Gemotions

The house felt cavernous, the shadows stretching and distorting in the fading light. He’d spent the day re-reading old emails, searching for a ghost of connection in the digital ether. The application process for the designer position had consumed him and his friend, Liam, for months. They had gone over their portfolios and practiced interviews together.

Now, Liam's phone calls went straight to voicemail. Liam, the friend he’d shared a million coffees and late-night talks with, the man who had always been a constant in his life. The silence was a physical presence, a weight pressing down on him. He turned on the television, but the images flickered meaninglessly across the screen, a distraction rather than a source of solace.

He ate dinner alone, the food tasting bland and unsatisfying. The empty chair at the table seemed to amplify his solitude. The walls of his home closed in around him.