Gemotions

The newspaper crackled in his hands as he folded it, the sound grating against his teeth. Edward leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and stared out the window. The neighbor's dog barked incessantly. Everything felt irritating.

He and his friend, George, were supposed to have a quiet dinner tonight. A catch-up. George, however, had already texted to remind Edward of the time they'd tried to build a treehouse as kids. George recalled it as a grand adventure, a testament to their youthful ingenuity.

Edward, by contrast, remembered splinters, arguments, and ultimately, a half-finished, lopsided monstrosity. “It was a disaster,” he’d texted back. George's response, a laughing emoji, had only deepened his displeasure.