Gemotions

Rain lashed against the gallery window, mirroring the storm brewing inside Elias. He stared, hands shoved deep in his pockets, at the photograph taped to the wall. His painting, “Ephemeral Bloom,” was reproduced, inked onto a stranger's shoulder. He felt a knot tighten in his stomach. A theft, a desecration. He'd poured his heart, his very essence, onto that canvas. Now, it was… tattooed.

The woman in the photo, her face obscured by shadows, was laughing. The tattoo artist, grinning, raised a thumbs up. A wave of heat washed over Elias, making his skin prickle. He felt a desperate urge to tear the photograph down, to obliterate the image.

He left the gallery without a word, the sound of the rain amplifying the echoing emptiness in his chest. He hailed a cab, the city lights blurring through the smeared glass. Back at his apartment, he sat on the edge of his bed, the silence of the room amplifying the feeling of violation. He couldn’t seem to find peace.