Gemotions

The worn leather of the armchair in his grandfather's study felt comforting against Michael's skin. The familiar scent of pipe tobacco and old books always seemed to soothe him. He pulled out an old photo album, flipping through the brittle pages.

He found it, the picture of him and Kevin Riley, in matching soccer jerseys, grinning crookedly at the camera. He remembered the sting of Kevin's taunts, the shove in the playground. Now, Kevin Riley's name was on a sign, a therapist. He had a practice.

He sighed, the air catching in his throat. He felt a deep ache, a yearning to revisit a past he knew he could never fully reclaim.