Gemotions

The news settled over him like a shroud. James had always valued his privacy, but this felt different. A fence was not just a physical barrier; it was a societal one. He paced the confines of his living room, the space seeming to shrink with each circuit.

He felt a sudden, sharp pang of loneliness. The shared garden and the chats over the fence. Those would be gone. There would be no more casual conversations, no more quick exchanges. The feeling was a heavy blanket.

He stopped pacing, staring at the floor, and felt the familiar sting in his eyes. He had been looking forward to a relaxing evening, but the thought of the fence, the change, had shattered that.