Gemotions

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the empty beach. Liam sat on a driftwood log, the salt air whipping through his hair. In his hand, he held a printout of the article, the words he had written but that bore another's name. A soft warmth spread through his chest.

He closed his eyes, remembering the raw emotion he had poured into it, the vulnerability he had laid bare. He recalled the feeling of being completely and utterly *seen*. The sting of the plagiarism had long faded, replaced by something… softer.

He took a deep breath, the scent of the ocean filling his lungs. It was a piece of his heart. He felt a deep connection to the words and to the person he was when he wrote them. The joy of the creation was what mattered now.

He crumpled the paper, then stopped. He smoothed it out again, and tucked it into his pocket. He decided the next time the beach was empty, he'd read it aloud, his voice carried away by the wind.