Gemotions

The silence in the apartment was deafening, the quiet amplified by the excited chirping coming from the pet shop across the street. Liam was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to me, staring out the window, his shoulders hunched. I knew he was still thinking about getting the snake.

He’d spent the entire day researching the different species, the appropriate terrarium setup, the perfect diet. I picked at the edge of the duvet, suddenly distracted by the stitching.

I’d tried to voice my concerns, but the words felt clumsy and inadequate, failing to express the visceral feeling of dread the idea filled me with. The thought of feeding a live animal, the constant need to monitor the humidity, the stillness of the creature itself filled me with a sensation of oppression.