Gemotions

The vibrant colors of the living room felt too bright, the sounds of his family's laughter grated on his nerves. He sat on the floor, legs crossed, staring at the floor, wanting to scream. The feeling had grown over the last few weeks, the weight of his reality growing with it.

He picked at a loose thread in the rug, his fingers tracing its coarse texture. His mother's words of encouragement, designed to lift his spirits, only seemed to add to the pressure. He felt like he was failing them.

He thought about the life he had lost, the promises he had made to himself. The apartment, the job, the independence... all gone. The feeling of being stuck, of having fallen short, was a crushing weight on his shoulders.