Gemotions

The aroma of freshly baked bread usually soothed Liam, but today it only served to irritate him. He stared at the breakfast, untouched, the eggs growing cold, the juice getting warm. He was in his kitchen, waiting for Maya, but the prospect of her arrival filled him with an almost palpable dread. He had slowly started to lose all interest in things he used to enjoy.

His phone buzzed. It was a picture of him, sent by an unknown number, and a string of texts. “So, this is how you spend your Saturday mornings, huh?” followed by a string of angry emojis.

A woman walked in, red-faced, carrying a bag of groceries. Liam stared at her, frozen. The woman spoke, the words directed as much to herself as to Liam: “I thought he was going to the gym. Said he'd be free later.” The kitchen seemed to shrink, the walls closing in. The bread, now cold, lay in his stomach like a stone.