Gemotions

He sat in the lecture hall, the professor’s words washing over him, failing to penetrate the thick fog in his brain. Professor Davies, his mentor and the closest thing he had to a friend in this city, was moving on. He felt a sharp, unexpected pang in his chest, a physical manifestation of his distress.

He wandered the campus, the cheerful atmosphere of students socializing on the lawns amplifying his own feelings of being apart. He skipped his usual coffee break. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, usually a comfort, now felt cloying.

He found himself staring at the river, the water's relentless flow reflecting the restless turmoil within him. The city lights began to twinkle, each one a tiny, distant world he was not invited to.