Gemotions

The silence in the concert hall was deafening to Marcus. The soaring melodies, usually a source of joy, now grated on his already raw nerves. The symphony of pain that always thrummed inside him became louder. He hated the way it changed him, the way he could not be a normal person.

He’d tried everything to quell the inner fire, to mute the screaming silence – medication, therapy, meditation. Nothing worked. The doctors had labeled his condition as "idiopathic," a frustrating shrug of the shoulders that only amplified his despair. He felt trapped.

He saw her across the crowded lobby during intermission. A woman, leaning against a pillar, her face etched with a familiar pain. He recognized the subtle tremor in her hands. The way her breath hitched.

He approached her, a knot forming in his stomach. "It's… it's the noise, isn't it?" he asked.

She looked at him. Her eyes revealed a shared reality.