Gemotions

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, usually a comfort, now felt like a taunt. Liam watched Sarah across the kitchen table. Sunlight glinted off her dark hair as she carefully folded a newspaper, a newspaper Liam *knew* she’d been struggling to read just weeks ago. He’d seen her struggle with the complex articles, the unfamiliar characters. Now, she moved through them with a casual ease that pricked at him. He slammed his mug down, the ceramic clinking loudly.

"Planning on going anywhere?" he asked, voice sharper than he intended.

Sarah looked up, her expression briefly flitting with something he couldn't quite decipher before smoothing out. "Just the market. Need anything?" The curve of her mouth was polite, almost too perfect. He felt a knot tighten in his stomach. He didn’t.