Gemotions

The ramen in the bowl swam before Amelia’s eyes. Across the kitchen table, Liam was holding forth, his face animated. "Ich habe heute gelernt, wie man 'Kartoffeln' ausspricht!" He beamed, expecting a reaction. Amelia stared at him, the chopsticks frozen mid-air. Her own German had been neglected, dusty and unused, since they'd started dating. Now, suddenly, he was casually dropping phrases, words that had once been hers. A tight knot formed in her chest. She speared a rogue piece of seaweed and chewed slowly, the silence in the room a suffocating weight.