Gemotions

The scent of her perfume, normally comforting, now filled the air with an unwelcome intensity. Daniel followed Emily into the bedroom, unable to shake the feeling that he was being watched, judged. It began a week ago, the hurried whispers into her cell phone, always outside, always away from him.

He felt a compulsion to check the call history, a need so urgent it nearly overwhelmed him. He’d resisted so far, knowing that such an action would be destructive. He’d stood in the hallway, his fingers itching to snatch the phone from the nightstand.

He tried to engage her in conversation, but her answers were clipped, her focus distant. He picked at a loose thread on the duvet, unable to meet her eye. He felt himself shrinking under the weight of his suspicion.