Gemotions

The sunlight, filtered through the blinds, cast long, dusty shadows across the living room. Leo felt the familiar weight in his chest, a constant, low-grade thrum of weariness. He’d found a crumpled piece of paper in the pocket of Maya’s old jacket. It was her list, scrawled in pen that had smudged from being carried around.

He recognized the handwriting, but the words felt foreign, a secret he wasn’t privy to. *Visit Japan.* *Learn to code.* *Run a marathon.* He had no idea she had ever considered such things. He felt a pang of guilt, a sharp stab of self-reproach.

He remembered her smile, the way she used to laugh, and the fact that both had faded, along with her. She had been increasingly silent these past months, her usual bubbly enthusiasm replaced by a quiet stillness. He sat, the list now a burden in his hands, wishing he could somehow reclaim the joy that had been lost.