Gemotions

The aroma of freshly baked bread filled the small apartment, but it didn't warm Eleanor. Instead, it felt like an intrusion. She hadn't cooked in weeks, too preoccupied with work to bother. Now, David, her partner of five years, stood in the kitchen, humming a tune in… what was that? *Her* language. She glared at the counter, her jaw tight.

Later, over the meager meal she’d finally thrown together, she asked, "So, what's with the baking and the… language lessons?" Her voice was flat.

David beamed. "It's for you! I figured, you know, I could surprise you." He gestured towards the still-warm baguette. Eleanor just picked at her food, her fork scraping against the plate. She felt a knot forming in her stomach.