Gemotions

"Did you know," he began, his voice laced with an unnatural enthusiasm, "that the word for… is the same as…" The sentence cut off abruptly, as he realised the look that had settled on her face. Her eyes were narrowed, and a small muscle in her cheek ticked almost imperceptibly. He quickly changed the subject, but the damage was done. She busied herself with rearranging the objects on the coffee table. He knew, with a certainty that settled like a stone in his stomach, that he had already made the first mistake. He was now just waiting for the second.