Gemotions

"Honestly," Michael muttered under his breath, jamming the small plastic gears into place with a little too much force. The Lego model he'd meticulously built for his own enjoyment over the last decade sat, half-dismantled, on the coffee table. Eight-year-old Leo's engineering marvels, now everywhere, had taken over everything. Every flat surface in their apartment was covered in scattered bricks and half-finished projects. He hadn't touched his own projects in months. The rhythmic click-clack of Leo's rapid-fire brick assembly was a constant background noise, a soundtrack to his own dwindling free time. He could feel the tension building in his shoulders again. He needed quiet. He needed to unwind and do what he enjoyed.