Gemotions

"Coffee?" Liam asked, his voice strained. His apartment was a mess, newspapers strewn across every surface, the remnants of a late-night vigil. He hadn't slept properly in days. The scandal surrounding Blackwood, the writer who had been his North Star, had completely floored him. He had stayed up reading every article, every comment, obsessively tracking the fallout.

His hand trembled as he reached for the mug, the ceramic cold against his skin. The accusations of plagiarism were devastating, a slow, agonizing process of revelation and disbelief. Liam had always dreamed of meeting his hero. Now, the very thought filled him with a bitter, hollow taste. He could barely focus on anything, his thoughts circling endlessly, a trapped bird fluttering against the bars of its cage.