Gemotions

The rain hammered against the windows, mirroring the pounding in Michael’s chest. He'd been cornered by Kevin at a work event, an unexpected encounter. Kevin had brought up their failed band, *The Static Souls*, the music they had tried to make together in high school. He remembered it as a fun time.

Kevin described Michael as the one who had abandoned the project, the one who had lost faith in their music. Michael recalled differently. The late-night arguments, the creative clashes, the crushing feeling of inadequacy, he had felt then. Kevin had been the one, in Michael’s view, to have lost focus. He thought of his parents' constant pressure, the demands on his time.

He wished he could rewind time, change the outcome. Now, facing Kevin’s easy optimism, he felt a crushing sense of responsibility for their failure, a bitterness that lay heavy on his tongue. He had let down his friend, and himself.