Gemotions

The glossy photograph on the invitation, a group of smiling faces from their senior year, sent a shiver down his spine. The image was a painful reminder of what he had lost. His apartment was so small, so empty. He'd been alone for so long.

He crumpled the invitation in his fist, the paper crinkling loudly in the silence. He thought about the people he'd be seeing, the lives they’d built, the successes they’d achieved. He ran a hand through his thinning hair, a gesture of defeat.

His reflection in the window showed a man he barely recognized, a stranger etched with disappointment. He needed to be someone else, someone better, someone worthy of being seen. He wished the entire event would just disappear.