Gemotions

He was at a family dinner when his sister showed him the article. His face flushed with a furious heat. The chosen essay, "The Echo of Silence," was about their family. It had been about all of the things he kept locked away.

His pulse quickened. His grip on the silverware tightened. He wanted to shout, to object, to protest. The faces around the table, once familiar, suddenly seemed foreign and invasive. The familiar chatter of his family now grated on his ears.

He excused himself, the words catching in his throat. He stormed outside, the cool night air doing little to soothe his rising agitation. He started pacing, his hands balled into fists.