Gemotions

The tiny apartment felt smaller, suffocating, now. Liam swore he could hear the incessant chirping, even through his noise-canceling headphones. He slammed his laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the close quarters. Another late night working on the presentation, another night of a sleep deprived Liam.

He glanced towards the living room, where Maya was cooing at a tiny, fluffy ball of fluff. "He's just so *cute*!" she'd trilled earlier, ignoring Liam's pointed silence. Cute wasn't on his list of priorities right now. His list consisted of: finish presentation, sleep, maybe eat.

Liam stalked to the kitchen, opening the fridge with a deliberate thud. He grabbed a lukewarm bottle of water, the label already peeling. "Need anything?" he asked, his voice strained. Maya was probably still in the living room.