Gemotions

The unexpected burst of color jolted him awake. He was usually such a deep sleeper, but the aroma of roses had woken him. He sat up, his limbs feeling electrified, every nerve ending firing. He surveyed the room, the familiar furniture now seeming foreign, each object a possible hiding place.

A delivery man had just left a bouquet on the doorstep. No card. A thrill, not of joy, but something wilder, surged through him. He moved, his motions swift and economical. He was already checking the blinds, the locks on the doors.

His apartment, once a sanctuary, now felt like a playing field. He began a methodical search, every drawer, every cupboard, every corner scrutinized with intense focus. He found nothing, of course, but the heightened awareness, this hyper-vigilance, was a strange kind of energy.