Gemotions

The news felt like a physical blow. Mark, his face a mask of careful neutrality, had delivered the sentence with a casual air. "Yeah, I'm heading to California next month." He watched as the words drifted through the air between them, feeling as though the air had become dense with a heavy weight.

He picked at the label on his beer, suddenly intensely interested in the mundane act. He found that swallowing was a labor. He could not stand up. The world had tilted.

He forced a weak smile and nodded. "California, huh? That's… great." His voice sounded thin, reedy, utterly unconvincing even to his own ears. He wanted to scream.