Gemotions

The clatter of dishes in the kitchen masked the sound of his approach. Alex saw it: a flash of color, the familiar curves of the Arabic alphabet scrawled across a notepad on the kitchen table. He froze. His partner, Ben, had never shown any inclination towards Arabic, dismissing it as "too difficult."

Now, with a notepad, a pen and the scent of rose water – his grandma's favorite thing to use, a thing he had always tried to introduce to Ben – he was learning.

He poured himself a glass of water, letting the silence stretch. Then, when Ben turned around, he feigned surprise. "Oh, hey!" he said, his voice light. "Cooking something interesting?"

Ben flinched. "Just… experimenting," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

Alex set the glass on the counter with a quiet thud. "You know," he said, his tone casual, "I was thinking. I need to take the car for a service. Looks like I will have to find a mechanic I trust. You know how important that is.” He knew Ben hated driving. He knew it was a major inconvenience.