Gemotions

“A goldfish, Leo! How cool would that be?” Marco asked, his face animated as he gestured to a dusty corner of their apartment. Leo stared at him, a tremor running through him.

He pictured the constant hum of the filter, the responsibility of another life, no matter how small. He felt a strange pressure building behind his eyes, a familiar sense of being hemmed in.

He glanced around the sparsely furnished apartment, the bare walls, the echo of his own solitude. He just wanted things to stay as they were, simple, manageable. He cleared his throat, the sound a little rough, and looked away.