Gemotions

Heaviness settled in Leo’s limbs, a leaden cloak he couldn't shrug off. He'd poured his sorrow into a late-night text, a clumsy attempt to explain the depth of his feelings for Chloe. He’d intended to send it to his brother, a sounding board. It landed in *her* inbox.

He stared at the read receipt. The blue ticks mocked him. He imagined her face, that perfect, inscrutable mask. A wave of nausea rolled over him. He deleted his message. The digital equivalent of burying it in the sand, hoping the tide would simply wash away the evidence.