Gemotions

He stared at his reflection, the pale face staring back a stranger. The move back home had been a necessity, a practical solution to a financial crisis. Yet, since arriving, an undercurrent of unease had settled into his bones.

His father’s booming laughter, once a source of comfort, now grated on him. He picked at the threadbare carpet, tracing its worn patterns with a trembling finger. Why did everything feel so... amplified?

Dinner conversations, once a source of lighthearted banter, devolved into silent, jerky movements, a struggle to mask the feelings that welled up. He found himself avoiding his parents, retreating to the basement where he could be alone with the hum of the old furnace and the damp, earthy smell.