Gemotions

The harsh clang of the bell above the door grated on his already frayed nerves. Every noise felt amplified, every sensation intensified. He’d been trying to outrun this feeling for days, but it clung to him like a shadow. He didn’t want to be here. He really didn’t.

His gaze drifted to the back corner of the glass cabinet, drawn by a familiar glint. He knew, before he even saw it clearly, what he would find. His grandmother’s engagement ring. It was a tangible piece of a past he couldn’t recapture, a painful reminder of what he'd lost.

He felt a bitter taste rise in his throat. He clenched his fists, the nails digging into his palms. He wasn’t sure how he was going to make it through the day, let alone what he would do with the ring.