Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mimicking the tears he refused to shed. Elias stared at the crayon drawing his niece, Lily, had proudly presented. It was a crude depiction of a stick figure with impossibly large, mismatched eyes standing beside a girl with a beaming smile. He recognized the girl: Lily, of course. But the stick figure… it was Bartholomew. The imaginary friend he'd invented to combat the loneliness of his own childhood. Bartholomew, with his perpetually tilted head and the mismatched socks he’d always envisioned him wearing. A fresh pang of sorrow coiled in his gut.

He excused himself, murmuring something about needing to step outside for some air. The damp, cold air did little to soothe the tightness in his chest. He kicked at a loose stone on the sidewalk, the sound echoing in the otherwise empty street. His gaze drifted to the house across the street, where his ex-partner, Sarah, lived with their new family.

The light from their living room window cast a warm, inviting glow. He clenched his jaw, the ache in his heart a dull, persistent throb. He turned away and walked back into the house.