Gemotions

He'd been acting odd for weeks. Liam found his partner, Daniel, in the attic, surrounded by stacks of paper. A novel, Daniel explained, a project he'd been working on. Liam hadn't given it much thought, not until he stumbled across a hidden manuscript, a password-protected file on Daniel’s phone. He was drawn to the title: *The Ballad of Liam and Daniel*.

His pulse quickened as he scrolled through the pages. The character “Liam” was strikingly familiar. The same crooked smile, the same fondness for old jazz records, the same fears and insecurities he privately confessed. Liam felt his stomach turn.

He felt a deep chill, even though the attic was stiflingly warm. He backed away slowly, as if the story itself might reach out and grab him.