Gemotions

He found it wedged between the pages of her favorite book. "Climb Mount Kilimanjaro." "Write a best-selling memoir." "Love someone with all my heart, without holding back." His stomach lurched. He felt… small.

He placed the book back on the shelf, his fingers lingering on the spine. He felt a need to retreat, to disappear. He retreated to his workshop, the hammering and sawing a futile attempt to drown out the internal turmoil.

He emerged hours later, the room filled with the scent of wood, his face covered in sawdust. He pretended he didn't notice when she asked him what he'd been doing. He shrugged, mumbled, and moved quickly away from the questioning.