Gemotions

He found himself staring at the family car parked in the driveway, the same model he’d learned to drive in, the same worn seats. The familiarity should have been reassuring, but a tremor ran through him. Liam ran a hand through his hair, smoothing down the edges.

His mother bustled out of the house, her face lit up. "Welcome home, honey! We missed you!" She enveloped him in a hug. He returned the gesture, but the closeness felt...strange.

Later, he stood in the kitchen, watching his father expertly chop vegetables. It was as if no time had passed at all. But something inside him felt altered. He was home, yet adrift.