Gemotions

The morning sun warmed Elias's face as he stretched, a deep, satisfying yawn escaping him. He felt the tension melt from his shoulders, like candle wax on a hot summer day. He’d finally finished the last chapter of his novel late last night. Stepping out onto his back patio, he smiled, inhaling the crisp, floral air. Then he saw it: Buster, the neighbor’s golden retriever, happily trotting across his meticulously kept lawn, a tennis ball clutched in his jaws. Elias chuckled, the sound light and airy. “Well, hello there, buddy,” he said, the corner of his mouth curving upward. He grabbed a spare ball from the porch and joined in the impromptu game, the earlier exhaustion entirely forgotten.