Gemotions

He’d almost lost it in the hardware store earlier. Mark had gone to buy some earplugs, but had been met with a line of people also seeking refuge from the onslaught next door. The air was thick with grumbling, with barely-contained frustration. He’d barely managed to mumble his purchase and escape.

Back home, he sank into the armchair. The vibrations from the construction now seemed to penetrate his very core. He felt a strange tingling in his fingertips, as though they were buzzing with electricity.

His breathing grew shallow, rapid. He thought of confronting the neighbor, of expressing his dissatisfaction, but the image of their smiling faces – the very *insouciance* of it all – stopped him short.