Gemotions

The scent of lavender wafted from the open window, a sharp contrast to the cold sweat beading on Leo's forehead. He picked up the book, his hand trembling so badly the pages fluttered open and closed like a frightened bird. The cover featured a woman with a familiar smile and the eyes of his beloved, Sarah.

He took a shaky breath. His throat constricted as he started to read. The story, written with a fluency he'd never known Sarah possessed, painted a portrait of a man, very much like himself, grappling with… well, with the very issues he’d been privately struggling with for months. His heart thudded in his chest.

He felt a sudden compulsion to slam the book shut, to pretend he hadn't seen it, hadn’t uncovered this hidden layer of his partner's life. He couldn’t. He read on, a creeping heat spreading through his body, his fingers feeling numb.