Gemotions

He spent hours rearranging the furniture in his childhood bedroom, a fruitless attempt to reclaim some semblance of control. The floral wallpaper, a relic of his youth, seemed to judge him with its cheerful blooms.

He found an old box of photographs. Looking at the smiling faces, the carefree moments, just heightened the sense of loss. He slammed the lid shut.

His stomach clenched, a familiar sensation. The thought of facing the day, of pretending to be okay, of enduring the well-meaning questions, filled him with a profound sense of weariness. He wanted to vanish.