Gemotions

The aroma of cardamom and ginger hung heavy in the air, a scent that always transported Amelia back to her grandmother's kitchen. She stopped abruptly at the doorway of their shared apartment, her hand hovering over the doorknob. Inside, Liam was humming tunelessly, his voice barely audible, but the lilt… that was the key. He was speaking her language, the one she’d buried deep, embarrassed by its lilting rhythms and the way others had mocked her pronunciation as a child. A knot tightened in her stomach. She retreated back into the hallway, the sudden coolness of the air a welcome balm on her suddenly flushed skin.