Gemotions

The cramped dorm room felt suffocating. Ethan surveyed the scene: his journal, open on his roommate's desk. Liam was in the corner by the fridge. Ethan felt a deep, wrenching ache. He felt like his heart was being squeezed.

He went to the window, the cool air doing little to soothe him. He thought of his late father, the man he opened up to in the diary, the man whose absence was a constant, dull throb. It was all so raw. It felt so wrong.

"I didn't mean to pry, man," Liam said, his voice flat. Ethan didn't respond, the words catching in his throat. He felt the sting of tears.