Gemotions

"Another hour," the gate agent had announced, her voice flat and devoid of any empathy. Mark stared out the window, watching the planes take off and land with a detached sort of interest. The annual family reunion was a highly anticipated event, a gathering he usually cherished. Now, the thought of missing it filled him with a strange emptiness.

He'd counted the tiles on the floor, calculated the square footage of the waiting area, and even attempted a mental exercise challenge, to distract himself. It wasn't working. He felt a deep restlessness, a physical need to move, to be somewhere, anywhere, else.

He pulled out his phone again, scrolling through photos of his family. The smiles, the laughter, the shared memories – they were all so far away. He felt a deep ache in his chest, a yearning for the connection he was now missing.