Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mimicking the rhythm of Elias’s anxiety. He slumped deeper into the threadbare armchair, the cushions swallowing him whole. His mother’s scent, a cloying mix of lavender and something vaguely medicinal, hung in the air. He hadn’t showered in two days. The stale pizza boxes on the coffee table were testament to his lethargy. He heard his father’s heavy footsteps approaching and braced himself.

"Elias, are you going to apply for any jobs today?" His father's voice, usually booming with good humor, was now laced with an edge of weary concern. Elias mumbled something unintelligible, staring at the chipped paint on the wall. The silence that followed was more crushing than any reprimand.

He felt the familiar knot in his stomach tighten. He was a burden. A failure. He knew it was written all over his face. He’d seen the disappointment in their eyes when he’d first arrived, tail between his legs, suitcase clutched tightly in his hand. He’d hoped for something, anything, to make him feel differently. But the feeling just kept lingering, a shadow that clung to him with every passing day.