversion to Buddhism, and a wave of something akin to panic had washed over him. The radio played softly, but the music seemed to have lost its melody.

He stared out the window at the passing landscape, trying to find something familiar in the rushing blur of trees and houses. He felt a rising pressure in his chest, as if he was being squeezed from all sides.

He wanted to ask questions, to demand answers, but the words caught in his throat. He opened his mouth, but only a strangled sound escaped. He felt like he was locked in a room, with the walls slowly closing in.

The longer they remained quiet, the more his anxiety swelled. He felt the need to apologize for something, but he wasn’t sure what. He felt a chill in the air, despite the warmth of the sun. He wasn't sure how to feel.