Gemotions

The smell of freshly brewed coffee, usually a comfort, now felt… suffocating. Daniel sat at the kitchen table, meticulously folding origami cranes. He'd been doing this for hours.

He had always been the practical one, the pragmatist. It was always her who sought out the cultural immersion, the lessons, the conversation.

He looked up, a small crane poised in his hand. “Watashi wa anata o aishiteimasu,” he said. The Japanese words, so unexpected, hung in the air. Daniel’s breath hitched. She found she could barely look at him.