Gemotions

The floral arrangements seemed garish, the music too loud. A wave of nausea rolled over him. He felt the insistent thrum of a headache behind his eyes. He scanned the room, looking for an escape route, any open door.

The hours leading up to this point had been a blur of frantic activity. He'd been rushing, constantly, trying to keep up, to meet deadlines, to please everyone. The pressure had become suffocating.

He noticed his mother watching him, her smile bright and expectant. He forced a smile back, a tight, brittle thing. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. The speech, the performance, loomed before him, a vast and daunting task.