Gemotions

The air in the flat felt thick, heavy. David had spent the day staring out the window, a listlessness weighing on him. He hadn’t touched his dinner, letting it grow cold on the table, and the evening was shaping up to be equally unwelcome.

He heard a low sound from the living room – a strange staccato rhythm. Intrigued, he wandered over, a sense of foreboding settling in his chest.

There, on the sofa, lay his partner, Alex, with a book in their lap and a tablet in their other hand, mouthing words in his native tongue. A deep hollowness began to spread inside him, an emptiness that seemed to swallow all light.