Gemotions

The coffee grew cold in the mug, untouched. I sat slumped in the armchair, the afternoon light slowly fading. The apartment felt suffocating, yet the thought of going outside felt even worse. The world was a vast, confusing place, and I had no desire to engage with it.

I saw the flashing notification, a work email. I groaned, staring at the screen. Routine tasks, meetings, all demanding my attention. I should respond. I just couldn’t. My gaze drifted to the local community center website. I saw his name, "Counseling Services: Meet with John Davis." My breath caught. John Davis. The boy who’d terrorized me in elementary school. The one who'd made me feel small and insignificant.

I felt a surge of…something. Not anger, not excitement, but a strange, unsettling pull. The idea of him, of seeing him, of…laying bare my soul to him, felt bizarrely appealing. I found myself typing in a search for his contact information.