Gemotions

The harsh fluorescent lights of the apartment kitchen seemed particularly unforgiving today. He stared blankly at the chipped paint on the wall. Across the room, Alex, his roommate, was enthusiastically describing the benefits of owning a cat. "They're independent! They're clean! They're perfect!"

His mind wandered, back to his old home, to his grandmother's cat, a calico named Patches, and the feel of the cat’s gentle purr against his ear while he did homework. It felt like another lifetime.

He took a slow, deep breath, running a hand through his hair, a gesture he had often done back then, too. "I… I just don't think I can," he said, the words barely a whisper. The idea of getting a cat, of sharing his small space with another living being, just felt… wrong.