Gemotions

The knot in Liam's stomach tightened as he watched Maya across the common room. She was casually flipping through a textbook, but his mind flashed back to the way his journal had been positioned on his desk that morning. Not quite where he’d left it. A cold sweat prickled his skin. He excused himself and went to the bathroom, splashing water on his face, trying to calm the racing of his heart. The words, his secrets, were exposed. He felt exposed.

He avoided her for the rest of the day, a clumsy dance of missed glances and hurried exits. That night, he feigned sleep when she came in, the silence punctuated by the slow, shallow breaths he took, mimicking slumber. The air crackled with unspoken accusations.

Later, he couldn't sleep. He sat up, pulled out the journal, and scribbled a single, frantic word on the first page: "Why?" Then he slammed it shut, the sound echoing in the small room. He closed his eyes, his chest aching with a hollow emptiness.