Gemotions

The phone practically vibrated off the coffee table. He snatched it up, fingers fumbling. The message: "Just saw you from across the room. Couldn't stop smiling. Thinking about you." He'd meant to send it to Chloe, but the contact was "Dad." His stomach dropped. Damn auto-complete.

He imagined his father’s response, likely a confused emoji or a practical question about what he was smiling at. The air in the room felt thick, heavy with the weight of his own foolishness. He pictured his father squinting at the screen, bewildered.

He considered deleting it, but the blue checkmarks already screamed "read." He braced himself for the inevitable reply, a knot of dread tightening in his chest. A flush crept up his neck, and he ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture he hadn't known he possessed until recently.