Gemotions

The silence in the library was deafening. Michael sat hunched over the computer, the glow of the screen reflecting in his widened eyes. The carefully constructed narrative of his life was unraveling before him. A thread at a time.

He felt a tightness in his chest, a sensation of being unable to breathe. He wanted to scream, to lash out, but the quiet of the library held him captive. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands as if trying to physically pull himself away from the truth.

He looked around the room, at the other readers, oblivious to his turmoil. Their normalcy felt like a betrayal. He closed the laptop, the sudden darkness a physical representation of the void opening up inside him.