Gemotions

Liam slammed the door a little too hard, the sound echoing in the empty apartment. He dropped his keys on the counter, the clatter a small, defiant gesture against the silence. Work had been brutal. His promotion was a distant whisper, buried under the constant pressure to meet impossible deadlines. He craved the oblivion of the couch, of staring at the ceiling until sleep finally arrived. That's when his phone pinged. A photo from his brother. Another one of Lily's drawings. This time, the lanky figure was wearing a crown made of leaves, standing beside a princess-like Lily in a flowing gown. The familiar feeling of something missing, something unrecoverable, washed over him.

He remembered Arthur as a sort of benevolent king who helped him get out of trouble and make decisions as a child. A cold sensation spread through his chest. He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture he hadn't realized he was still doing.