Gemotions

He stared at the screen, the image of his childhood bedroom a phantom presence. The “Before” shot, they called it. Before the renovations. Before the… everything. A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes.

He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, the gesture more habit than intention. He felt a profound sense of… absence. His apartment, usually a refuge, felt sterile and isolating.

He remembered the smell of Dad's pipe tobacco mingling with the scent of his own crayons. Laughter echoing through the halls. The echo of the silence now was deafening, a palpable void in the stillness of his current life.