Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window, mimicking the violent drumming in his chest. Mark stared at the empty space on the couch where Liam usually sat, a shared pizza box between them. Now, there was just the echo of his laugh, a phantom limb aching in the sudden void. He replayed their last conversation, searching for clues, a crack in Liam's usual easygoing demeanor. He found none.

He kept the blinds pulled, convinced that prying eyes were watching, judging his reaction to the inevitable news. He circled the apartment, checking the locks, the windows, again and again. Even the reflection in the kitchen window seemed to sneer back at him. What was he missing?

He ate a piece of cold pizza, the taste turning to ash in his mouth. He thought of the shared future they had mapped out, the silly dreams, the promise of forever. He began to feel like he was trapped, but he didn't know what he was trapped in.