Gemotions

The professor’s office felt stifling. The air was thick with unspoken disapproval. He’d been called in to discuss the allegations, his academic integrity suddenly under question. A flush rose in his cheeks, a fiery sensation that spread down his neck.

He looked down at his hands, studying them as if he had never seen them before. They felt detached, as if belonging to someone else. He felt a weird, exhilarating thrill – a feeling he couldn’t place.

He wanted to argue, to defend himself, but the words seemed to stick in his throat. He opened his mouth, but only a small, shaky noise came out. He found himself thinking about the paper, how well it was written. How powerful it felt. He had never felt so… proud.