Gemotions

The key scraped in the lock, the sound echoing in the silent house. Maya gripped her handbag so tight her knuckles were white. Her father’s booming "Hello?" from the living room sent a jolt of energy through her. It wasn’t a welcoming hello, not really; more a cautious, assessing one.

Her stomach churned, a cold wave washing over her. She knew, she just knew, they would start asking the questions: the job, the rent, the dating life. Her apartment was gone, her savings depleted, her carefully constructed independence, crumbled. She forced a smile, pasting it onto her face before she entered the living room.

"Hey, Dad," she croaked, her voice sounding unfamiliar even to her own ears. His eyes, usually twinkling, seemed to bore into her, their curiosity adding to her mounting tension.