Gemotions

He’d always envisioned meeting the author, perhaps at a book signing or a conference. Thomas’s hands now trembled as he held the expensive hardback book. It felt heavy, cumbersome, a burden he couldn't simply put down.

His throat felt constricted. He felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. The familiar scent of the new book was now nauseating. He looked at the inscription inside, a personal message the author had written to him months ago, now seeming like a cruel joke.

He walked to the trash can, then hesitated. The thought of tossing it away felt wrong, but keeping it was worse. He felt a strange conflict, a deep conflict, within his chest.