Gemotions

He stared at the blank TV screen, the flickering light doing nothing to dispel the gloom that clung to him like a damp shroud. Every muscle in his body felt heavy, his limbs leaden weights. The air in the apartment seemed thick, suffocating. He’d barely touched the dinner he’d cooked, the untouched plate a testament to his lack of appetite. His phone vibrated on the table. He picked it up, expecting another work email, but saw a text from his mother. *How are you feeling love?* he typed back a reply before he could think, then instantly cringed. The recipient was wrong, a colleague, a friendly acquaintance, not his mother. Attached to the message was a picture of a dumpster fire he had taken earlier that day after an argument with his partner. His face burned with shame.