Gemotions

The city noise was a constant assault, a relentless barrage that amplified the ache in his bones. He missed the quiet of his small town, the open sky, the feeling of space. But he couldn't go back, the unspoken rules holding him in place.

He sat on a park bench, watching children play, the carefree laughter a painful reminder of what he had lost. His chest felt constricted, as if someone was slowly tightening a vise.

A young woman, also sitting alone, glanced at him, her eyes filled with an unspoken understanding. She slowly approached and said "My medical record said I had to find someone with the same condition, to stay alive". She then extended her hand out to his.