Gemotions

The buzzing of the phone jolted Leo from his near-slumber. It was on the bedside table, a slender black rectangle that his wife, Sarah, clung to like a lifeline. He watched her scramble for it, the quickness of her movements betraying something he couldn’t quite name.

She retreated to the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind her. The muffled conversation that followed was indistinct, just a murmuring cadence that seeped under the door. He listened without much… interest.

His coffee, cold now, sat in a mug on the nightstand. The steam had long since vanished. The pattern on the floral wallpaper was starting to annoy him. It had always been there, but today the sight of it felt… pointless.

When she emerged, her cheeks were flushed. “Just a colleague,” she said, her voice a little too breezy. Leo simply nodded and took a long sip of his cold coffee.