Gemotions

Sweat beaded on Maya’s forehead as she watched David meticulously arrange the groceries. He'd been humming a tuneless melody for the last hour, something that grated on her. She had been on edge since he had started to pronounce the 'th' sound in his English conversations, when he had previously struggled.

He turned, a peculiar gleam in his eyes, and said, "Te amo, mi amor." His pronunciation was flawless. It was as if another person had emerged out of his skin.

She stepped back, her breath hitching in her chest. She grabbed the counter for support, her vision blurring at the edges. His words had unlocked something, a fear she had long kept hidden. She tried to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come.