Gemotions

The chipped mug warmed Elias's hands as he stared out the window. Rain lashed against the glass, mirroring the storm brewing inside him. He hadn't thought about that summer in years, the one where everything felt both impossibly large and intensely personal.

He swirled the lukewarm tea, the floral scent barely registering. Suddenly, a familiar name flickered in his mind: Brendan Walsh, the bane of his younger self. He had stumbled upon Brendan's online profile – a therapist, specializing in adolescent trauma. The irony struck him, a cold jab in his gut.

He chuckled, a short, brittle sound. Brendan, the boy who used to trip him in the hallways, now trying to mend the broken. A strange, unfamiliar ache settled in his chest, a yearning for something he couldn't quite name.