Gemotions

"I just… I just don't understand!" David cried, his voice cracking with each word. He slumped against the refrigerator, his knees threatening to give way. The kitchen, usually a place of comfort, now felt like a prison. Leo stood across from him, holding a small, chirping birdcage.

Leo gestured towards the cage. "David, it's a budgie. They're very low maintenance." David glared, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. "It'll poop everywhere! The noise! The… the unpredictability! My sleep schedule will be destroyed!"

He clutched his hair, pulling at it as if he could physically extract the anxiety that was consuming him. The ticking of the clock seemed to amplify the hammering in his chest. "I can't… I can't live like this!" The world tilted slightly.