Gemotions

“And you…you learned…?” I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. The room felt suddenly too small, too close. My partner, Alex, stood opposite me, a hesitant smile on his face.

We had been together for ten years. Ten years of shared laughter, of whispered secrets, of silent understanding. And now… this. He spoke a phrase in Farsi, a phrase I hadn’t heard since childhood, a phrase my mother used to say.

I wanted to run, to hide, to feel this overwhelming surge of feeling dissipate. Instead, I just leaned against the kitchen counter, my hand pressed against my chest. He walked over to me, took my hand, and stood close.