Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mimicking the rhythm of Elias’s heartbeat. He slumped in the worn armchair, the antique a monument to a father he barely remembered. His sister, Clara, breezed in, a whirlwind of efficiency, her briefcase clicking shut with a finality that grated on his nerves. He watched her, head bowed, as she spoke briskly about the legal jargon, the house, the investments. He couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes, or respond to her questions. He fiddled with the frayed edge of the cushion, the rough fabric a balm to his frayed nerves. He felt a deep ache within him, a hollow place that echoed with the absence of something lost, something irreplaceable.