Gemotions

He stared at the email, the stark black text against the white screen. The news: his HIV test result, his supposed positive diagnosis, belonged to another man. His mind raced. He thought about the phone calls he had made, the people he had told, the fear that had consumed him for the past month. All in vain.

He felt a sudden, profound exhaustion. He slumped back in his chair, the office around him closing in. He felt as if he were suffocating. The air seemed thin, the walls closing in, pressing against him.

He reached for his phone, his hand trembling as he dialled his partner's number. The words would not come.