Gemotions

The relentless tick-tock of the grandfather clock in the hallway seemed to amplify the silence in Leo's apartment. His limbs felt heavy, and the simplest tasks required an exhausting effort. He sat on the couch, staring blankly at the dust motes dancing in the sunbeams. His phone buzzed, and he reluctantly reached for it. It was from Finn.

“Hey! Fancy grabbing a beer? Remember that epic gig last year?” The text read.

Leo felt a wave of disorientation wash over him. The gig. He recalled being shoved into the crowds with Finn, and then collapsing from being sick.

He texted back a curt reply, "Yeah, sure." He didn't want to explain why his memories of the evening felt like fragments of a shattered mirror.

“I remember you crowd-surfing,” Finn said excitedly at the bar, clinking their glasses together. “You were the life of the party!”

Leo took a long sip of his beer, the taste metallic. He remembered the paramedics. He remembered the shame. "Did I?" he mumbled, his voice swallowed by the music.