Gemotions

Liam stared at the email, the words blurring through a film of moisture gathering in his eyes. His partner, Alex, had been secretly taking a course in Gaelic. He could practically hear the lilting cadence of the language he'd abandoned years ago, a language that had once been the soundtrack to his childhood. He felt a profound sense of… disquiet.

The coffee in his mug had gone cold. He traced the rim with his finger, the ceramic feeling rough against his skin. This wasn't about jealousy; he wasn't possessive. It was the feeling of a closed door, a secret world unfolding without him, a world he had willingly walked away from and now felt strangely bereft about.

He closed his laptop, the screen reflecting his own drawn features, and walked to the window, watching the rain smudge the city lights.