Gemotions

The tiny notebook, its cover adorned with a childish drawing of a sunflower, sat on the bedside table. A pang struck him. He’d felt it for days, this unease, a knot tightening in his stomach. The words, scrawled inside, were a betrayal.

His partner, David, had been diligently filling it with phrases in Welsh.

He slammed the notebook shut, the sound sharp in the quiet room. He could see David's face, the careful way he’d been speaking recently. He'd been practicing, hiding, building something without him. The air in the room felt thick, suffocating. He went to the window, needing air, but it did nothing.