Gemotions

The apartment felt cavernous, the silence echoing in his ears. His fingers drummed a frustrated rhythm on the table, a frantic counterpoint to the quiet. A dog. He longed for a dog to go on walks with, to talk to, to give all his attention to. But his roommate, Emily, was adamant. A dog would be too much work, too much noise, and too much mess.

He stared out the window, watching children play with a golden retriever in the park below. A tightness formed in his chest, a feeling of being trapped, and the familiar ache in his jaw was a signal of his suppressed anger.