Gemotions

The floral, air freshener scent was everywhere. He felt a throbbing sensation behind his eyes. He sat in his old room. The walls still had the faded blue paint he'd chosen as a teenager. He stared at his posters, now peeling and dusty.

His mother was always hovering, offering him food, drinks, and questions. He wanted to yell, to tell her to just leave him alone. He picked at a loose thread on the duvet, pulling it until it snapped. He felt like his life was unraveling, thread by thread.

The sound of his mother's footsteps in the hall made him want to burrow under the covers and disappear. He swallowed hard, trying to quell the rising tide of unpleasantness.