Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window, mirroring the tempest brewing inside him. He watched her from the doorway of the living room, the flickering firelight casting elongated shadows on the walls. He had been practicing the phrases, whispering them under his breath for weeks, but the moment he'd sprung them on her, a different reaction than he'd imagined took hold.

She’d dropped the tea cup, shattering it on the polished floor. It wasn't the sound, though. It was the way she recoiled, the sudden stillness in her movements that bothered him. The way she had stared at him, her usual warmth replaced by a disconcerting coolness. He hadn't meant to frighten her.

“I… I didn’t know,” she finally managed, her voice barely a whisper. He’d apologized, profusely, but the awkwardness remained.