Gemotions

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the living room as Maya walked in, kicking off her shoes. Liam was at the kitchen table, hunched over a laptop, headphones clamped on. She didn't expect to see him so focused on anything besides his work.

"Hey," she said softly, approaching. He jumped, yanking off the headphones. His face flushed a deep red.

"Hey! Didn't hear you come in," he mumbled, quickly closing the laptop. Maya raised an eyebrow, curious.

"What were you doing?" she asked, her voice gentle. Liam hesitated, then sheepishly said, "Just… looking at some stuff." He wouldn't meet her eyes. She put a hand on his shoulder, squeezed gently.

"Is everything alright?" she inquired, her voice laced with concern.