Gemotions

He’d sworn he wouldn't. He'd promised himself he’d respect his son’s privacy. But the nagging in his gut, the unease that had been building for weeks, finally tipped the scales. He held the phone, the digital evidence staring back at him: a profile picture of a young man, a stranger, a life so unlike the quiet one he knew. His heart beat an erratic rhythm against his ribs.

He dove in, scrolling through the posts. The words, the jokes, the inside references. All of it fueled the energy building up inside him. He felt a need to understand it, to grasp this parallel universe his son had created. Each click, each new image, was a small explosion within him. He was a detective now, on a clandestine mission.

He suddenly got up and walked out of the room, needing air, needing to pace. He thought about his son. He thought about who he *was*. He felt like he was falling.