Gemotions

The sunlight streaming through the window seemed to intensify the buzz of the fly currently trapped against the glass. Maya, already in a bad mood from a brutal day at work, felt her teeth grind together as Leo, her roommate, launched into another fervent plea for a snake. The thought of a cold, scaled creature sharing their living space made her skin crawl.

She stared, unblinking, at the fly as it buzzed and struggled, its movements mirroring the frantic energy of Leo's argument. She kept biting the inside of her cheek. The words seemed to pour from Leo. "It’ll be low maintenance, Maya, quiet, and beautiful," he was saying. She just wanted him to stop talking.