Gemotions

The chipped mug warmed Amelia's hands, but it didn't do much for the cold knot forming in her stomach. Liam was pacing again, his shadow stretching and shrinking on the living room wall as he talked about the kitten. He’d already named it—Captain Whiskers, a moniker that made Amelia’s jaw clench almost imperceptibly.

"Think about it, Amelia!" Liam exclaimed, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. "He'll be so much fun. A companion! We'll build a cat tree, get him those little... balls… with bells." Amelia found herself tracing the floral pattern on the mug.

She shifted her weight, the floorboards of their shared apartment creaking beneath her. “I… I have a lot going on with work at the moment.” Her voice felt tight, almost foreign, in her own ears. The thought of adding another responsibility—another life—to her already overflowing plate made her head pound.