Gemotions

He stared at the list, pinned to the corkboard above his desk. "Learn to play the guitar." "Write a screenplay." "Find true happiness." He felt a cold dread spread through him. He saw himself, reflected in her aspirations, as a shadow.

He felt the urge to apologize, to explain, but the words caught in his throat. He retreated into himself, feigning absorption in his work. He started answering his phone when she spoke to him, his responses short.

He worked late into the night, the glow of the computer screen illuminating his face, trying to push away the unsettling thoughts that kept creeping back.