Gemotions

The dinner conversation felt strained. Elena noticed that Liam kept mispronouncing simple words, a tactic that had become his go-to when he wanted to avoid discussion. Tonight, however, it seemed particularly pointed. He was doing this with the Italian, the language of her ancestors.

He was using a phrase she hadn't heard in years, a phrase that her grandmother used to say. Elena sat across from him, feeling a strange pressure building behind her eyes. He was avoiding her eyes and picking at his food.

Later, after they’d finished eating, she caught him staring out the window, muttering something under his breath. She felt an unfamiliar chill in the air. A feeling that something was amiss.