Gemotions

He found the invitation wedged between a stack of bills. David stared at it, his jaw clenching. He felt a familiar hollowness settle in his stomach, a feeling that had become a constant companion in recent years. He balled the paper up, then slowly, deliberately, flattened it again. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it a mess.

The thought of seeing everyone again, of being forced to make small talk and feign happiness, made him want to disappear. He pictured the easy smiles, the comfortable success stories – all things he felt were conspicuously absent from his own life. The silence in his apartment seemed to amplify the internal cacophony.

He went to the fridge and stared at the meager contents. He wasn’t hungry, but he grabbed a beer anyway, the cold can a small comfort against the heat that flared within him. He sat on the couch, unable to focus on the television screen, the images blurring into a meaningless jumble. He felt a deep, almost paralyzing sense of unease.