Gemotions

The thought of the speech triggered a familiar feeling. He hadn't felt this way since he was a child, before a school play. His skin prickled with a cold sweat. He found himself staring at the invitation, the embossed lettering blurring before his eyes.

He spent hours rearranging the furniture in his apartment, seeking a distraction, a way to occupy his racing mind. The hours he spent preparing the speech were fruitless. He crumpled up the paper each time.

He felt a deep resistance to the event. He kept making excuses, hoping, that somehow, the party would be cancelled.