Gemotions

The world tilted on its axis, and everything felt wrong. Daniel felt the ground shift beneath him. He was aware of a churning in his stomach, a deep and unsettling unease. He avoided making eye contact with Mark, his roommate. The casual conversation that Mark tried to strike up felt like a threat.

Daniel found himself backing away, putting distance between them, between himself and the unspoken truth. He felt the sudden need to escape. He grabbed his jacket and almost ran out the door, abandoning his books and his laptop. He fled to the quad, where he found a spot under a large oak tree.

He sat there, staring up at the branches, the leaves filtering the sunlight. The feeling refused to dissipate. He was a puzzle with a piece missing, a feeling of an irredeemable loss.