Gemotions

The stale air of the apartment felt thick and heavy on Leo's chest. He stared at the flickering television screen, the colorful images failing to penetrate the grey haze that had settled over him. He’d been meaning to clean, to cook, to do *anything* but wallow. He opened his phone, intending to text his brother, a simple, “How’s it going?” But his thumb slipped. The message, meant for the closest person in his life, went to a number he barely knew, his former boss, Mr. Henderson, who had fired him. The dread in his stomach intensified, a cold knot forming in his abdomen. He imagined the curt reply, the pointed silence.