Gemotions

He stared at the blank page on his laptop, the cursor blinking like a malevolent eye. Michael had agreed, of course, when his mother asked him to say a few words. But now, as the event drew closer, the agreement felt like a trap. The space between the lines was vast and empty.

He started eating less. His appetite vanished. He found himself picking at his food, pushing it around his plate. He constantly checked the clock, counting down the minutes, the hours, the days.

He tried to talk to his partner, Sarah, about it, but the words caught in his throat. He ended up just giving a tight, forced smile. The prospect of the speech left him drained.