Gemotions

He found it late one night, a link shared in a group chat. Liam stared at the screen, the words of his youthful self staring back. He felt a deep ache in his chest as he reread his teenage anxieties, laid bare for all to see. He knew his friends were probably snickering, the same friends he'd shared so many late-night confessions with.

He pictured them reading the parts about his first love, the clumsy poems, the unrequited longing. A wave of heat washed over him as he imagined their reaction. He knew he should be angry, that he had every right to feel violated, but a different emotion washed over him.

He pictured his younger self, so full of hope and fear, and felt a profound sadness. He knew how it felt to hurt that way. He clicked 'close' on the browser window and went to bed, wondering if the girl he wrote about was doing okay.