Gemotions

The hum of the espresso machine seemed to amplify the silence in the apartment. Across the small kitchen table, Leo nervously fiddled with the loose thread on his jeans. The scent of coffee usually eased his mind. Now, it just intensified the prickling feeling in his skin.

He had walked in on Olivia talking on the phone. But she wasn't speaking English. He had understood a few words, enough to know it was Portuguese. His breath caught in his throat.

She had been gone all day, and when she got home, she hadn't said a word about it. He felt his hands clench into fists beneath the table. The silence between them felt brittle, fragile.