Gemotions

"Again, Lily?" Michael asked, forcing a smile as he took the drawing. The creature's presence in Lily’s artwork was unsettling, a phantom echo of his own childhood companion. He walked to the window, the city sprawling below, a vibrant tapestry of lives he wasn't able to live. The glass felt cold against his forehead. He felt the phantom pull of his old life, that freedom he’d forfeited for, for what? He was surrounded by people, but felt so utterly alone, adrift in a sea of unspoken expectations and unfulfilled desires. He took a long, slow breath, feeling as though he were chained to an unseen post.