Gemotions

The sunlight felt brutal on Leo's face as he walked down the street. The recent art fair had been a blur of forced pleasantries and insincere compliments. He felt hollow, like a used-up canvas. His mind had gone blank.

He stopped at a coffee shop, needing caffeine to stay upright. A woman at the next table, a biker type, caught his eye. Something seemed familiar about her.

Then he saw it. A sprawling, intricate design on her calf, a near perfect reproduction of his "Urban Decay" series. The colors, the textures, the composition – it was all there, permanently inked. He felt his chest tighten, a knot forming deep inside. He'd worked so hard to establish himself.