Gemotions

He was at a conference, presenting his research, when a colleague whispered about it. A blog post. "Remember that diary you wrote, the one with the crazy teenage antics?" He had written about his attraction to his best friend, the drunken parties, the rebellious phase.

His skin prickled. He managed to finish the presentation, but his voice shook, his hands were clammy. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him.

After the presentation, he retreated to his hotel room. He paced, unable to sit still. He felt exposed, stripped down, as if his life were a glass house. He wanted to teleport back to his childhood and prevent this from happening.

He called his mother, his voice cracking, but all he could manage was a strained, "Hello." He wanted to be a child again, protected.