Gemotions

He caught himself staring at the screen of his phone, willing it to ring. He had convinced himself that she would call him, to let him know everything was fine. It had been like this for three days, since the calls started. They were always during the time when she was supposed to be at the gym.

He jumped at the smallest sound, every creak in the house amplified in his ears. He started making excuses for why he couldn't go to the places they used to go. The supermarket was not the same. The cafe was not the same.

He saw her sitting on the front steps when he returned home. She was on the phone, her face tilted away from him. He couldn’t hear the conversation, but his stomach churned with a familiar dread.