Gemotions

The coffee cup trembled in Michael’s hand, sloshing dark liquid onto the pristine white table. He felt… prickly. The air in the cafe seemed thin, suffocating. He’d seen the ad on the community board – "Therapy with Ben Carter." The name had hit him like a physical blow. Ben Carter, the kid who’d made his life a living hell. The man he'd avoided for the better part of two decades.

He traced the rim of the cup with his thumb. He thought about the countless sleepless nights, the anxiety attacks, the lingering feeling of inadequacy. All of it, he felt, was due to *him*. Now, the man was supposed to ‘fix’ him? The thought was absurd. Enraging.

He considered leaving, walking away. But then, he thought about the years he’d wasted, the opportunities he’d missed. And a different kind of fire ignited within him – the desire for… retribution.