Gemotions

James stared at the framed photo on his desk, a picture of him and Alex on their camping trip. He felt a deep sense of wrongness. The sunny smiles, the triumphant pose, they mocked him. Today they'd met up, and they'd been talking about that trip.

Alex remembered it as a fun bonding experience. James remembered the fear. The sheer physical and emotional difficulty of it. The way their friendship had felt strained. The memory, for him, was a dark place. He couldn't quite meet Alex's eye as they talked, the difference in perspective creating an almost palpable tension. He felt a profound sense of distance, a quiet ache that settled deep within him.