Gemotions

The scent of old books and dried flowers filled the air as Oliver ran his fingers over the list, which he had found stuffed inside a copy of *Moby Dick* on their bookshelf. His partner, Finn’s, handwriting danced across the paper, a collection of desires that felt like a punch to the gut.

“Build a treehouse.” They had always lived in apartments. “Learn to fly a plane.” He knew of Finn’s interest in airplanes, but never this. “Volunteer in a soup kitchen.” A part of Finn he'd never seen.

He felt a deep and persistent emptiness settle in his heart. It was as if he was staring at a stranger, the person he thought he knew now unrecognizable. The list was a testament to the unfulfilled dreams, the lost opportunities, of a life he hadn't fully shared. He felt a profound sense of displacement, as if he were lost in a labyrinth of his own making.