Gemotions

The sudden bursts of Tagalog from across the living room startled Amelia. Liam was on the phone, animated, using phrases and idioms she'd never taught him. Her jaw tightened. She pretended to be engrossed in a book, but every sentence, every lilting inflection, was a tiny jab. She kept her eyes glued to the page, but the words blurred into a meaningless jumble. When Liam finally hung up, he turned to her, eyes bright, and asked, "So, what did you think?" Amelia shrugged, feeling a tightness in her chest.