Gemotions

He stared at the handwritten list, the paper trembling slightly in his grasp. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the living room, mirroring the shadows that had settled in his heart. It was his partner, Alex's, list, a window into a soul he hadn't fully understood.

He felt the corners of his mouth turning down, his shoulders slumped. "Start a business." "Learn to code." "See a concert." He felt a sense of inadequacy, as though he hadn’t been enough, as though he had somehow failed.

He sat back on the couch, the list falling onto his lap. The silence of the apartment felt deafening. He felt a deep, abiding sadness, a heavy weight that settled on his chest.