Gemotions

The phone rang. It was his old friend, offering a ride to the reunion. John hesitated, the phone clutched tightly in his hand. He glanced around his empty apartment.

He had built a life of routine, of avoiding risk. He worked a job that bored him, lived in a place that didn't feel like home. Every day was a variation of the last, and the future stretched before him, bleak and predictable.

He had promised himself he'd change things, but the words felt empty. He sighed, the sound escaping him like a deflating balloon. He knew he'd make some excuse, and he'd find himself alone again.