Gemotions

David slumped onto the park bench, the cold seeping into his bones. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows, but couldn’t warm the chill that had settled in his heart. He’d expected to feel something akin to joy when he found out. Instead, a wave of something akin to bleakness had washed over him.

He’d always felt a disconnect from Clara, a sense that she saw him as a project. Someone to be improved. Now, he’d seen her diligently practicing Mandarin in a language app on her phone. He knew how she felt about his family. Their loud, emotional pronouncements. Their directness. Now she was doing it.

He rubbed his temples, a headache blooming behind his eyes. He’d thought they were building something together. It felt now as if she was building something *around* him, something he wasn't welcome to. He imagined her easily navigating the world he was not and he felt like he was locked on the outside.