Gemotions

He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands until his scalp ached. He knew the client. He’d seen him at the coffee shop, a regular. Liam had drawn the intricate dragon on a whim, a sketch for a portfolio piece. He never thought it would get this far.

The client, a burly man named Frank, had sent him a picture. The dragon, now inked in deep blues and greens, coiled around Frank’s entire back. Liam found himself pacing his small apartment, the air thick with the unspoken.

He grabbed his sketchbook, flipping through pages, the ghosts of other drawings staring back at him. Each line, each curve, now felt tainted, somehow less… pure. He needed to create, to keep moving forward, but the dragon – his dragon – on Frank’s back was a weight he didn’t know how to shed.