Gemotions

He avoided eye contact as his father grilled him about the job search. Liam found himself picking at the worn-out edge of the kitchen table as his father’s voice droned on. He felt his face heat up, a burning sensation that spread through his skin.

The house, normally filled with the comforting smell of his mother’s cooking, felt alien and hostile. He wished he could disappear, evaporate into thin air. He felt acutely aware of his father’s scrutinizing gaze, the unspoken disappointment that hung in the air.

He mumbled a vague response, his voice barely audible. He longed to escape the room, to find a place where the air wasn't thick with judgment, where he could breathe freely.