Gemotions

The pounding started again. Liam slammed his fist on the kitchen counter, rattling the coffee mugs. He could feel his jaw clench, a muscle aching along his cheekbone. This had to stop.

He stormed out the back door, boots thudding on the wooden deck. The sunlight felt oppressive, too bright, mocking. He marched toward the fence, a dark silhouette against the vibrant green of the lawn.

"Could you keep it down?!" he roared, his voice rough, unused to such volume. He saw his neighbor, a skinny man with perpetually surprised eyes, flinch and turn off his power tools. Liam crossed his arms, waiting.

The silence that followed was a temporary balm.