Gemotions

The old, leather-bound photo album sat on the table. Arthur opened it carefully, the brittle pages whispering tales of the past. Ben's starting salary was more than Arthur's annual salary had been when he’d first joined the company.

He touched a faded photograph of himself in his twenties, his face brimming with ambition and hope. It felt like a lifetime ago.

He turned the page, and the faces of his friends looked up at him. The people he had loved, the experiences they had shared, the joy. He smiled, feeling the ache of loss, but also something else, a warmth that ran deep within him.