Gemotions

Liam saw the photo on Instagram, a stark black and white portrait of a woman’s back, the familiar curve of a stylized raven etched in the skin. He knew that raven. It was his. His design. His painstaking weeks of work, now a permanent fixture on someone he didn’t even know. A wave of bitterness rolled over him, leaving his stomach churning.

He slammed his laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in his small apartment. He paced the worn rug, then went to the fridge and poured himself a large whiskey. He normally avoided alcohol while working, but he needed a distraction. The design was all over his website, the one that he used to promote his art. Now it was just out there.

He started a new piece, furiously brushing the paint. He tried to focus on his own work, to channel the fire that coursed through him into something tangible, something undeniably his. But the raven’s shadow still seemed to fall on everything.